Homereading Guide To - window.edu.ruwindow.edu.ru/resource/116/40116/files/feb06061.pdf · Homereading Guide To ... education proceeded under the supervision of his uncle and aunt,

Ф Е Д Е РАЛЬН О Е АГ Е Н Т СТ В О П О О Б РАЗО В АН И Ю

В О РО Н Е Ж СКИЙ Г О СУД АРСТ В Е Н Н Ы Й УН И В Е РСИ Т Е Т

Homereading Guide To W. Somerset Maugham's

‘The Painted Veil’ У ч ебное п особие п о д ом а ш нем у ч тению п о с п ециа льности: 031201 (022600) - Теор ия и м етод ика п р еп од а ва ния иностр а нны х язы ков и культур

ВОРОН ЕЖ 2005

2 У твер жд ено на учно-м етод ич еским советом фа культета РГФ от 22 ноябр я 2005 год а , п р отокол № 8. Соста вители: Па льч икова Т .Г.

Пивова р ова Е.Л.

Н а уч . р ед .: к.ф.н. Ш иш кина Н .М . к.ф.н. Лукина С.Л.

У ч ебно-м етод ич еское п особие п од готовлено на ка фед р е а нглий ской филологии фа культета Ром а но-гер м а нской филологии Вор онежского госуд а р ственного универ ситета . Реком енд уется д ля студ ентов 5 кур с а , в/о, Ц И ПС (Втор ого вы сш его обр а зова ния); м ожет бы ть исп ользова но д ля ста р ш их кур сов, изуч а ю щ их а нглий ский язы к ка к иностр а нны й .

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Preface

William Somerset Maugham was born in 1874 in Paris, where his father, a

prosperous lawyer, was attached to the British Embassy, and lived there until he was

ten. After the deaths of both his parents (his mother died in 1882, father - in 1884) he

came to England to be brought up by his uncle. Willy undoubtedly was in great

isolation and wholly depended upon the will of his uncle and aunt for his well-being.

It was the bitter lesson of economic dependence that played a dominant role in his

decision to make himself and start earning money.

He was educated at King's School, Canterbury, united by long tradition to the

Cathedral. But Willy was not yet ready to accept a new lifestyle, so for a while his

education proceeded under the supervision of his uncle and aunt, whose world was

narrowly restricted and governed by astonishingly powerful taboos and conventions -

a kind of microcosm of late Victorian England. At school he had very few friends and

was alone most of the time. Another reason for that was his stammer. Its effect on the

child prevented his speech from keeping up with a precaucious rapidity of his mind.

There could not have been a stronger stimulus to turn to writing as a source of self-

expression.

After school William traditionally went to university. One of the critics said:

"We may be sure that Oxford or Cambridge would have produced an impressive

William Somerset Maugham, but the one who was to make a contribution to

literature began to emerge at Heidelberg University in Germany". He spent a year at

Heidelberg and afterwards returned to London (1897). William enrolled at

St.Thomas's Hospital. "I do not know a better training for a writer, Maugham wrote

in The Summing Up, "than spending a few years in a medical profession". Some of

his hospital experience is reflected in his first masterpieces.

Besides being a doctor and a writer he worked for the British intelligence

service in Geneva during the 1914-18 war, and then was sent to Russia in 1917 to try

to prevent the Bolshevik Revolution and keep Russia in the war. His efforts did not

meet with success. The world of espionage is commonly portrayed in fiction as

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romantic and exciting: it appeared to Maugham as dull routine devoid not only

of glamour but even of humanity.

His first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), was very successful, and he

established a high reputation as a writer (being just 21). He also enjoyed great success

in the theatre writing plays. The sales of his books reached forty million and in

consequence he became not merely a famous writer but a very rich man. At the age of

85 he said that he had done just about everything he wanted to do, seen everything he

wanted to see, and had nearly every experience a man was capable of having.

Indeed the impression, which the reader forms of Somerset Maugham from his

stories, is of a man who has been everywhere and known people of all classes creeds

and races; who has no illusions or prejudices; whom nothing shocks. Yet he is always

focused on the strangeness of human behaviour! What an odd phenomenon is love,

for example! This theme often prevails among others in his stories. On the one hand,

it can make us happy and eager to perfect ourselves. However, love can cause

unbearable suffering and make our life painful and lonely. Trained as a doctor, he

observes clinically the sufferings of the human race, yet he prescribes no cure. He

views his characters with cool objectivity: they are to change their lives by

themselves.

Somerset Maugham's style is quite approachable and direct. The reader rarely

pauses at a memorable or striking phrase, for it is not the effect the author seeks. He

tries to create the impression of a storyteller talking naturally and easily, rather than a

"great writer creating literature": hence his sentence-construction, which is not too

complicated. His vocabulary is fairly conventional: he uses hackneyed phrases,

colloquialisms and slang not only in the dialogue but also in the narrative prose.

Since his early days he took great trouble to develop a style to suit his natural gifts. "I

knew, he wrote, "that I should never write as well as I could wish, but I thought that I

must aim at lucidity, simplicity and euphony. I have put these three qualities in the

order of the importance I assigned to them". The result for the reader is that it is very

easy to understand what he meant.

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This guide is concerned with one of his well-known novels called "The Painted

Veil" (1925). W.S Maugham wrote: "I think this is the only novel I have written in

which I started from a story rather than from a character. It is difficult to explain the

relation between character and plot. You cannot very well think of a character in the

void; the moment you think of him, you think of him in some situation, doing

something; so that the character and at least his principal action seem to be the result

of a simultaneous act of the imagination. But in this case the characters were chosen

to fit the story I gradually evolved; they were constructed from persons I had long

known in different circumstances".

