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Міністерство освіти і науки, молоді та спорту україни

ДОНЕЦЬКИЙ НАЦІОНАЛЬНИЙ УНІВЕРСИТЕТ

Т.Я. Волкова

Навчально-методичний посібник

До домашнього читання за повістю Дж. К. Джерома

“Троє в одному човні”

Донецьк – 2011

ББК Ш 12 = 432.1*9я 73 - 3

Навчально-методичний посібник до домашнього читання за повістю Дж.К.Джерома “Троє в одному човні” / Укладач: Т.Я.Волкова. – Донецьк: ДонНУ. – 34 с.

Методичний посібник призначений для аудиторних занять з практики англійської мови студентів IV курсу факультету іноземних мов (спеціальність “ Переклад (англ., нім. мови”).

Повість англійського письменника XIX-XX ст. Дж.К. Джерома “Троє в одному човні” вважається одним з шедеврів гумористичного жанру в світовій літературі. Посібник включає різноманітні завдання і вправи, спрямовані на розширення вокабуляру студентів і розвиток усного мовлення, а також навичок перекладу художнього тексту. Мета посібника – сприяти розвитку у студентів вмінь застосовувати адекватні засоби перекладу завдяки глибшому проникненню в зміст твору через краще розуміння його художньої мови і застосованих стилістичних заходів. В зв’язку з цим значна увага приділяється стилістичному аналізові повісті, який допомагає розкрити сутність мовленнєвої природи гумору, а також вплив стилістичних заходів на естетичне сприймання твору.

Рецензенти:

Затверджено до друку на засіданні кафедри теорії і практики перекладу ДонНУ,

Протокол № від

Сontents

Unit 1. Jerome K. Jerome’s Background. Preface, Chapter 1

Unit 2. Chapter 2, 3

Unit 3. Chapter 4

Unit 4. Chapter 5

Unit 5. Chapter 6

Unit 6. Chapter 7

Unit 7. Chapter 8

Unit 8. Chapter 9

Unit 9. Chapter 10

Unit 10. Chapter 11

Unit 11. Chapter 12

Unit 12. Chapter 13

Unit 13. Chapter 14

Unit 14. Chapter 15

Unit 15. Chapter 16, 17

Unit 16. Chapter 18, 19

Unit 1.

Jerome K. Jerome’s Background

Jerome Klapka Jerome, best known as the author of 'Three Men in a Boat', one of the great comic masterpieces of modern times, was born in Walsall, Staffordshire, on 2nd May 1859, the youngest of four children.

His father, who had interests in the local coal and iron industries and was a prominant non-conformist preacher, had moved to the town in 1855 and installed the family in a fashionable middle class house in Bradford Street where they lived in comparative comfort until 1861. Following the collapse of the family business, the Jeromes moved first to Stourbridge and thence to Poplar in the East End of London where he was brought up in relative poverty.

Jerome left school at fourteen and variously worked as a clerk, a hack journalist, an actor ('I have played every part in Hamlet except Ophelin') and a schoolmaster. His first book 'On the Stage and Off' was published in 1885 and this was followed by numerous plays, books and magazine articles.

In 1927, one year after writing his autobiography 'My life and Times', he was made a Freeman of the Borough of Walsall. He died later the same year and is buried in Ewelne in Oxfordshire.

Jerome was still a struggling unknown when he confided to his friend George Wingrave that he had four ambitions in life:

To edit a successful journal.

To write a successful play.

To write a successful book.

To become a Member of Parliament.

Only the last eluded him. Not a bad achievement, especially when you consider Jerome's background, one that did not exactly augur success, certainly not in a theatrical or literary career, let alone as the author of a comic masterpiece that has become among the most enduring and endearing books in the English language.

Though a relaxed, urbane man, Jerome was a relentless explorer of new ideas and experiences. He travelled widely throughout Europe, was a pioneer of ski-ing in the Alps and visited Russia and America several times. He was a prolific writer whose work has been translated into many foreign languages, but as Jerome himself said: 'It is as the author of 'Three Men in a Boat' that the public persists in remembering me.'

Published first in 1889, this book remains as popular today as it was then, and one only has to read the first few pages to realize that the enduring success of this comic masterpiece is well deserved. It is, according to its author, based on real life incidents, and the sheer genuineness of its characters proved his point. This is book not to be speed read but to be savoured at leisure.

The events described are deceptive in their simplicity. The story starts when the author, his faithful dog (Montmorency) and a couple of friends (George and Harris) decide one day, after a bout of sustained hypochondria, to hire a boat and row up the Thames for two weeks, as a way of revitalising themselves. And it ends with the abrupt termination of their trip after ten days. However, within this short span (in terms of 'literary time') they manage to get in to all sorts of scrapes and have a number of adventures, including being reprimanded for trespassing and almost losing their boat one rainy night. Using this plot as a basic framework, the author leaves the narrative to give lengthy (but very funny) discourses on a wide range of subjects: the hazards of packing, the 107 maladies he suffers from, Montmorency's idea of heaven and the nature of weather forecasts, for instance. Of course they get into various little scrapes and mishaps – steam launches, locks and cats all get in the way – and these are recounted in such a dry and caustic style that you can't help yourself but laugh. The human characterisations are perfect: we have the tale-telling fishermen, the lazy one of the group, the superior one of the group, and so on; and the discussions of the little human neuroses we all have, such as waiting for the kettle to boil, and how you always think you are the only one doing any work, are faultlessly funny. It might seem, though, that the book does lag a bit in the middle, and the description of boating terms and techniques could prove to be boring except for those with a vivid interest in the subject. The fact is that the book was written a hundred odd years ago, and many customs prevalent then have no currency today. In spite of these minor setbacks, the author manages to keep his book buoyant (pun unintended!) by his unique brand of self-deprecatory humour and gift of translating comic situations into words with the utmost йlan.Littered also with historical sections and amusing reminiscences about the author's life – almost as if you are thinking right there with him – this is a real treasure, one of those books you want to go on and on and on and never stop reading. The huge popularity of this book can be attributed to the fact that it blends two genres thought to be diametrically opposed. It is a classic based on a situational comedy, and combination is as unusual as it is entertaining.