3. Give the summary of the chapters.

4. Read, translate and comment on the passage on pp. 213-214 from “She spent a wretched day…” to “… at her feet of clay”.

5. Analyse Tom’s agitation and Julia’s behaviour before their going to the theatre to see Avice Crichton. Why did Julia agree to go to Avice’s dressing-room? Comment upon Julia’s “intolerably sweet” manner in the conversation with Avice. How did Tom behave during this conversation?

6. Speak about “the decisive moment” after their return home. What was torturing Tom? What awakened his conscience? How did Julia manage to drag the truth out of Tom? What were her real feelings during this conversation? Why did she behave this way? Why didn’t she show him her real feelings?

7. What were Tom’s feelings after leaving Julia? was he satisfied with her decision?

8. What were Julia’s thoughts about Avice Crichton? Do you agree with Julia? Why did Julia decide to give Avice a part in their new play?

9. What did Julia feel and do after her rupture with Tom? What did she realize while talking to him over the phone?

10. What were the results of her sufferings? Prove that the theatre was the only refuge for Julia. Why did nobody but Michael notice Julia’s “lousy performance”? Comment upon the conversation between Michael and Julia, how did it change her attitude to Michael?

11. Comment upon:

1. “If I hadn’t been a fool I’d have said nothing. I ought to know him by now. It’s only an infatuation. He’d have got over it and then he’d have come hungrily back to me”. (p.213)

2. “In ordinary life she tried to stifle a passion that she knew very well was ridiculous, a love that was unworthy of the woman she was, and she steeled herself to think as little as possible of the wretched boy who had wrought such havoc with her; but when she came to this scene she felt herself go”. (p.219)

3. “Why, what I don’t know about acting isn’t worth knowing”. (p.221)

4. “The public are a lot of jackasses. If you yell and scream and throw yourself about you’ll always get a lot of damned fools to shout themselves silly”. (p.221)

5. “It was all very fine to have a broken heart, but if it was going to interfere with her acting … no, no, no. That was quite another pair of shoes. Her acting was more important than any love affair in the world”. (p.222)

Task XI. Chapters 23-24 (pp. 224-247)

1. Read, copy out the new words, be ready to translate and discuss the chapters.

2. Give the summary of the chapters.

3. Explain the meanings of the following expressions, memorize them, reproduce the situations they are used in:

   1. to make up for smth

   2. to lay oneself out

   3. to pay a call

   4. to be at smb’s beck and call

   5. to adhere to smth

   6. to take a cue

   7. to appal

   8. to bluff, a bluff

   9. to stagger smb

   10. to cod smb

   11. to go down

4. Read, translate and comment on the passage on pp. 229-230 from “They put Julia in the same room…” to “… by the end of the week”.

5. Speak about the role of theatre in Julia’s life and her changed feelings.

6. Where and why did Julia decide to go to have a rest? Speak about her departure. Find instances of the author’s irony.

7. Describe: Julia’s mother and aunt; their way of life; relations with Julia; how they treated her; their attitude to her profession and celebrity.

8. Speak about Julia’s stay at St.Malo: her everyday affairs, meditations, thoughts, the letters that she received. What did she realize during these weeks? What was she going to do after her return?

9. When and why did she decide to return? Describe her feelings and state of mind on arriving in Paris.

10. Speak about her preparations for her date with Charles. Comment upon her letter and some symbolic details.

11. Describe and appreciate Julia’s methods of seducing Charles and his behaviour throughout the whole evening. Why didn’t she manage to achieve her aims? How did she get out of the embarrassing situation?

12. Find all the similes in Ch. 24 and comment upon them.

13. Speak about Julia’s afterthoughts, feelings and explanations of Charles’s behaviour. Why did she decide to send him “a huge bunch of white lilies”?

14. Comment upon:

1. “They had achieved the aloofness from the common ties of men that Julia felt in herself when she stood at the footlights bowing to the applause of an enthusiastic audience…” (p.233).

2. “Strange world we live in… Actors do their damnedest to look like gentlemen and gentlemen do all they can to look like actors” (p.238).

3. “Love is the only thing that matters” (p.241).

4. “The tragedy of life is that sometimes we get what we want” (p.242).

15. “The bitterness of life is not death, the bitterness of life is that love dies” (p.245).