So what does it tell us about? It mirrors life of top people of that time,

highlighting their vulgarity, snobbery and cynicism. Their life was a stage where they

were playing the right roles and wearing the right masks. Right with a capital R, too.

We meet Charlie Townsend, the Assistant Colonial Secretary at Hong Kong, and his

wife, Dorothy. They were a "beautiful couple". The Right couple. Whatever happens,

they will not show emotion. No one should even guess the problem they have. For the

sake of public opinion they will ruin other people's lives. Take for example, Kitty

Fane's one, the wife of a colonial bacteriologist. Charlie had an affair with her that

resulted in an unplanned pregnancy. Being absolutely sure in his support and love she

is ready to sacrifice everything she has for this man. As it turns out, the only treasure

she has is her husband - Walter Fane.

The nagging question of all times "What do we live for?" arises in this novel as

well. W. S. Maugham suggests his answer - to justify ourselves we have to work hard

to be useful for other people and perform good deeds simply to make the world

beautiful. Walter Fane is all of that: honest, intelligent, a real gentleman, he would

prefer to look silly himself rather than make somebody feel uneasy. This man has

lived a beautiful life which can be called the Art of Life.

This story is about his obsession with his wife Kitty, about a struggle with himself

and an attempt to overcome it. There is a turning point when Walter discovers the

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affair and insists on Kitty's accompanying him upon a dangerous mission to a

small Chinese town. They are both in grave danger as the place is cholera stricken.

Since then we observe the way Kitty changes; she comes to understand Charlie

Townsend's real nature and feels ashamed of having been so blind. At last she is able

to see the "real beauty" of a person and learns the difference between illusion and

reality.

All in all, in this powerful novel William Somerset Maugham depicts again the

dilemmas and predicaments of men and women who confuse love with passion.

By Pivovarova L.

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Introductory Unit

Answer the questions of the Quiz: 1) ...… … … … … … … .. was a famous novelist and a talented storyteller. a) W.Sunset Mougham; b) W.Somerset Maugham; c) W.Summer Mauhgam; 2) His father was a ................ . a) lawyer; b) layer; c) lier; 3) He lived in .................... until he was ten. a) parish; b) Paris; c) Parity; 4) After his parent's death his ........ took Willy to London. a) aunt and uncle; b) aunt and ankle; c) ant and grasshopper; 5) He was educated at ...................., ......................... . a) King's School, Canterbury; b) Kind's School, Canterbury; c) Kid's School, Canterbury; 6) He spent a year at .................. and afterwards returned to London. a) Helldelberg; b) Heidelberg; c) Heavenberg; 7) At St.Thomas's Hopital Somerset Maugham got a ......................... experience that is reflected in his first masterpieces. a) hostage; b) hospitality; c) hospital. 8) Apart from being a doctor and a writer he also served in Geneva as a .................. . a) Estate agent; b) British agent; c) Chemical agent. 9) The sales of his books reached forty millions and he became not merely a famous writer but a very .................. . a) reach man; b) super man; c) rich man; 10) Yet in his novels he is constantly focused on the ................. of human behaviour! a) beauty; b) strangeness; c) standards; 11) This guide is focused on one of his well-known novels called ............... . a) "The Painted Veil"; b) "The Painted Van"; c) "The Painted Ale". 12) At the end of this quiz you are in a good mood and ready to ................ . a) work hard this lesson; b) follow all the tasks in the guide; c) promise yourself to love W.S. Maugham. (more than one answer is possible!)

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Unit 1 Chapters I-V

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Give an account of the course of events in ch. I-V. 2. Introduce the main characters: Walter and Kitty Fane, Charles and Dorothy Townsend.

VOCABULARY WORK

1. Find words and phrases describing emotions (ch.1). 2. Find words related to the place and time which give the narration its colonial

colouring. 3. Find sentences where ‘feet and shoe’ terms are used; a shoe horn, to be on the

tight side, to go in one’s bare feet, to lace a shoe. 4. Find in the text and translate the following into Russian:

pull yourself together you’ll get round him be off with you to get you out of it ingratiating smile how unfortunate to be called Dorothy it dated you be treated like dirt to put up the back of the Assistant Secretary to sit tight

5. Translate the following into English and/or find in the text: п од нять ш ум (2) собер ись/ус п окой ся уход иш ь? у м еня есть голова на п леч а х это того стоило она на вод ила на него с м ер тельную скуку на п уска ть на с ебя ва жность с м ир иться с фа ктом бр осить п р а вд у в лицо

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CHALLENGING VOCABULARY

to take to dinner - to lead a lady to a dinner table to be/come in for something - to be exposed for something unpleasant to put/set somebody's back up - to annoy someone

DISCUSSION

1. Comment on a quotation from Percy B. Shelly's sonnet used as an epigraph ' … the painted veil which those who live call life.' and discuss the contrast between the solemn grandeur of the epigraph and the comical scene of a trivial adultery which opens the book. Is adultery time, place or culture-dependent?

2. 'From a social standpoint the man of science doesn't exist' ( Ch.IV) Do you agree? Has the attitude to science changed ever since? HOMEWORK: Ch. VI-X Translate into Russian: 'Mrs.Garstin was a hard… She made much of promising politicians' (Ch.VI)

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Unit 2 Chapters VI-X

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Describe the main characters:

Mrs.Garstin Mr.Garstin Kitty Water Fane Doris Collect all character adjectives and select two key adjectives for each of the above. Compare your ideas. Present the translation of the passage which introduces Mrs. Garstin.

2. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did Mrs. Garstin set her hopes on her daughters? 2. Why did Mr. Garstin refuse to take silk? 3. For what reason did Kitty marry Walter? 4. Why was Doris supposed to crow over Kitty?

VOCABULARY WORK

1. Find in the text and translate the following into Russian:

to cultivate people she made much of promising politicians they had long outstripped him a bird in hand is worth two in the bush to lead a dog's life immediate circle small talk/chit-chat to set her standards a little lower to play one off the other wouldn't fail to crow over her

2. Translate the following into English and/or find in the text:

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м ногообещ а ю щ ий м олод ой ч еловек он д а леко п ой д ет она льстила с ебе за п олцены п ослед нее п р ибежищ е п р иним а ть ка к д олжное уп устить свой ш а нс ухва титься за случ а й кр уш ение на д ежд возла га ть на д ежд ы сбы ть с р ук

3. Using your dictionaries draw a distinction between 'lawyer', 'barrister', 'solicitor' and 'counsel'.


to take silk - to become a King's/Queen's Counsel to be called to the Bar - to become a barrister pusillanimous - cowardly and week HOMEWORK: Ch. XI-XY Translate into Russian: 'But Kitty was a beauty… … but a brilliant one' (Character description) (Ch.YIII)

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Unit 3 Chapters XI-XI

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Give a brief account of the events described in Ch. XI-XY.

2. Present the passage for translation from Ch.YIII which is centered on the main female character – Kitty. Is it important that she is beautiful? 3. Answer the questions:

Why did Kitty speak with her tongue in her chick when she answered Walter's questions about the place they were going for the summer? Speak on Kitty's motives for her marrying Walter Fane. What made Kitty feel a sudden sympathy for her betrayed husband? Find a metaphor revealing how she felt about the situation. What is the difference between a metaphor and a similie? Which is more effective and why? Give examples of your own.

4. Go back to the star-shaped diagram with Kitty in the centre (Unit 3). Describe one more person - Charles Townsend and complete the diagram. Similarly, select a key character adjective for Charlie.

VOCABULARY WORK

1. Find and translate into Russian:

bury oneself in the country you could knock me down with a feather I think I'll improve on acquaintance it would put her on the shelf it's raining cats and dogs he had no charm was in the mood Kitty was on the defensive he is far and away the best bridge player raging beauty red tape

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2. Translate into English and/or find in the text: говор ить на см еш ливо, с ир онией на д ела ть ш ум а /п р оизвести с енс а цию д етский леп ет бр а чны е отнош ения п лохо оп ла ч ива ем а я р а бота ока за ть услугу


bear down on/upon - to come towards forcefully and threateningly at speed to be better turned out - to be dressed better to insinuate - to suggest (something unpleasant) indirectly

DISCUSSION

'If nobody spoke unless he had something to say, the human race would very soon lose the use of speech' (Ch. XII) Do you agree? Do you like chatty people or people who are mysteriously silent? Which category is easier to deal with? Are you a chatter-box by any chance?

HOMEWORK: Ch. XYI – XX Translate into Russian: Her happiness, sometimes almost more…

… a raging beauty' (Character description), Ch. XYI

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Unit 4 Chapters XYI – XX

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Retell your favourite episode. 2. What was Charlie’s idea of a healthy diet?

What’s yours? Are you diet-conscious?

3. How’s Charlie described? Enumerate his accomplishments. 4. How did Kitty understand that Walter knew everything? What was

Charlie’s immediate reaction to Walter’s assumed knowing of everything?

5. What was Kitty’s idea of settling the matter? Find a sustained metaphor. 6. Present the home translation passage from Ch. 3.

VOCABULARY WORK

1. To revise new vocabulary items from Unit 3 answer a few personal

questions: Are you a good mixer? What might knock you down with a feather? Would you enjoy playing one person off another? What do we call ‘silly detailed unnecessary official rules that delay action’

2. Find English variants for: (in order of appearance) она блекла /увяд а ла п р ила га ть все усилия это все обм а н/блеф он состоял из с п лош ны х д остоинств вид еться укр а д кой ей бы ло на п лева ть на него ком у нужен бр ид ж? ты вы гляд иш ь изм уч енной /уста лой п ер етр яхива ть гр язное белье на лю д ях вой ти в п оложение д р угого ч еловека

15 не п р ед ста влять собой нич его особенного д окоп а ться д о с ути 3. A person who discourages others or prevents them from enjoying themselves is called a wet blanket. There is a range of English idioms connected with different stereotypes of people. Can you guess who is who? a couch potato a fair weather friend a stuffed shirt a nosy parker a rolling stone aтnew broom an armchair critic a wolf in sheep’s clothing Do you know more? Which of the above human types is the most/least unpleasant or just tolerable?


to throw oneself away on somebody – waste one’s time, love, etc. to speak at length – to use many words, in great detail to be thrust upon somebody – to be given forcefully and suddenly

DISCUSSION

Could you predict the development of events at this point? HOMEWORK: Ch. XXII – XXYII Translate into Russian: ‘I had no illusions about you… … I was prepared to receive as a husband’ (Monologue), Ch. XXIII.

Unit 5 Chapters XXII - XXYII

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COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Outline the events in Ch. XXII – XXYII without going into detail.

2. Answer the questions:

What kind of place is Mei-tan-fu? What was Walter’s plan? Was Walter as patient and quiet as you had thought him to be? Did he judge Charles Townsend accurately?

