Would Strickland want such an inscription for himself? Can we justify EVERY WORD of it in reference to Strickland?

8. Comment on the following statements, giving explanations of their meaning, if necessary, and expressing your own attitude to them.

a) The writer is more concerned to know than to judge. (p. 148)

b) A woman can forgive a man for the harm he does her, but she can never forgive him for the sacrifices he makes on her account. (p. 150)

c) We treasure the power we have over people by their regard for our opinion of them, and we hate those upon whom we have no such influence. (p. 154)

9. What are the possible ways of interpreting the title of the novel?

10. Express your attitude to the book and to the author's manner of writing. Try to enumerate both the merits and the shortcomings.

Lesson 15. Home-reading. WILLIAM SOMERSET MAUGHAM. "The Moon and Sixpence".

The aim of the lesson is to teach you to evaluate a novel as a complete piece of writing, to recognize simple fictional techniques so as to interpret the merits and faults of the given piece of fiction.

1. CHOOSE THE MORE SATISFACTORY SUMMARY of the novel. Reproduce it by heart and COMMENT in a sentence or two why you have chosen this one.

Charles Strickland, a London stockbroker in middle life, suddenly abandons his business career, and all ties which hold him to conventional society, to devote his life to painting. After years of struggle in Paris, where he fails achieve recognition, he sets out for Tahiti at the age of 47. And here, while covering with astonishing pictures the walls of the hut which he shares with a Polinesian woman, he dies of leprosy. By his own injunction, his companion destroys his work after his death, and only on the discovery of the canvases he had carelessly tossed aside during his years of unrewarded self-expression does the world of art realize that it has lost a genius.

Charles Strickland is a successful London broker until the day he takes up painting. Then, suddenly his art becomes to him the only thing that matters, and for it he gives up his family and all the comforts of a settled existence and moves to Paris, where he only succeeds in inflicting suffering upon others. Seeking a primitive, unspoiled life, he leaves for the South Seas. Alongside with idyllic existence, he finds poverty and a dreadful disease which causes his death. Though his chief masterpiece is destroyed, he leaves behind him a body of pictures which later come to be regarded as being among the most thrilling and admirable ever painted.

2. DID MAUGHAM SHOW STRICKLAND'S CHARACTER IN DEVELOPMENT? If the character himself seems unchanged, do we learn new aspects of his personality, not revealed before? (Consider both the Tahiti & the Marseilles periods of his life.)

3. Does any of the chief characters (Strickland excluded) develop into a new personality? Or is he/she basically the same, just viewed by different people in different circumstances? Explain.

4. On pp.125-126 Maugham sums up Stroeve as an example of the contradictions of human nature. ("He had a sweet and generous nature, YET... He could exercise tact when dealing with the affairs of others, BUT none when dealing with his own").

Are the characters of Blanche and Strickland just as contradictory? Try to sum them up laconically. Mind that your summaries should be BASED ON CONTRAST: "YET" and "BUT" being the key-words.

5. Why does the author bother to give detailed descriptions of very minor characters or places which play almost no part in the development of the plot? Try to give a more or less detailed stylistic analysis of one of these descriptions, EXPLAINING THE EFFECT GAINED: Mrs. Nichols (pp.170-171), or Tiare Johnson (pp.183-185).

6. "Paul Gauguin stayed in Tahiti for 7 years. His letters from Tahiti give some idea of his life, of the miseries, the toil, the struggles, the extravagances, the physical and mental anguish, the uncertainty, the futile attempts and his wounded pride. But Gauguin himself believed in his paintings ("I am a great artist, and I know it"). The last three years of his life were embittered by the worsening of his disease, but he had become a defender of the natives, a humanitarian, and a lover of justice."

What parts of the above information did Maugham make use of when describing Strickland's life in Tahiti and his relationship with the people there? What did he add to make the story more convincing and the character more logical? (Make good use of the text: recall the necessary details; give quotations if necessary.)

7. Gauguin was buried in the mission cemetery. And on his plain tombstone until a few years ago could be found a circle of red clay on which his native associate had cut the words: "Paul Gauguin, 1903". After more than eighty years, some critics consider that a few words might be added to this inscription, words that he wrote himself shortly before he died: "I have worked well, and used my life well, even intelligently and with courage."

Would Strickland want such an inscription for himself? Can we justify EVERY WORD of it in reference to Strickland?

8. Why did Strickland order to burn his paintings? Does this idea seem fantastic to you?

9. The end of the narrative is not exactly given in the chronological order. The action sometimes leaps forward and then makes a backward loop.

TRY TO DRAW A DIAGRAM OF THE NOVEL'S COMPOSITION AND ACCOUNT FOR THE VIOLATION OF CHRONOLOGY.

10. A story can be told by an OMNISCIENT narrator, who stands in a god-like position above his characters, knows everything about everybody and can penetrate within each character's mind. Another way of telling the story is that of entrusting the narration to the main character or one of the minor characters. In this case, the narrator's vision will be necessarily limited by what h e knows and can observe. Sometimes the story-teller of this kind entrusts part of the narration to yet another witness.

