Учебно-методическое пособие по работе с книгой Девять рассказов Дж. Сэлинджер

b)

–Я тебе вот что скажу, деловая барышня. Если ты еще раз выйдешь замуж, никогда ничего мужу не рассказывай. Поняла?

–А почему? – спросила Мэри Джейн.

–Потому. Ты меня слушай, – сказала Элоиза. – Им хочется думать, что у тебя от каждого знакомого мальчишки всю жизнь с души воротило. Я не шучу, понятно? Да, конечно, можешь им рассказывать что угодно. Но правду – никогда, ни за что! Понимаешь, правду – ни за что! Скажешь, что была знакома с красивым мальчиком, обязательно добавь, что красота у него была какая-то слащавая. Скажешь, что знала остроумного парня, непременно тут же объясни, что он был трепло и задавака. А не скажешь, так он тебе будет колоть глаза этим мальчиком при всяком удобном случае... Да, конечно, он тебя выслушает очень разумно, как полагается. И физиономия у него будет умная до черта. А ты не поддавайся. Ты меня слушай. Стоит только поверить, что они умные, у тебя не жизнь будет, а сущий ад.

Lesson 3

Just Before the War with Eskimos

PRE-READING TASKS

•Look at the title: what associations does it evoke in you:

a)historical,

b)hysterical,

c)other:________(specify).

•Read the first passage of the story. Have you ever had a similar experience? How did you behave? Why? What response did your behavior cause in the other person?

GENERAL COMPREHENSION

1.What factual information do we know about Selena and Ginnie? How would you define the type of relations between the girls?

2.What do we know about Selena?

3.Pick out passages that are most illustrative for revealing her character, and observe what we can infer from them.

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4.Comment on the way Selena behaves in taxi; then at home. Is it easy to put her off?

5.Why was Selena so reluctant to pay back money to Ginnie? Why did she give up?

6.Ginnie: how do you perceive her personality?

7.What is her attitude to Selena at the very beginning of the story? Is it a just one? What impelled her to go the whole length of getting money from Selena?

8.Describe Franklin’s appearance and your first impression of him.

9.What facts do we know about Franklin?

10.Whose point is it that we perceive Franklin from? Give examples.

11.How do we get to know about Franklin’s feeling toward Ginnie’s sister? Is it mentioned directly or hinted at? Give proofs.

12.What is Selena’s attitude toward her brother?

13.How is Ginnie’s opinion about Franklin developing throughout their conversation? Read out passages revealing it.

14.What is Eric’s role in the story?

15.What seems peculiar in the way his appearance is described? What do you think his occupation is? What prompted you to think so?

16.How does Ginnie respond to his eloquence? Why?

17.Was Selena surprised to see the change in Ginnie’s attitude? How does Ginnie explain this change? Are there any grounds for us not to trust these explanations? Point out passages supporting your opinion. What explanation can you provide?

WORD STUDY

I. Find in the text the following words and expressions.

Враждебный, искусственный, поза/осанка, взъерошенные волосы, глупый, переливание, коситься/щуриться, хладнокровно/бесстрастно, йод, гадкие манеры, апломб.

II. Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with the words and phrases from the text.

1.… a school ostensibly full of fair-sized drips…

2."No," said Ginnie decidedly.

3.I don't wanna be mean, but I'm actually existing on four-fifty a week.

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4.Looking bored, she searched in the pockets of her coat.

5.In her opinion, it was an altogether terribly ugly room – expensive but cheesy.

6."Goddam if I know," he said, his inflection implying that the answer to that question was hopelessly vague.

7.He started again picking at his own first-aid work.

8.He turned to her in a tired way. "Listen. I wrote to her eight goddam letters."

9.Ginnie was much too involved now to feel insulted.

III. Find in the text the following expressions:

1.Джинни не скрывала, что считает Селину самой жуткой тусклячкой во всей школе…

2.Тон Селины убивал всякое желание пойти ей навстречу.