3. Dramatise and act Ch. XXIII presenting it as a conversation between Kitty and Walter and omitting the author’s words. Comment on it.

4. Walter with his analytical mind of a scientist and wounded pride of

A betrayed husband preferred to expose Kitty to a calculated disillusion. Support or disprove on the basis of ch. XXIV – XXVI.

5. Who lost the love battle?

VOCABULARY WORK 1. Present your Russian versions of Walter’s monologue in ch. XXXIII.

What vocabulary and syntactic means make it so emotional?

2. Translate into Russian and/or find in the text: an agreeable companion board and lodging I shall file my petition gather the sense what on earth to recover one’s nerve subservient to all her whims it gave her a little turn to realize married him for convenience she could have met violence with violence there’s no time like the present I don’t want a row but we can’t take it lying down it’s a scrape we’ve got into it’s quite out of the question I should make it a clean breast

17 it’s a damned soft job to be a Colonial Governor I don’t stand a dog’s chance I can’t make head or tail of what you are saying I haven’t turned a hair It’s Hobson’s choice, isn’t it? She welcomed the humiliation


to square somebody – to pay or settle dishonestly to crumple up at something- to lose the strength or will to fight

DISCUSSION

Who said that and in what connection? Comment on the statements:

‘Wounded vanity can make a woman more vindictive than a lioness robbed of her cubs’ ‘There’s no time like the present’ ‘I know that every man has his price’ ‘One can be very much in love with a woman without wishing to spend the rest of one’s life with her’ ‘The best way to understand a man is to put yourself in his shoes’ HOMEWORK: Ch. XXVIII – XXXIII Translate into Russian: ‘She awoke with a start… … the wafer which is God’ (Landscape), ch. XXVIII)

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Unit 6 Chapters XXVIII - XXXIII

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. What happened in ch. XXVIII – XXXIII? Give a brief account of the events.

2. Comment on Kitty’s situation and Walter’s behaviour.

3. Describe and attempt an initial characterization of a new character – Waddington, the Deputy Commissioner in Mei-tan-fu.

VOCABULARY WORK

1. Mini memory test.

What’s the English for: теп ер ь с а м ое п од ход ящ ее вр ем я м ы п оп а ли в за тр уд нительное п оложение не м огу р а зобр а ться это невозм ожно вы бор п оневоле/вы нужд енны й вы бор

2. Find in the text:

укр ы ться

бр осить на п р оизвол суд ьбы ее за ста ли вр а с п лох она бы ла ем у безр а злична д а ть волю (слеза м ) ей бы ло неза ч ем жить п р оп а сть, р а зд еляю щ а я их д ля него она бы ла всем вы жд а ть п од ход ящ ий м ом ент собр а ться с д ухом у Ва с р а боты буд ет п о гор ло


to bide one’s time – to wait for a long time, until the right moment to someone/something justice – to treat in a fair or proper way; To get the best results from

19 to break (the news) – to (cause to) come suddenly into being or notice

DISCUSSION

1. Comment on the significance of Kitty’s dream (Ch. XXXIII). Is it symbolic/ prophetic? 2. Present the translated passage from ch. XXXIII. Is it equally important? Can

an empty-headed second-rate frivolous woman cry at the sight of absolute Beauty? How does this fact characterize Kitty? Is there a ray of hope for this shattered woman?

HOMEWORK: Ch. XXXIV – XXXVIII

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Unit 7 Chapters XXXIV - XXXVIII

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Why Kitty’s plans to go away from Mei-tan-fu were unreal? 2. Describe Charlie as seen through by Waddington. What was Kitty’s reaction to

Waddington’s moral portrayal of Charlie? 3. Characterise Walter as portrayed by Waddington. 4. What kind of person was Waddington apart from being a funny old boy? 5. Retell the incident with salad and comment on it. 6. How shrewd was Waddington,’ judgement on Walter and Kitty’s relations?

Comment on Waddington’s remark : ‘It interests me to see you together. I sometimes wonder how you behave when you’re alone. When I’m there you’re are acting, both of you, and acting damned badly, by George. You’d rather … .get thirty bob a week in a touring company if that’s the best you can do’

VOCABULARY WORK

1. Find and translate the following into Russian:

robbed of its mystery the dread grip of the pestilence doesn’t give a damn for anyone but himself puts on no frills I will give him that credit who fall to Charlie carried his liquor well to speak his mind he’s got Colonel Yu in his pocket

2. Translate into English and/or find the following in the text:

отд а ться на м илость охва ч енна я яр остью п окр а снеть от сты д а это его обы чны е п р ием ы /ш а блонны е уловки это не в ч еловеч еских сила х низкое кова р ство жа д ен д о лести стоять на твер д ой п оч ве

21 п ищ а д ля р а зм ы ш лений кза игр ы ва я со с м ер тью м олятся на него ей богу/ч естное слово


to dash off - to do quickly and without serious attention to fall to somebody - to fall in love

DISCUSSION

1. Comment on the following: ‘She wished to despise him because so long as she only hated him she knew that she was very near loving him’ (ch.XXXVI) 2. Comment on Waddington’s remark: ‘… you and I are the only people here who walk quite quietly and peacefully on solid ground. The nuns walk in heaven and your husband – in darkness.’ What did he mean? 3. Where’s the first direct reference to the title of the novel? 4. Speaking not ironically, is a wife’s place always by her husband’s side? (ch. XXXVIII)

HOMEWORK: Ch. XXXIX – XLIII Translate into Russian: ‘It has been a great pleasure… Only foolishness.’ (narration) (ch. XLIII)

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Unit 8 Chapters XXXIX - XLIII

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Give a short summary of each chapter. 2. Answer the following questions:

How are the English and French different in their attachment to the native country? What about you? Would you feel comfortable outside Russia? What levels of speaking a foreign language are mentioned in ch. XL? Were you impressed by a new character – the Mother Superior? Describe her in full detail and select one or two key character adjectives portraying her. Do you find the statement ‘… this was a woman whose beauty, depending on character, had grown with advancing years’ paradoxical? How did Kitty feel in ‘another world situated neither in place nor in time’? What made her cry in the final episode of ch.XLIII? Support your answer with your home translation.