What kind of narrative do we have in "The Moon and Sixpence"? Try to give Maugham's reasons for choosing this kind of narrative.

11. Explain the role of the last chapter. Was it really necessary?

12. What are possible ways of interpreting the title of the story?

TEST. ‘THE MOON AND SIXPENCE’ (Vocabulary)

1. Write the transcription to the following words:

Concierge, verandah, drawer, narrative, aesthetic

B) Put the stress under the underlined words:

He protested vigorously; the torment of his soul; unbearable conduct; with malice

1. Give a synonym:

dangerous – h….. to save – to r……….

stubborn – o……… dull – t………

genuine – a…. disaster – c……………

clumsy –a …. recollections – r……

3. Give the nouns corresponding to the following verbs and adjectives:

E.g. Absurd – absurdity.

To disgust –

To signify -

Derisive -

To disturb -

Ridiculous –

Scornful –

4. Underline the intruder:

Scornful – loathsome – disgusting – despicable

Resent – offend – outrage - abuse

Absurd – ridiculous – funny – amused

Barbarous – primitive – uncivilized - savage

5. Put the right word into a given context:

· Everyone used to talk about this artist, he was a scandalous and extravagant figure. But nowadays nobody remembers his name. He has fallen into o…….

· He himself was horrified with the words he uttered. He shouldn’t have talked to her like that. She must be miserable now. He was torn with r…

· Don’t you think it’s time you stopped changing places? You should stick to something. You should marry and have a family of your own. You really ought to s… down.

· He wanted to speak to me, but I pretended I didn’t notice him. I c… him dead.

5. Paraphrase the following sentences:

· When I saw them together I was at see. -

· She was robbed of her self-control -

· He seemed to bear no resentment towards her. -

· He easily flies into a passion –

· The words cut the ground under my feet –

· With my mind’s eye I saw him throw his hat on the table. –

· Don’t be cross with me. –

· I would not let him see that I was put out. –

· They had a row yesterday. –

· Why are you sniggering at me? –

· You are fond of bragging.-

6. Guess the word by the given definition. Write the transcription:

a difficult situation – p…..

the state of being much in love – i……….

wooden frame to support a picture – e…

falsely making oneself appear to be good – h……

vague feeling that sth unpleasant is about to happen – p………

7. Choose the word that best describes the underlined one:

1) A person of catholic tastes is 3) anybody knows that a delettante (a) religious. a) is a master of the arts (b) moral. b) is a struggling young artist (c) sympathetic. c) is one who follows the arts as
pastime. 2) The defeatist is a 6) A stoic is a person of (a) coward. a) great self-control (b) boor. b) cruel attitude to others (c) pessimist and loser. d) steady hatred for pleasures
4) The Epicurean ’s greatest delight comes from 7. An odious man (a) pleasure. a) is worthy of praise (b) cruelty. b) deserves everybody’s hatred (c) self-torment. c) is a genius   8. Solve the proportion underlining the most suitable variant: to lament / condolence = a) to forgive / kindness adulation / to extol = a) flattery/ to cheat

b) to revenge / malice b) contempt / to scorn

c) to humbug / suspicion c) fascination / to praise

irrevocable / change = a) immortal / life d) starvation / to die

b) incontestable / dispute

c) indulgent / pride

chase / pursuit = a) quarrel / altercation

b) store / memory

c) haunt / thought

9. Underline the word opposite in meaning:

callous: a) hard vanquish: a) give up incalculable: a) profound

b) cruel b) win b) bright

c) warm-hearted c) appear c) predictable

d) safe d) protest d) unfathomable

despondency: a) despair elaborate: a) crude mediocre: a) second-rate

b) loneliness b) jolly b) philistine

c) happiness c) intriguing c) sophisticated

d) responsibility d) exquisite d) gifted

Lesson 16. Home-reading. INDEPENDENT READING (WILLIAM SOMERSET MAUGHAM)

The aim of the lesson is to teach you to explain the impression a novel has produced on you, to sum up the essence of the narration, to formulate what the book is about and to explain what the chief merits or faults of the book consist in.

1. PRONUNCIATION DRILL: group the words into two categories:

a) things denoting stylistic devices; b) genres/ kinds of literature

contrast, paradox, reportage, irony, novel, sonnet, parallel structure, frame, story, metaphor, simile, litotes

2. Reproduce the given definition of literature. Add whatever you believe necessary. (See if you can make use of any of the statements below.)

In the simplest form literature is good writing which has a truth to tell about people and their world, and tells that truth in a way which makes the sensitive reader re-live the writer's experience with his own mind and emotions. It multiplies the limited experience of the individual life, and it deepens understanding of others and of self.

a) To turn events into ideas is the function of literature.

b) The element of mystery is essential to any novel.

c) In the true novel, as opposed to reportage, the main action goes inside the character's mind.

d) A truly good novel is (not) always strong on plot (=eventful).