3.Небрежно прикрыв дверцу, она с величаво рассеянным видом заезжей голливудской знаменитости быстро вошла в дом.

4.– Ладно, – сказала Джинни и плюхнулась на диван.

5.– В жизни бы не подумала, что ты такая мелочная, – сказала Селина.

6.Джинни ненадолго умолкла. Очень ненадолго.

7.Вот тип, правда?

IV. Paraphrase the underlined parts of the sentences. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1.At dinner one night, for the edification of the entire Mannox family, Ginnie had conjured up a vision of dinner over at the Grafts'.

2.But this business of dropping Selena off at her house after tennis and then getting stuck – every single time – for the whole cab fare was getting on Ginnie's nerves.

3.Ginnie decided to come right out with it.

4."All right, all right," Selena said loudly and with finality enough to give herself the upper hand.

5.At fifteen, Ginnie was about five feet nine in her 9-B tennis shoes, and as she entered the lobby, her self-conscious rubber-soled awkwardness lent her a dangerous amateur quality.

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6.Ginnie was, in fact, slightly put off by this information, whatever its degree of truth, but not to the point of sentimentality.

7.… the door was drawn in and left ajar – by a colored maid with whom Selena didn't seem to be on speaking terms.

8.Ginnie briefly held her fire. Very briefly. "What were you doing in Ohio?" she asked.

9."But I shall never again consider myself even the remotest judge of human nature."

10."I'm to tired," Ginnie said. She bent over and picked up her paraphernalia.

V. Consulting the text, fill in the blanks with prepositions if necessary:

1.But this business of dropping Selena ___ at her house ___ tennis and then getting stuck – every single time – for the whole cab fare was getting ___ Ginnie's nerves.

2.On the fifth Saturday however, as the cab started ___ north in York Avenue, Ginnie suddenly spoke ___.

3.Ginnie was, in fact, slightly put ___ by this information, whatever its degree of truth, but not ___ the point of sentimentality.

4.… the door was drawn ___ and left ajar – ___ a colored maid with whom Selena didn't seem to be ___ speaking terms.

5.Let him clutter ___ the whole apartment ___ his horrible manuscript papers…

6."…And ___ top of it all –", The young man broke ___.

7."I don't want the money anyway," Ginnie said, keeping her voice

___ so that she was heard only ___ Selena.

POINTS FOR DISCUSSION

1.What parts can you divide the story into? How is their emotional charge changing throughout the story? (Try to figure out some pattern of it). What is the main emotion of the whole story? What prompts it in terms of wording? In terms of other means?

2.How is Franklin’s behavior described? Is this description realistic? Exaggerated? Prove it by the text. What features are stressed in his description? Make your assumptions concerning the reasons of it.

3.In the story find passages showing Franklin’s attitude to himself. Comment on them.

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4.What does the name "Selena" mean? How is it connected with the message of the story?

5.How does Eric’s story about his roommate fit into the whole atmosphere?

6.Comment on the last sentence of the story. What feeling did it evoke in you? What is remarkable about its syntax?

7.What does the title mean to you? How do Franklin’s words (see p. 53) contribute to its understanding?

8.What do you think happened later that evening? Would Ginnie call Selena? Why and why not?

ADDITIONAL TASKS

1.There are several lines of relations in the story. Which are subordinate and which – cardinal? Which one seems most important to you? Prove it.

2.Give the summary of the talk between Franklin and Ginnie.

3.Write a reflective essay on the title of the story summing up what you have come up with in class, and coming to a conclusion.

4.Give your interpretation of the ending (i.e. the last paragraph of the story). In class present your interpretations. How different are they?

After presentations are made, decide who:

a)made the most interesting one;

b)presented his/her ideas in the most comprehensible and clear

way.

5.Can you answer the question about what happened just before the war with Eskimos?

Lesson 4

The Laughing man

PRE-READING TASKS

•Look at the title: what work of art is it an allusion to? What is its content? How do you think this story will differ from / resemble the original one?

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•While reading the text write out words and sentences to complete the following information profiles:

Analyze the information you have got. What conclusions can you come to?