VOCABULARY WORK


to ask an indiscrete question she can impress with awe inoffensive way lost all sense of direction smile hovered upon her lips look of approval in the Chinese fashion gained a peculiar savour from the circumstances it takes their minds off the danger

2. What is the difference between sewing, hemming and stitching? (ch. XLII) 3. Translate Waddington’s witticism into Russian: ‘I can say that at all events I

never drink except to an excess.’


a mite - a small child, especially one for whom one feels sorry

23 to bundle out - to make leave in a rough manner to retrace one’s steps - to go back exactly the way one has come

DISCUSSION

Can you trace a racist touch in Kitty’s perception of orphaned Chinese children at the convent? (ch. XLII)? Was that the first display of a white man’s arrogance in the novel? ( go back to ch. XXXVI).

HOMEWORK: Ch. XLIV - XLVIII Find 10 interesting and/or useful expressions to be remembered

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Unit 9 Chapters XLIV - XLVIII

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Give a brief account of the events in ch. XLIV – XLVIII


How did Kitty feel in ‘another world situated strangely neither in space nor in time’? What was the reason for Kitty’s contempt for herself? Was Kitty accepted at ‘the garden of spirit’? If not, why? Speak on Kitty’s failed attempt to reconcile with her husband. What was Kitty’s diagnosis concerning Walter? How was she accurate? Can you share Kitty’s impatience with Walter? Find an impressive sustained metaphor explaining her feelings. What trouble reduced the Mother Superior to tears? What were Kitty’s points for working in the convent?

VOCABULARY WORK

1. Share and pool home selected expressions (10).

2. Find all nouns and adjectives which characterize the Mother Superior. Present some of them in contrasting pairs reflecting her deep and complex nature.

e.g. condescention - humility austerity – gentleness, etc.

3. Find a modified version of the English proverb ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’. How are they different? Can you think of any corresponding Russian sayings?

CHALLENGING VOCABULARY to look to - to depend on to throttle out - to seize by the throat to stop breathing

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DISCUSSION

1. Comment on the Mother Superior’s words: ‘One cannot find peace in work or

in pleasure, in the world or in a convent, but only in one’s soul’. (Ch. XLVIII) 2. Kitty seems to be at the starting point of her long way towards spiritual regeneration, doesn’t she?

HOMEWORK: Ch. XLIX – LIII Translate into Russian: ‘Kitty had a queer feeling… Oh, the relief and sense of liberation!’ (Ch. LII)

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Unit 10 Chapters XLIX - LIII

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Retell ch. XLIX – LIII without going into too many details.

2. Answer the questions:

What were Kitty’s duties at the convent? What unexpected talents did she have? What were her relationships with the children? Are you prepared to deal with the children or handicapped professionally?

3. Speak on the early activities of the convent and closely related life story

of one of the sisters.

4. What was wrong with Waddington’s morals? 5. What was Kitty cured of? Present the translated passage from ch.LII and comment on it.

6. What is the symbolic significance of Kitty and Waddington’s visit to a Buddhist monastery?

VOCABULARY WORK


bantering tones to surrender to her instincts she forced her lips into a smile she didn’t dislike a bit of scandal the pranks I used to play a wayward child once they were in such straits she loves him to distraction it is very wicked of him

2. Find the following ‘care expressions’ in the text (Ch. XLIX):

to keep an eye on somebody to be in charge of somebody

27 to take care of somebody to give into somebody’s care Do you know more?


to lead on - to influence into doing something they shouldn’t do on sufferance - with permission, though not welcomed top heavy - not properly balanced because of too much weight at the top

DISCUSSION

‘Beautiful people spark a subconscious brain reaction, which is long remembered though not self-dependent… ’ TV programme ‘Beauty is … a gift of God, one of the most rare and precious, and we should be thankful if we are happy enough to possess it and thankful, if we are not, that others possess it for our pleasure.’ (Ch. LII) Who do these citations refer to? Is life easier for beautiful people?

HOMEWORK: Ch. LIV - LVII

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Unit 11 Chapters LIV - LVII

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Answer the questions: Why was there a wall between Kitty and the nuns? How did she explain? Tell the love story of the Manchu princess and Waddington. Why was Kitty so attracted by that alien love? What kind of unforeseen discovery did Kitty make? Were you possibly able to predict the situation? A single positive answer to a very natural question might have settled a big problem. What question was asked? Why did Kitty have to tell the truth? What was Walter’s reaction? Why did Kitty pity Walter? Do you understand the reasons for Kitty’s refusal to leave Mei-tan-fu? Did Walter admit his intention to kill Kitty by bringing her to a cholera-stricken place? What do you think of Kitty’s unspoken suggestion to be friends with Walter? Comment on Walter’s words: ‘Let the future take care of itself.’ (Ch. LVII).

VOCABULARY WORK

1. Find a deeply philosophical sustained metaphor in ch. LIV which is divided into 3 parts by an equally meaningful and interesting dialogue.

