I. Give Russian
equivalents of the following words and phrases:
condescending
letter – снисходительное письмо
pearl studs – жемчужные запонки
peevish - капризный, раздражительный,
make head or
tail of it - продвигаться вперёд
fatuous
irony – глупая ирония
to get back
on sb – обратиться к к-л
to have sb
off your hands – с рук долой
song and
dance – песня и танец
to spend a lot on green fees – тратить много на денежный взнос для игр в гольф
despicable
- презренный, жалкий
to give sb a
treat - баловать
to wheedle
sb into - прельщать, втягивать лестью
prudishness – строгость, чопорность
to take
liberties with sb - быть (чересчур) фамильярным
to grudge sb - испытывать неприязнь; завидовать; выражать недовольство
conspicuous - видный, заметный, бросающийся в глаза
to take the rough with the smooth - спокойно встречать невзгоды, стойко переносить превратности судьбы
to have a
joke up your sleeve – иметь шутку про запас
to mortify sb - обижать, унижать, оскорблять
disconcerted
- смущённый; обескураженный; в замешательстве
II. Explain the following
metaphors. Who do they refer to?
It won't hurt him to discover that I'm not all milk and honey.
This metaphor suggests comfort, sweetness, and peace. It is a cultural reference,
meaning a version of paradise. It refers to Tom because Julia wanted to show
her character and her resentment.
I'm not the woman to desert a sinking ship.
This
metaphor alludes to rats, which leave a vessel when it founders in a storm or
runs aground so as to escape drowning. It was transferred to human behavior by
about 1600.
It refers to
Dolly who can’t abandon her friend Julia who stopped to care about her reputation.
III. Give a character sketch of Dolly de Vries. Pay
special attention to the description of hr appearance: "Dolly de Vries was
now a woman of sixty. …and a slight cockney accent revealed
itself." Dwell on her relationship with Michael and Julia. How did she
feel about Tom?
Dolly de
Vries was now a woman of sixty. She was very fat, and her face, with its large
nose and heavy red lips, seemed larger than life. There was a slightly
masculine touch in her black satin dress, but she wore a double string of
pearls round her neck, a diamond brooch at her waist and another in her hat.
Her short hair was dyed a rich copper. Her lips and her finger-nails were
bright red. Her voice was loud and deep, but when she got excited the words
were apt to tumble over one another and a slight cockney accent revealed
itself.
Dolly saw no reason to sell
out an investment that seemed sound, and her half share in the partnership kept
her in close touch with Julia.
One thing was evident, Julia
couldn’t know what was being said about her, and someone must tell her. Not she;
she hadn’t the courage Even after all these years she was a little frightened of
Julia. Julia was a very good-tempered woman, and though her language was often
brusque it was hard to ruffle her; but there was something about her that
prevented you from taking liberties with her. Dolly she tried to put her own
wounded feelings aside and look at it only from the point of view of Julia’s career. She felt old, lonely, unhappy, and desperately jealous.
With
Michael: Michael liked Dolly as little as she liked him, though for other reasons,
and when he heard that she wanted to see him he swore. He was annoyed that he
had never been able to induce her to sell out her shares in the management.
When Dolly said Machael about the gossips he did not believe. Her eyes were anguished.
She understood that that situation can ruin Julia’s career. Michael thought that Dolly cared about her money and he offered
her to buy out. But Dolly thought about Julia’s career first of all.
With
Julia: Julia accepted the flowers with which Dolly de Vries filled her flat and
her dressing-room, she was properly delighted with the presents she gave her,
bags, vanity cases, brooches; but Dolly’s generosity was due to anything but admiration for her talent.
About
Tom: She had never paid any attention to him. He seemed a nice little thing, a
useful escort for Julia when Michael was busy, but perfectly insignificant. He
was one of those persons who everywhere pass unnoticed, and even after you had
met him you could not remember what he was like. He was the extra man you
invited to dinner to make an odd number even.
IV. Speak on Julia's
reputation and talent. Do you agree that no one expects an actress to be a
pattern of propriety?
No one
expects it because actress plays lots of roles, she can every emotion and
feeling. Julia was a pattern of propriety as a perfect wife, but the critics called her talent genius, that was a very grand word, her gift,
if you like, was not really herself, not even part of her, but something
outside that used her, Julia Lambert the woman, in order to express itself. It
was a strange, immaterial personality that seemed to descend upon her and it
did things through her that she did not know she was capable of doing. She was
an ordinary, prettyish, ageing woman. Her gift had neither age nor form. It was
a spirit that played on her body as the violinist plays on his violin.