GENERAL COMPREHENSION

1.When did the events take place? When are they narrated? Provide your explanations of the author’s choice of the settings and the speaker.

2.Give a concise description of John (both physical and personal).

3.What is the children’s attitude to John? Is it different from what an outsider might think of him?

4.Is John a good narrator? In you opinion, how does his story about the laughing man reveal his personality? (Exchange your views).

5.What is the first time that Mary appears in the story? Was it in a direct or in an indirect way?

6.What is children’s opinion about Mary? Prove it with the text. Was she beautiful? How does the narrator put it?

7.Comment on the passages displaying John’s emotional state in Mary’s presence. Is his attitude to her obvious?

8.How long did the relations between Mary and John last?

9.What level of society does Mary belong to? From which sentences have you inferred it?

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10.Do you think she loves John? What made you think so?

11.From which episodes can we infer that something wrong is going on between them?

12.What kind of names does the author use for his main characters? What might it imply?

13.Make up a flow chart of events in the inner story about the laughing man.

14.Prepare a narration of the story about The Laughing Man in a nutshell. In class, make it a chain retelling. (As every next speaker is selected at random, you should be able to adjust your variant to the previous extract narrated.)

15.Why did John decide to stop narrating his story?

16.Can you explain why The Laughing Man decided to pull his mask off? Account for the figurative meaning of this action in correlation with the outer story.

17.Describe the children’s emotional state after the story is finished. Can you provide a reasonable explanation of the aim John pursued when he finished his story this way?

18.What does the red tissue paper in the final passage signify? Why is it said: "It looked like someone’s poppy-petal mask".

19.What information would you include into the summary of the whole story?

WORD STUDY

I. Find in the text the English equivalents and consult a dictionary for pronunciation.

II. Find in the text the following expressions.

1.Теснясь и толкаясь, мы забирались в маленький «пикап» Вождя…

2.…Вождь с утра забирал нас по квартирам и в своём доживавшем век «пикапе» вывозил из Манхэттена…

3.…где были настоящие спортивные площадки, и не грозила опасность встретить в качестве противника детскую коляску или разъярённую старую даму с палкой.

4.Возможно, он даже был построен по классическим канонам.

5.При виде страшного лица Человека, который смеялся, непривычные люди с ходу падали в обморок.

6.Эта его нелепая жалостливость бесила меня до чёртиков.

7.В том, 1928 году я был вовсе не сыном своих родителей, но дьявольски хитрым самозванцем.

8.Иногда она трещала в машине без умолку…

9.Когда Дюфарж, всё ещё закрывавший ладонью глаза, чтобы не видеть глаза Человека, услыхал, как оттуда, куда он целил, доносятся предсмертные стоны, он возликовал.

10.И вот однажды охрипшим, но задушевным голосом он воззвал к лесным зверям, прося их помочь ему.

III. Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with the words and phrases from the text.

1.… in the Chief all the most photogenic features of Buck Jones, Ken Maynard, and Tom Mix had been smoothly mixed.

2.Acquaintances tried not to meet him.

3.There he made friends with any number and species of animals: dogs, white mice…

4.For sheer sport, the Laughing Man usually went halfway with them, then disappeared…

5.He lived exclusively on rice and eagles' blood…

6.He answered unwillingly, "Mary Hudson."

7.…he looked at the Comanches near his seat and signalled the row to make enough room for her.

8.In the best faith in the world, the Laughing Man agreed to these conditions.

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9.It was the kind of whole certainty, however independent of the sum of its facts, that can make walking backwards more than normally risky, and I ran right into a baby carriage.

10.The influence of this feat on the Dufarges was so acute that their hearts literally burst…

IV. Paraphrase the underlined parts of the sentences. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1.I remember getting lost one Saturday somewhere … I kept my head though.

2.He was an impartial and unexcitable umpire at all our bedlam sporting events, a master fire builder and extinguisher, and an expert, uncontemptuous first-aid man.