2. Translate the following into English and/or find in the text (in order of

appearance): она бр осила /за бы ла все д уш а жа жд ет неизвестного бы ли твер д о увер ены

29 за р а зиться/п од цеп ить болезнь м еня не обм а неш ь в та ких д ела х д а ю ч естное слово вы игр а ть вр ем я бр осить в лицо уп р ек на ш ла м есто д ля жа лости п р остил суп р ужескую невер ность


to put oneself out - to take trouble to help not to matter a rap/straw - of no importance

DISCUSSION

Comment on Kitty’s words: ‘But it’s loving that’s the important thing, not being loved. One’s not even grateful to the people who love one; if one doesn’t love them, they only bore one.’ Do you agree?

HOMEWORK: Ch. LVIII – LXII Translate into Russian: ‘Kitty shook hands with her… … the breeding of uncounted centuries’ (Character description) (Ch. LVIII)

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Unit 12 Chapters LVIII – LXII

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Answer the following questions: Do you think it was possible for Waddington to resist the Manchu lady’s love and devotion? Is it natural to love an idol, or as Kitty put it, ‘a phantom’? What was Kitty’s reason for seeing her? What impression does this exotic woman produce on you? Comment on the new interest the nuns and the Mother Superior took in Kitty. Find a similie showing the Mother Superior’s new attitude. What was Kitty’s only desire in her new condition? Was she on the verge of some break-through in her relations with Walter? What was the Mother Superior’s most memorable day? Could you devote your life to religion? Look for one more similie in the most reflective of all chapters set for homework (Ch. LXI). What does it have to do with the atmosphere of this chapter. Do you remember the stylistic device of suspense? How does it work in ch. LXII? Was the time of the event calculated precisely?

VOCABULARY WORK

1. Describe the Manchu princess in Russian (home translation). Find at least 10 adjectives making the image very special. 2. Translate the following into Russian:

haphazard sojourn it offends my taste the hint of a smile it (the Way) leads nowither on a flimsy pretext

31 3. Translate the following into English and/or find in the text: п оч увствова ла себя неуклю жей это не бы ло п р инято в ее кр угу жизнь в д р угой п лоскости бр оситься в гла за обм а нуть бд ительность за гла д ить вину


sojourn - a stay in a place other than one’s home for a time to communicate - (in the Christian church) to receive communion (bread and wine)

DISCUSSION

Comment on Kitty’s words: ‘As if a woman ever loved a man for his virtue’ (Ch. LVIII) ‘It was a pity that with his great qualities, his unselfishness and honour, his intelligence and sensibility, he should be so unlovable’ (Ch. LXI)

HOMEWORK: Ch.LXIII - LXVII Translate into Russian: ‘It was Way and the Waygoer… … Mighty is he who conquers himself’ (Ch. LXVI)

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Unit 13 Chapters LXIII - LXVII

COMPREHENSION CHECK 1. Answer the following questions: Were you surprised / disappointed / relieved at the writer’s decision ‘to kill’ Walter? Do you remember your predictions? How did it happen? Describe the scene and the reaction of all the characters. What were Walter’s final remarks? What’s the role of the allusion to Oliver Goldsmith’s ‘An Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog’? Who read the burial service? Describe the burial rites. What was Waddington’s answer to a series of Kitty’s questions: ‘Do you think the soul is immortal? Supposing there is no life everlasting? They (the nuns) have given up all for nothing. They’ve been cheated. They are dupes… ’ (Ch. LXVL) What do we call the stylistic device on which Waddington’s reply is based? What did Kitty do on the morning following the burial? Comment on the Mother Superior’s manner of treating Kitty. Was it wise of her?

VOCABULARY WORK

Translate the following into Russian: it gave her a pang dreadful ebbing of his life a fluttering moth and its wings were heavy with hatred a commonplace of her vocabulary have mercy on me life everlasting imposed various tasks upon her pressing affairs

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effects - belongings; personal property a pretty kettle of fish - a difficult or awkward situation it had a familiar ring - I had heard it before

DISCUSSION

Translate the passage concerning Tao (Ch. LXVI). Were you impressed? Are you interested in the religions of the East? Why are many people nowadays attracted by exotic religious theories and rituals? Are you?

HOMEWORK: Ch. LXVIII – LXXIV

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Unit 14 Chapters LXVIII - LXXIV

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Could you predict the development of events for Kitty? Charles Townsend? Waddington? The Mother Superior? 2. Answer the following questions: Why did the Mother Superior think it necessary for Kitty to join her mother in England? What were Kitty’s reasons to go on with her work at the convent? How did Kitty take leave of Mei-tan-fu? Was she successful in her attempt to make the Mother Superior express natural feelings? What seemed wrong with Sister St. Joseph’s farewell? What metaphor (sustained) describes Kitty’s feelings about the past during her long journey to Hong Kong? Was it Christian resignation that helped Kitty to bear her loss so courageously? Why did Waddington have his tongue in his chick? Do you understand Kitty’s feeling of freedom? Freedom from what? Your comments on the fact that it was Dorothy Townsend who came to meet Kitty. Why did she want to make amends to Kitty? What was the reason of Kitty’s sardonic satisfaction? Comment on a contrast between the luxury of Townsends’ home and Walter and Kitty’s bungalow in Mei-tan-fu. There is one more example of a striking contrast in ch. LXXII. Can you find it? What kind of trick did Kitty’s imagination play on her? How did Charlie succeed In making her cheerful? Were there any social blunders on his part? Why did Kitty wish that Waddington were in Hong Kong? Did she receive much attention?