3. Are the book you're going to discuss eventful or uneventful? Is there an element of surprise or mystery in the plot? Does the impression the books produce chiefly depend on the plot, on the characters, or on the atmosphere of the novel? Does the author succeed in drawing true-to-life characters (=does he manage to create vital figures)? What is the author's chief aim: to amuse the readers by a funny or absorbing narrative? to appeal to the readers' intellect? to their imagination? to their sense of beauty? etc.

4. Give the plot of a novel (story) in a few sentences (a brief summary).

5. Does the composition of the book coincide with the disposition? Are there any flashbacks or cases of foreshadowing? If yes, why does the author resort to them?

6. Speak of the most striking episode in a more detailed way, explaining why it appeals so much to your imagination. Does it throw light on the central characters? Does it enable you to see and feel things as if you were present there? Does it become one of the key episodes?

7. Does the author create true-to-life characters? (Recollect the main methods of characterization) Do the central characters remain the same all through the book or is there any character development?. Explain. Prove by quotations.

8. Being inquisitive by nature Maugham tries to penetrate into the mystery of man-woman relationship. He is eager to understand why people become attached to each other and why they fall out of love so "suddenly". Judging by the books you have read have you got a clear picture of what Maugham thinks of man and woman and their relationships? Do you agree with him? See if the quotations given below may help you:

a) "Love isn't worth all the fuss they make about it" ("Theatre").

b) "As lovers, the difference between men and women is that women can love all day long, but men only at times" ("The Moon and Sixpence").

c) "Women are often under the impression that men are much more madly in love with them than they really are" ("The Painted Veil").

d) "A woman attracts men by her charm and holds them by their vices" ("Theatre")

e) "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" ("The Painted Veil").

f) "I know lust. That's normal and healthy. Love is a disease" ("The Moon and Sixpence").

g) "A woman can forgive a man for the harm he does her, but she can never forgive him for the sacrifices he makes on her account" ("The Moon and Sixpence").

i) "A man is always a brute to leave a woman who is attached to him, but a woman is much to blame if he does" ("The Moon and Sixpence").

h) "One can be very much in love with a woman without wishing to spend the rest of one's life with her" ("The Painted Veil").

j) "Marriage is a very good thing, but... it's a mistake to make a habit of it" ("The Treasure").

k) "The bitterness of life is not death, the bitterness of life is that love dies" ("Theatre").

9. Irony is one of Maugham's favourite devices which he employs even speaking about the most serious things. Find some examples, explain the mechanisms of irony in each case and comment on them.

10. Maugham delights in contrasting things on different levels. Find examples of contrast and account for their usage.

11. Maugham often sounds paradoxical. Comment in detail on the following quotations (the way you understand them):

1) Perhaps even the best of us are sinners and the worst of us are saints. ("The Fall of Edward Barnard")

2) Failure is the foundation of success and success is the lurking-place of failure. ("The Painted Veil")

3) The stars never shine more brightly than when reflected in the muddy waters of a wayside ditch.(The Judgement Seat")

4) The spirit is very strange, it never soars so high as when the body has wallowed for a period in the gutter. ("The Human Element")

Can any of the quotations be applied to any of the characters from the books you have read?

12. What are the books about on the level of general human experience? Does it deepen our understanding of others and of ourselves? Quote some phrases-generalizations and comment on their meanings and implications (in the context of the whole book and in the context of life in general).

13. Maugham's fiction has little romance of idealism, for he takes a definitely pessimistic view of men and women. He is sceptical of altruism and sometimes regards self-sacrifice with wry amusement. He makes no attempt to explain human nature, but only to expound its weakness. However, he leads his reader to ask questions about good and evil, reward and punishment, justice and injustice. While avoiding all obvious ethical judgement and mocking the shoddiness and narrowness of too easy moral solutions, Maugham stands up for proper respect being paid to any individual and to his chances for fulfilment.

Can you say that the manner of writing of the books you've read is easily recognizable as Maugham's?

14. "It may be that among them a more fervid Keats, a more ethereal Shelley, has already published numbers the world will willingly remember. I cannot tell. I admire their polish - their youth is already so accomplished that it seems absurd to speak of promise - I marvel at the felicity of their style; but with all their copiousness... they say nothing to me: to my mind they know too much and feel too obviously..." ("The Moon and Sixpence", p.28).

Maugham's critics often pointed out that he was verbose, that there was nothing written in between the lines of his books, that he imposed his opinion on the reader... In other words he was accused of those things he "blamed" Keats and Shelley for. Analyze the sonnets by Keats and Shelley and say whether you find anything in common between their poems and Maugham's works (you may consider their style, problems they touch upon, their view of life, etc)

15. Do the books you've read possess all the qualities of good literature, according to he definition you gave in task 1? Explain.

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