3.Soon his ingenious criminal methods, coupled with his singular love of fair play, found him a warm place in the nation's heart.

4.It seemed to me that a girl's picture clashed with the general menonly decor of the bus, and I bluntly asked the Chief who she was.

5.And to really top things off, when another Comanche and I were flipping a coin to decide which team would take the field first, Mary Hudson wistfully expressed a desire to join the game.

6.Where before we Comanches had simply stared at her femaleness, we now glared at it.

7.When my astonishment worn off, and then my awe, and then my delight, I looked over at the Chief.

8.A flux of circumstances delivered the Laughing Man's best friend, his timber wolf, Black Wing, into a physical and intellectual trap set by the Dufrages.

9.Mlle. Dufarge responded by passing out cold.

10.His black heart beating wildly, he rushed over to his unconscious daughter and brought her to.

V. Consulting the text, fill in the blanks with the suitable prepositions.

1.You could always take it home with you and reflect ___ it while sitting, say, ___the out-going water in the bathtub.

2.Curiously enough, though, the bandits let him hang ___ their headquarters…

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3.The Chief nodded again but gave ___.

4.When my astonishment worn ___, and then my awe, and then my delight, I looked ___ at the Chief.

5.Properly infuriated, the Laughing Man pushed ___ his mask ___

his tongue and confronted the Dufarges with his naked face ___

moonlight.

VI. Match the pairs of words with the opposite meaning.

VII. Paraphrase the following sentences and expressions conveying the shades of meaning implied in them.

A.If we had straight athletics in our minds…

B.I opened my lunchbox for business …

C.If wishes were inches, all of us Comanches would have had him a giant in no time.

D.He got more and more high-handed with his installments.

E.The Laughing Man was the one for keeping an ear to the ground.

F.… awaiting their slightest blunder as an excuse to move in … to assert my true identity

G.But the main thing I had to do was watch my step. Play along with the farce.

H.… he simply got into his story-telling position and swung prematurely into a fresh installment of a Laughing Man. (p. 68)

I.We gave her all the room in the world.

J.…sandwiched between two nursemaids…

K.It was not yet dark out, but a five-fifteen dimness had set in.

L.It also kept them sensible of his whereabouts.

M.They tried leading the Laughing Man up the garden path.

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N.Four blindly loyal confederates lived with him.

O.The picture had been more or less planted on him.

P.It gradually took on the unarresting personality of a speedometer.

Q.The Chief’s reflexes were geared high that day.

R.… there was on every Comanche’s face a some-girls-just-don’t- know-when-to-go-home look.

S.For poise, …

T.He didn’t so much seem to be standing behind the pitcher as floating over him.

VIII. Translate the following passage in writing trying to keep up with the style and mood of the original.

"When the Laughing Man’s…… …was to pull off his mask" (p. 79).

Have you encountered any difficulties? Did you have to make a lot of changes to preserve the original atmosphere? Discuss your translations.

POINTS FOR DISCUSSION

1.Who narrates the outer story – a man or a boy? Prove it. What does it contribute to the story?

2.What is the structure of the story? How many parts can you distinguish?

3.What levels of narration can you point out? (How many narrations and narratives can you distinguish?) How are they interrelated?

4.How do the inner and the outer stories relate to each other in terms of time, genre, plot development, structure correlations?

5.Find ironical utterances. Toward whom are they most often expressed?

6.Scan the inner story about Laughing man once again and pick out things that seem to you strange, unreal or obviously fictitious. What do they add to the whole story? What genre is it inherent in? Make suppositions on the author’s goal in using this technique.

ADDITIONAL TASKS

1.Pick out unconventional word combinations (consult a dictionary of collocations). What do they serve for? Illustrate it with some examples.

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2.Pick out sentences or phrases that seem to express simple things or ideas in a highly intricate way. Can you find any simpler ways of putting it? Why do you think the author preferred not to?

3.Prepare a report expressing your opinion on the endings of both the inner and the outer stories.