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VOCABULARY WORK

1. Translate into Russian: ‘These ladies used Kitty as though she were a piece of

porcelain which was as fragile as it was precious’ (Ch. LXXIV). 2. Find in the text and translate the following into Russian:

the name-day of my mother (Do you know yours?) for the face sake nameless supers he had his tongue in his chick I must leave you to your own devices ladies of consequence to take one’s ease

3. Translate the following into English and/or find in the text:

ч еловеч еска я сла бость в когтях с м ер ти с а д нить ка к язва ком ок в гор ле с ч ита й те на ш д ом своим нести ч уш ь/га лим а тью п од ш уч ива ть/м ор оч ить голову

CHALLENGING VOCABULARY habiliment(s) - clothes to be taken by - to be attracted

DISCUSSION

Comment on the following: ‘… oh, can’t you turn a minute away from God and give me a little compassion; not the Christian compassion that you have for all suffering things, but just human compassion for me?’ (Ch. XLVIII) Can there be abstract and individual kindness? How are they different? Which is more important?

HOMEWORK: Ch. LXXV –LXXX; Find all proverbs and common sayings.

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Unit 15 Chapters LXXV - LXVII

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Give an account of events in ch. LXXV – LXV


Was it possible to predict the development of the story line? Leave out the author’s words and act the dialogue between Kitty and Charlie (Ch. LXXV). Have you changed your attitude to the presumably reformed Kitty? How are Kitty’s feelings described? What are these phrases : ‘like little yellow butterflies’, ‘like soaring thoughts’, ‘like white egrets’, ‘like a spacious plain’ ? What is the prevailing form of discourse? Who was the winner in the second , farewell battle of the two former lovers?

VOCABULARY WORK

1. Find in the text and give Russian equivalents for the following:

What the eye doesn’t see the heart doesn’t grieve for I fell head over ears in love with you We were dashed uncomfortable in the frying pan, but we should have been a damned sight worse off in the fire (to jump/leap out of the frying-pan into the fire) The proof of the pudding is in the eating Hold your tongue! She could never look him in the face again When my husband was hardly cold in his grave

37 My kiddies are absolutely the living image of me Are idioms, proverbs, or sayings common in your speech or writing?

2. Translate the following into English or/and find in the text:

случ а й но или на м ер енно он бы л невозм утим хозяй ка п оложения это уж ч ер ес ч ур сохр а нять п р исутствие д уха тер ять голову п р инять р а зум ны е м ер ы п р ед остор ожности стоит д есятер ы х та ких ка к ты я вп олне с п р а влю сь с а м а я отр ека ю сь от нее у м еня д овольно ш ир окие взгляд ы


a harlot / slut - a whore Hang it all - expresses annoyance (Ч ер т возьм и!) make someone’s gorge rise - to make someone feel sickened or feel strong dislike

DISCUSSION

What do you think of Dorothy? Do you find the Townsend’s marriage model appealing/convenient?

HOMEWORK: Ch. LXXVIII - LXXX Translate into Russian: ‘The past was finished … the path that led to peace’ (Ch. LXXX)

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Unit 16 Chapters LXXVIII - LXXX

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Answer the following questions: Why was the golden statue of the Blessed Virgin in Marseilles mentioned? In what connection? Did Kitty manage to repair her self-respect during the long journey home? What was the main point in Kitty’s mother letter? Dwell on relations between parents and children as described by the author in the form of Kitty’s reflections. What did Kitty’s father and sister inform her about? How different were those letters? Describe the meeting of the father and daughter. Was Kitty able to understand her father’s state? Could you draw a parallel between the feelings of Mr. Garstin and Kitty concerning Mrs. Garstin and Walter? Relate Mrs. Garstin’s earthly course with the way she looked in her death bed. Did Kitty feel any grief for her? Did Doris feel extravagant grief she demonstrated? Comment on Kitty’s new understanding of her father’s married life. Retell a funny episode with a pipe. What was ‘the bitter irony of fate’ the writer mentioned? Comment on Kitty’s decision to accompany her father to the Bahamas. Why didn’t she want to make claims on her father’s parental duty? What was Kitty’s idea of bringing up her unborn daughter? Do you approve of it? Can you discern a note of feminism by any chance? Present the Russian version of the last passage of the novel and comment on it. Relate it to the title and epigraph.

VOCABULARY WORK

Translate the following into English and/or find in the text:

39 п р етенд ова ть на снисход ительность бы ть обр ем ененны м в стесненном м а тер иа льном п оложении житей ские д ела случ а й ны й жест не к м есту я не ста ну обузой п олностью п ор ва ть с п р ош лы м


to let on something - to tell a secret to make up for something - to repay or compensate

DISCUSSION

Choose any of the main characters to speak about. What is the message of the novel? Apart from W.S. Maugham’s being a king of adjectives, what other peculiarities of his artistic manner are worth mentioning? Think of these Maugham's sayings:

• Man, with so little time between the cradle and the grave, spends his life in

such foolishness. • Man's passions and instincts are stronger than his reason. • Love is not something beautiful and refined, but is often coarse and brutal,

bringing pain and unhappiness to those who fall a victim to it.

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Unit 17 SUMMARIZING TASKS

WRITING: SUMMARY

Run through the following short summary of "The Painted Veil". There are only three sentences but what a comprehensive and complete this resume is! Prepare a short summary according to the example (it should be no longer than five to eight lines) A woman married to a scientist in Hong Kong falls in love with an attractive philanderer. When her husband discovers the affair he insists on her accompanying him upon a dangerous mission to an area of the colony infested by cholera, and on that harsh pilgrimage of retribution she learns the difference between illusion and reality. In this powerful novel Somerset Maugham depicts once more the dilemmas and predicaments of men and women who confuse love with passion.

