Home-reading guide the moon and sixpence Unit 1: Chapters I — VI

Vocabulary Notes

Match the words and phrases with their definitions

1. ordinary — 2. authentic— 3. admire — 4. detractor — 5. suggest — 6. notorious — ; notoriety — 7. throw light on sth — 8. bashful — 9. screw up one's courage — 10. scintillate — 11. rave about sth 12. impropriety — 13. byword — 14. saunter (through) —. 15. stockbroker — 16. take a fancy to sb — 17. faculty — 18. philistine — 19. stop the gap — 20. common, commonplace — 21. out of the common —

talk wildly, violently, angrily vt propose; bring (an idea, possibility, etc) into the mind adj normal; usual, average make sth clearer, provide new information n man whose business is the buying and selling of stock(s) n power (of mind); ability (to do sth) adj unusual adj ordinary or usual adj genuine; known to be true adj widely known (esp for sth bad): criminal thief, gambler, liar, miser, etc; n state of being well-known (esp in a bad way) n person, place, etc, regarded and spoken of as a notable example (usu bad) supply sth lacking vt look at with pleasure or satisfaction, express admiration of overcome one's fears vi walk in a leisurely way n uncultured person; person whose interests are material and commonplace n person who tries to make sb's reputation, etc, smaller vi sparkle; glitter become fond of n incorrectness; unsuitability adj shy

A. Training Exercises

I. Translate into Russian the passage beginning with "The greatness of Charles Strickland...", ending with "...his life and character" (Ch. I).

II. Find in the text English equivalents for the following words and phrases. Learn them and use when writing a summary:

порочность; лесть; дурная слава; подлинный; покор­ность; заполнить пробел; резкий ответ; символ; лег­комыслие; остроумное замечание; слабо освещенный (малоизвестный); братство; ум; щедрость; не отставать от моды; процветание; набраться храбрости; выяснять.

IV. Give antonyms to:

merits; detractor; generosity; reveal; exceptional; pro­priety; promiscuity; virgin.

V. Suggest words or word combinations for the following:

1. not remarkable or interesting, ordinary

2. a natural gift of mind or character

3. to walk slowly and more or less aimlessly

4. to convey an idea indirectly

5. being actually and precisely what is claimed

6. to recognize the worth of a person or thing

7. being what is generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual

VI. Reproduce the situations in which the words and phrases from the list occur.

VII. Compose sentences of your own with the following phrases:

to conceal one's embarrassment; ill-cut bread-and-butter; to take notice of somebody; stinging humour; at one's own risk; to take a fancy to one another.

B. Speech Exercises

I. Introduce the characters (Charles Strickland, Mrs Strickland, Rose Waterford, Mrs Jay, Richard Twining, George Road).

II. Explain what is meant by:

1. A painter's monument is his work.

2. You've only got to roar a little, and she'll ask you.

3. ...he's not at all literary. He's a perfect philistine.

4. He gave you somewhat the idea of a coachman dressed up for the oc­casion.

5. He looked commonplace.

6. He was null.

III. Answer the following questions:

1. How does the author, the narrator of the story, char­acterize Charles Strickland and his work? What does he mean by saying that "the greatness of Ch. Strick­land was authentic" and "authentic genius had rubbed shoulders with them"? What was the first impression that Strickland produced on the narrator? Did he see anything out of the ordinary in him? What does he think Charles Strickland's works suggest?

2. Why did the author decide to write his own book on Ch. Strickland?

3. How are London literary circles described in the chapters under study? What were the author's first steps in the world of the literary?

4. What kind of woman was Miss Rose Waterford? What kind of writer was she? What is the author's attitude towards her? What kind of people came to her tea-parties?

5. Under what circumstances did the narrator first meet Mrs. Strickland? What was the impression she produced on him? What was Mrs Strickland's flat like?

6. Under what circumstances did the narrator meet Charles Strickland?

7. What were Mrs Strickland's receptions like?

8. How does the author describe Ch. Strickland? How do you understand the words: "he looked common­place", "he was null"? Why was it that his presence made Mrs Strickland's dinner-parties dull? How did Mrs Strickland treat her husband? Were they a good match? What was her friends' opinion about her hus­band?

IV.

1. Sum up the Stricklands.

2. Describe the narrator's visits to Mrs Strickland.

V. Fill in the character sketch pages.

VI. Give a summary of the chapters under study.