4.Write a letter John could write to Mary explaining his viewpoint on the relationship between them and how it can develop if it can.

Lesson 5

Down at the Dinghy

PRE-READING TASKS

1.Read only the first passages on page 80. The maid is obviously worried about something. Which words of the author show that something worries her? What might it be?

2.Further in the text there is Mrs. Snell’s remark: "Either he tells her or he don’t". Who might "he" and "her" be? What can he tell about? Discuss your predictions. Whose one seems more probable? More extraordinary? Whilst reading check your predictions.

GENERAL COMPREHENSION

1.Describe the setting of the story.

2.What details are in your opinion important for describing:

¾ Sandra ¾ Mrs. Snell

What do these details prompt about the characters?

3.How does Sandra behave with Mrs. Tannenbaum?

4.What can you say about the child – any facts from the past; the maid’s attitude to him?

5.What is the record of his previous runaways? What is the reason of his present escape? How does it characterize the boy?

6.What is the boy’s attitude to his father? Which lines reveal it?

7.What first impression does Boo Boo make? What suggests this impression in the episode of her talk with the maids?

8.How does the boy behave in the dingy? Did he pay attention to his mother’s approach? What attitude is he striving to show?

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9.Is Lionel’s behavior natural for a 4-year old boy? What does his name imply?

10.How is Boo Boo trying to figure out the boy’s mood and its cause? What is her main aim here?

11.What tricks does she have to use to approach the boy? Why doesn’t she try out a direct order?

12.How does she react to his words about Sandra’s statement? How would you react in a similar situation?

13.What did the author mean to say by the last paragraph? What atmosphere does it create?

14.How would you sketch the final scene? What would compose the foreground? The background? Explain your opinion.

WORD STUDY

I. Find in the text the English equivalents and consult a dictionary for pronunciation.

Ментоловые сигареты; недовольно; злобно/с ненавистью; пикули; убежище/укрытие; шорты цвета хаки; торжественно; важно; вызов (открытое неповиновение); урожденная; присесть на корточки.

II. Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with words and phrases from the text.

1.…Sandra, the maid, had come away from the lake-front window in the kitchen with her lips set firmly.

2."I’m not worryin’ about it", Sandra replied.

3.Only, it makes you insane, the way that kid goes pussyfootin’ all around the house.

4.She was dressed in knee-length jeans, a black turtleneck pullover, and socks and a kind of moccasins.

5.…she suddenly got to her feet …and sounded something like a call in a military trumpet.

6."We talked about it, and you told me you finished with it. You promised me."

7.As she looked into it, with her legs apart and her hands on her knees…

8.Just muggers, I guess, and all kinds of wandering madmen.

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III. Paraphrase the underlined parts of the following sentences. Translate them into Russian.

1.It was the same interesting, black felt headpiece she had worn, not just all summer, but for the past three summers – through record heat waves, through change of life, over scores of ironing boards, over the helms of dozens of vacuum cleaners.

2."I mean ya gotta weigh every word ya say around him", Sandra said.

3.Only, it drives ya loony, the way that kid goes pussyfootin’ all around the house.

4."What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

5.He’s been hitting the road regularly since he was two.

6.Half-frozen to death and looking –

7."Just because I don’t shoot my mouth off about it".

8.I’d be drummed out of the bloomin’ service.

9."It’s mine", he said on a diminishing note of justice.

10.Boo Boo got to her feet, gingerly, like someone whose foot has gone to sleep in theatre, and lowered herself into the dinghy.

11.Lionel worked his head up and down, emphatically.

12.At any rate, he waited till the hiccupping aftermath of his tears had subsided a little.

IV. Find in the text the following words and expressions. Use them in the sentences of your own.

Бабье лето; фыркать; враждебный; незабываемый; вольный/раскованный; выманить из лодки; презрительно; курс судна; фальшивый; заслонить лицо от солнца; сорваться на крик; бросить; отчаянно заревел; укачивать; её передёрнуло/она вздрогнула; странная смесь; уличный грабитель; с высоты своего положения.