DISCUSSION TOPIC 1: MORAL PHILOSOPHY (literary and personal) 1. Every writer has his own Social, Moral and Religious Questions and W. Somerset Maugham is no exception. His moral philosophy is not notably original, though it by no means confirms to the Christian dogma. He believed that: 1. The basis of life is purely material and mechanistic. 2. The intellectual man's reason often conflicts with his emotions and instincts, and the latter are usually stronger. 3. Every man is utterly alone in life. 4. The nature of reality is illusion (i. e., we have no means of perception except through our senses, which are different with every individual). 5. The social order is stupid and tyrannical in the restrictions which it imposes upon the individual. 6. No established form of government is just. 7. War is senseless and cruel. 8. There is a kindred element in all forms of life. 9. Life is meaningless and death results in complete annihilation (destruction). 10. "God is an illusion arising out of men's innate ignorance and consequent tendency to superstition." 2. Which of these points we may recognize and find in the novel? Think of a situation that can illustrate your example. 3. Pick out any points in the list, which seem appropriate to you. Do you have any points to add or to extract? Explain your choice.

41 DISCUSSION TOPIC 2: LITERARY TRANSLATION The title of the novel "The Painted Veil" has been differently translated into Russian language; there are at least two well known translations of it - "У зорны й п окров ” (п ер евод М . Лор ие) and "Р азрисов анны й занав ес” (изд -во "М енед жер "). Which of them is the most accurate? What translation seems to be more literal to you? Give your own option (try not to lose any cultural peculiarities). SCREEN ADAPTION Preparation: 1. Run through a selected passage from the novel - chapter LXXX, the last dialogue between Kitty and her father (beginning with - "Oh, my Kitty, my little Kitty'', he murmured; ending with - "The past was finished".). Do you think it would be suitable for screening? Why? 2.Think over how you would adapt it for the screen. In particular, you should mark any parts of the text which you think would be difficult to convey in a film, such as the following examples from the sample text: - He must be a wizard at interrogation! - ... it added to the sense I had of the coldness of the occasion. - You know how people talk about faces 'closing up'? I think 'close down' is nearer to it. . . What actually happens is that the face remains exactly the same but all the lights go out. Class discussion: 1. Call out any parts of the text which you think would be difficult or even impossible to screen. Divide the dialogue into some parts. 2. Form groups of three. Give each group a number: 1, 2, or 3 (there may be several groups with each number). The numbers correspond to the sections into which the text is divided. They work like this: group(s) 1 on section 1, group(s) 2 on section 2, and so on. 3. Study the following outline for a camera script: Camera script a. What the text says: He was often pretty lonely. He knew he hadn't much to offer. b. What the camera shows: The camera is behind Merrick's back, looking over his shoulder. It shows Daphne's face as she listens to him. c. What words are spoken:

42 'I feel pretty lonely at times. I know I haven't much to offer.' 4. Each group should draw up a camera script for their sequence. They have to describe the sequence in not more than three different shots. Each shot should be described in the same way:

• What the text says; • What the camera shows; • What words are spoken.

5. Together go on to discuss your camera scripts with those who have worked on different sequences. 6. Present your screen adaptation of any parts of The Painted Veil".

Dear student, you have reached and finished the last lesson, but not the end!

You can congratulate yourself because the bulk of the work has been completed. Now you know more about British literature, especially about British novel, which is very specific.

Do not stop: you may continue working on your own by reading and analyzing other novels, newspapers and even poems.

We hope you have enjoyed using this HOMEREADING GUIDE, and that you will enjoy reading English literature with interest and without "dread" or "pain"!

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С писо к испо льз о в а нно й литера туры

1. Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture - Longman, 1998; 2. Га льп ер ин И .Р., М ед никова Э .М . Б ольщ ой а нгло-р усский слова р ь - М .: "Русский язы к", 1987; 3. MacIver Claud Searcy W.S.Maugham A Study of Technique and Literary Sourses. Philisophy/ A dissertation in English for degree of doctor of philisophy. - Philadelphia, 1936, p.102. 4. The New Encyclopedia Britannica in 32 volumes, - 1997, - Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., Volume 7, p.1044; 5. Barnes Ronald. E. Cynic and reporter: contradictions of theory and practice//The dramatic study of W.S.Maugham - Mouton, the Haque, Paris. - 1968, p. 190. 6. Henry Shukman Homage to Maupassant /Shukman Henry // Guardian Unlimited Books/- (http://books. Guardian.co.uk/ review / story /0,12084,1226353,00.html); 7. И оникс Г.Э . Пр ед исловие/ Г.Э .И оникс // У .С.М оэм Под вод я итоги. - М ., 1991. - Вы сш . ш к. - Т .1. - 557 с . 8. Duff, Alan Maley, Alan Literature: resource books for teachers / Alan Duff, Alan Maley. - Oxford University Press, 2003. - p.93-94.

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Соста вители: Па льч икова Та тьяна Генна д ьевна Пивова р ова Елена Леонид овна

Ред а ктор ы : к.ф.н. Ш иш кина Н .М .

к.ф.н. Лукина С.Л.

Documents

Homereading Guide To - window.edu.ruwindow.edu.ru/resource/116/40116/files/feb06061.pdf · Homereading Guide To ... education proceeded under the supervision of his uncle and aunt,