Match the words and phrases with their definitions. .

1. summons — 2. stench — 3. give a start — 4. elaborate — 5. take one's breath away — 6. primeval [prai'mi:vl] —: primeval forest (untouched by man) 7. distraught — 8. ample — 9. be on the point of doing sth — 10. stupendous — 11. lustre — 12. the spell was broken — 13. outlive — 14. give sb particulars — 15. be tickled at — 16. move with the times — 17. impose upon sb — 18. marvel at — 19. bring out — 20. irrevocable —: an irrevocable decision 21. ingenuity —

go into detail adj worked out with much care and in great detail; carefully prepared and finished, complicated be about to do sth have up-to-date ideas, tastes, etc adj final and unalterable; that cannot be revoked make a sudden movement of surprise, fear, etc n 1. quality of being bright, esp of a smooth or polished surface; sheen; soft reflected light; 2. (fig) glory, distinction be greatly surprised at sth n skill, cleverness; originality in design adj I. large-sized, with plenty of space; 2. plentiful; 3. sufficient force (oneself, one's company, sth) on sb n I. order to appear before a judge or magistrate; document with such an order; 2. command to do sth or appear somewhere startle or surprise sb adj of the earliest times in the world's history, prehistoric the fascination was gone vt live longer than sb n horrid smell be very amused and delighted adj tremendous, amazing (in size, degree) cause to appear, show clearly adj distracted, violently upset in mind

A. Training Exercises

I. Find in the text sentences containing the following words and phrases and translate them into Russian:

to give a start; bedraggled; elaborate; primeval; blaze; stupendous; burn to the ground; to be tickled; ingenuity; bring out.

II. Give synonyms for:

large-sized; unalterable; tint of colour; tremendous; to press sth upon sb; skilfully executed; to be bewil­dered; bad smell,

III. Paraphrase the following sentences and explain them:

1. He knew nothing of pictures, but there was some­thing about these that extraordinarily affected him.

2. It was the work of a man who had delved into the hidden depths of nature and had discovered secrets which were beautiful and fearful too.

3. The words were wrung from him, and he did not know he had spoken.

4. She had not yielded for an instant to the enervating charm of the tropics, but contrariwise was more active, more worldly, more decided...

5. The demon which possessed him was exorcized at last, and... rest descended on his remote and tor­tured soul.

6. The colours were the colours familiar to me, and yet they were different. They had a significance which was all their own.

7. It would have been passed in an exhibition of the Post-Impressionists by a careless person as an ex­cellent but not very remarkable example of the school...

8. The spell was broken.

9. She was by this time a woman of hard on sixty, but she bore her years well...

10. Mrs Strickland had moved with the times.

11....I wondered if she knew that those varied hues, which fashion had imposed upon her, were due to the dreams of a poor painter in a South Sea island.

12. I ran it more by way of a hobby than for any other reason, and my children persuaded me to sell it.

13. She had the true instinct of the nice woman that it is only really decent for her to live on other people's money.

14. She had all the graces of the soldier's wife.

B. Speech Exercises

I. Explain the meaning of the proverb Mills of God grind slowly but sure and comment on how it is used in the text.

II. Compose sentences of your own with the following phrases and words:

to take one's breath away; to give sb particulars; irre­vocable; the spell was broken; to outlive; distraught; to impose upon sb; to marvel at.

III. Find reference in the text to the following names and say what you know about them:

Falstaff; the Sistine Chapel; Bakst; the Garden of Eden.

IV. Express your agreement or disagreement with the following state­ments from the book. Give your reasons.

1....you are prepared for the greatness of Michael An-gelo.

2....I knew that here was a work of genius, and I did not think we had the right to deprive the world of it.

3. Great art is always decorative.

4. There's a certain responsibility about having been the wife of genius.

5. Of course war's terrible, and all that sort of thing; but it does bring out the best qualities in a man...

6....the devil could always quote scripture to his pur­pose.

V. Pick out the descriptions of Strickland's pictures in Chapters LVI, LVII, LVIII. Prepare the translation of one of them in class. Find a reproduction of one of Gauguin's pictures and describe it likewise.

VI. Answer the following questions:

1. How did Dr Coutras get the message about Strick­land's critical state? When and how did he get to his house?

2. Why were the impressions he got from that visit wonderful and horrible at once?

3. What kind of painting adorned the walls of Strick­land's house? Why did the doctor call it mysterious?

4. Why was he seized with terror when he saw Strick­land's body?

5. What was his will that Ata promised to fulfil and did fulfil after his death? Was she right to destroy Strickland's best work? Do you agree with Dr Co­utras that they had no right to deprive the world of this masterpiece?

6. How do you account for the fact that Strickland didn't want to leave his crowning picture to people? Was it pride, indifference, arrogance or malice that prompted this will?

7. What is the ultimate aim of the work and life of any artist? Does he create for people or is his only goal to find medium for the expression of his ideas, feelings and passions and get free of his obsession? Is this search always a torture?

8. When and how did the author meet Mrs Strickland and her children after he returned from Tahiti? Did they change?

9. How had Mrs Strickland moved with the times? Do you think she was a connoisseur of art?

10. What was Mrs Strickland's contribution to the pub­lic image of Charles Strickland, a recognized genius? Did she and the children have a grudge against him for the ill-treatment they received in the earlier years?

11. Why does the author describe the atmosphere of the meeting with a touch of irony?

12. Do you justify such artists as Strickland in their neglect of the relatives, other people and society in general?

13. Do you think that a really great artist is always ahead of his times and can be understood and estimat­ed only by the posterity? Can you give other examples to illustrate this view?

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