V. Match the pairs of adverbs with similar meaning.

POINTS FOR DISCUSSION

1.Who is in your opinion the main character of the story? Why?

2.How could you answer Sandra’s question "What was he running away about?"

3.Dwell upon the child’s feelings while in the dingy. Why do you think he chose a dingy for running away? Can the dingy have a figurative (or symbolic) meaning?

4.Can you explain his motive of throwing out the goggles and the key chain into the lake?

5.How do you assume Boo Boo will treat Sandra? (Do you remember Mrs. Snell’s words "What I’d do, I’d look around for another – ?" (see p. 82)) What would you choose to do? Give your reasons.

6.The main feeling of the story is that of courage. Indicate any formal or figurative signs of it.

7.It is very often stated that (in accordance with the principles of Sanskrit poetics) in Salinger’s stories the main idea or most important message is delivered with the least number of words or hints. What might be the main message in this story?

ADDITIONAL TASKS

1.Retell the whole story on behalf of Sandra.

2.Write the next chapter of the story, outlining the main events that followed.

3.Turn this story into a whodunit. Prior to this, in class discuss how you have to change the structure of the text, the plot development, the facts mentioned first; what the opening and the final scenes of the story will be.

•Prepare the dramatization of the dialogue between Sandra and Mrs. Snell and Boo Boo (pp. 80-86).

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Lesion 6

For Esmé – with Love and Squalor

GENERAL COMPREHENSION

1.Give account of your immediate impression of the story after having read it.

2.How many narratives are there in "For Esmé – with Love and Squalor"? How are they connected?

3.What is the setting of the first inside story?

4.How does the narrator describe the group of his fellows? How would you put it more transparently and succinctly?

5.What made the man go to the church?

6.Why do you think he noticed this very girl in the choir? Describe the girl’s appearance.

7.How did he feel when the girl came up to him in the cafe? Prove your opinion by citations from the text.

8.Comment on the girl’s behavior. What is peculiar in it? Amalgamation of what does it seem to be? Give examples.

9.What is the girl’s attitude toward her parents, particularly to her father? Prove your words by citations.

10.How does the man perceive the little boy? What seems striking in the boy’s behavior?

11.Comment on the way the characters part.

12.What does the man mean by saying: "It was a strangely emotional moment for me" (see p. 110)? Why was it strangely emotional?

13.Where is the beginning of the second inner story? What are the formal signs of it? What is its setting? To what extent does it differ from the previous one?

14.Who are the characters of this narration?

15.Who is the speaker? Why do you think the author decided to change the speaker? What interpretation of it can you give? How does this point of view influence our perception of the events? Would the narration be different if it were from a firstperson perspective? If so, in what way?

16.Who do you think X might be? Is it obvious?

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17.Who is Corporal Z converted into later in the text? Why do you think X is not converted into anybody with a name?

18.What has happened to X by the time we meet him in the story?

19.What can you infer about X’s state – both emotional and physical?

20.Is there anything in common between Z and X? At what points are they different?

21.What is peculiar about Esme’s letter? What impact did it have on X?

22.Elaborate more on the message expressed in the last sentence.

WORD STUDY

I.Find in the text the English equivalents and consult a dictionary for pronunciation.

Живописные окрестности; пехотные и воздушно-десантные

дивизии; сверить часы; хор; для секунды; штурманский хронограф; чувственный/страстный; потомство; страстный любитель чтения; нервное расстройство.

II. Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with the words and phrases from the text.

1.I've since discussed the matter rather extensively with my wife, an extremely sensible girl…

2.I thought Americans feel content for tea.

3."You were at choir practice," she said in a businesslike manner. "I saw you."

4."You go to that secret Intelligence school on the hill, don't you?" she asked calmly.

5.To tell the truth, Father really needed more of an intellectual companion than Mother was.

6.Charles opened his enormous eyes, as sign that he'd heard his sister's threat, but otherwise he didn't show any sign of promptitude.

7.My mother had an inclination to spoil him.