Actress can
do what they want because people don’t know when
she shows her real personality and when it’s the mask on her face.
V. Answer the questions:
1. Why did Julia offer Tom the money for servants' tips? Do you think she
made the right decision?
Julia wanted
Tom to feel aggrieved as he didn’t have money
to pay for himself and even he couldn’t give tips
for servants. It wasn’t a perfect
decision as it showed her as ignorant, rude and selfish person.
2. Did Julia manage to induce Tom to see her again after that?
She made him
believe that he understood her erroneous and that she didn’t understand what had happened with him and their relationships.
3. Did Dolly believe that Julia didn't have a lover? Why?
At Julia's
request she had invited Tom to parties and once or twice had him down for a
week-end in the country, but she had never paid any attention to him. He seemed
a nice little thing, a useful escort for Julia when Michael was busy, but
perfectly insignificant. He was one of those persons who everywhere pass
unnoticed, and even after you had met him you could not remember what he was
like. He was the extra man you invited to dinner to make an odd number even.
Julia talked of him gaily as "me boy friend" or as "my young
man"; she could hardly have been so cool about it, so open, if there were
anything in it. Besides, Dolly knew very well that the only two men there had
ever been in Julia's life were Michael and Charles Tamerley.
4. Whom did Dolly finally decide to talk to about Julia's cheating?
Dolly came
to the conclusion that Michael must speak to Julia. She had never liked
Michael, but after all he was Julia's husband and it was her duty to tell him
at least enough to make him put a stop to whatever was going on.
5. Why did Dolly not confess to Michael that she suspected Julia of
having a love affair?
She looked
him in the face. Her eyes were anguished. For though at first she had only
laughed at what was being said about Julia she had not been able altogether to
suppress the doubts that soon assailed her; she remembered a dozen little
incidents that at the time had escaped her notice, but when considered in cold
blood looked terribly suspicious. She had suffered such torture as she had
never thought it possible to endure. Proof? She had no proof; she only had an
intuition that she could not mistrust; she wanted to say yes, the impulse to do
so was almost uncontrollable; she controlled it. She could not give Julia away.
The fool might go and tell her and Julia would never speak to her again. He
might have Julia watched and catch her out. No one could tell what might happen
if she told the truth.
6. Why did Michael suggest buying Dolly's share out?
If Julia's
gadding about all night it must tell on her performances. I know Julia well
enough to know that she wouldn't put up with any interference with her liberty
of action. I'm her husband and I've got to put up with it. But you're in a
different position altogether. I shouldn't blame you if you wanted to get out
while the going was good."
7. What was the reason for Dolly's desperate jealousy?
She knew how
much money meant to him and she had a hope that what she had said would rankle.
She helped Julia at the very beginning of her career and loved her, she couldn’t allow her to loose anything.
8. How did Dolly try to convince Julia that Tom was not very discreet?
She said
"You know how malicious people are. You've always led such a quiet,
regular life. You've gone out so little, and then only with Michael or Charles
Tamerley. He's different; of course everyone knows he's adored you for ages. It
seems so funny that all of a sudden you should run around all over the place
with a clerk in the firm that does your accounts." She tryied to explain
that poor young tom couldn’t attract
her attention as he didn’t have
anything that’s why people spread a rumours.
9. Why couldn't Julia fall asleep after the lunch with Dolly?
She had
acquired the reputation of a perfectly virtuous woman, whom the tongue of
scandal could not touch, and now it looked as though her reputation was a
prison that she had built round herself. She had to be perfect. She had often
felt that her talent, genius the critics called it, but that was a very grand
word, her gift, if you like, was not really herself, not even part of her, but
something outside that used her, Julia Lambert the woman, in order to express
itself. It was a strange, immaterial personality that seemed to descend upon
her and it did things through her that she did not know she was capable of
doing. She was an ordinary, prettyish, ageing woman. Her gift had neither age
nor form. It was a spirit that played on her body as the violinist plays on his
violin. It was the slight to that that galled her.
VI. Summarize the events
of chapters 15-18.
Julia was anxious because Tom gave back money and all her presents. She
felt realized that she could lose him. They chat on the phone and later he visited
her. She stat crying and opened her heart, Tom was touched on the raw and it was
a new stage in their relationships. Dolly heard
rumors about this couple and tried to stop it, speaking about it with Julia’s husband Michael. He didn’t believe
her, but let Julia know about these
gossips.