8."Yeah, I had a letter from her yesterday. Down in my room. Show it to ya later," Clay said, apathetically.

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III. Paraphrase the underlined parts of the sentences; translate the sentences into Russian.

1.I thought it might just be possible for me to make the trip abroad, by plane, expenses be hanged.

2.I don't think I'm a type that doesn't even lift a finger to prevent a wedding from flatting.

3.… we were fairly unique, the sixty of us, in that there wasn't one good mixer in the bunch…

4.We were all essentially letter-writing types…

5.I ignored the flashes of lightning all around me. They either had your number on them or they didn't.

6.She was about thirteen, with straight ash-blond hair of ear-lobe length, an exquisite forehead, blasé eyes that, I thought, might very possibly have counted the house.

7.The governess, keeping her voice down, gave him two or three orders to sit down and, in effect, stop that monkey business…

8."Yes, quite," said my guest, in the clear, unmistakable voice of a small-talk detester.

9."Really," she said, "I wasn't quite born yesterday, you know."

10.Ignoring me, he addressed his sister in a piercing treble: "Miss Megley said you must come and finish your tea!"

11.…he closed his eyes, sleepily, angelically, then stuck out his tongue…and gave out what in my country would have been a glorious tribute to a myopic baseball umpire.

12.He said: "I was unequipped to meet life because I have no sense of humor."

13.This was a statement of faith, not a contradiction, and I quickly switched horses.

14."Yeah. She's interested as hell in all that stuff. She's majoring in psychology."

IV. Consulting the text, fill in the blanks with the suitable prepositions.

1.…after three years in the Army, I'd become addicted ___ reading bulletin boards.

2.On the rostrum …were about twenty children, mostly girls, ranging

___ age ___ about seven ___thirteen.

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3.The young lady, however, seemed slightly bored ___ her own singing ability…

4.It was a ladylike yawn, a closed-mouth yawn, but you couldn't miss it; her nostril wings gave her ___.

5.…he methodically went ___ annoying his governess ___ pushing

___ and pulling ___ his chair several times, watching her face.

6.She blushed ___ automatically conferring ___ me the social poise I'd been missing.

7.I said I'd thought that most people could figure that ___ for themselves.

8.Since the death of my mother, she's done everything ___ her power to make Charles and me feel adjusted.

V. Match the words with their definitions.

POINTS FOR DISCUSSION

1.In the introduction the main character says that his aim in writing the letter to the groom is to "edify, to instruct". What did he mean by saying so? What is your opinion about his motives of writing this letter?

2.How often does the word squalor (and its conjugates) appear in the story? What meanings can it express? Can you account for the variety of its possible meanings in this story? Which meaning is more likely to be referred to in the title? Explain your choice.

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3.What would you like to change in the story? Why?

4.Rewrite Esme’s letter so that it is written in a simple straightforward narrative style. Exchange your letters with one another. Now restore the original variant as close as possible (either in writing or orally).

ADDITIONAL TASKS

1.You are the lieutenant. You changed your mind and decided to go to the wedding. Prepare the speech you are going to make there.

2.Pick out at least ten most bookish or sophisticated words and expressions in Esme’s vocabulary. Make up a poem using them. (You may prefer any style – blank, free or rhythmic verse, classical poems, etc.)

Lesson 7

Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes

GENERAL COMPREHENSION

1.What impression have you got of Arthur? In which episodes is it rooted? What additional information (not directly related to the events of narrative) have you inferred?

2.Comment on Lee’s gestures and expressions on his face at the beginning of the conversation. What attitude did he try to reveal? How did it change in the last scene?

3.Do we know a lot about the girl? Who is she? Is there any corroborative evidence of it?

4.What do you think Arthur’s intention was when he made the first call? The second call? What reactions did he produce in his interlocutor?

WORD STUDY

I. Find in the text the following expressions.

1.А по-твоему, у неё так мало вкуса да и ума, если уж на то пошло…

2.– Артур. Ради всего святого. Этот наш разговор совершенно ни к чему.

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