Theatre by W.S. Maugham

Chapter 14

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

on one excuse and another – то под одним предлогом, то под другим

to confess to oneself – признаться самому себе

that was all to the good – тем лучше

shrewd – проницательный

vanity – тщеславие

to have an affair with sb. – роман с кем-то

sallow – болезненный

to feel compassion for sb. – чувствовать сострадание к кому-то

eminent persons – выдающийся человек

to lay no claims on sb. – не претендовать ни на кого

to use all her arts of cajolery – призывать все свое искусство обольщения

stale food – несвежая пища

to overcome one's scruples – преодолеть сомнения

to have no inclination – не быть склонным

a man of the world – светский человек

she was modest about herself – она была скромного о себе мнения

a smack in the face – прямо в лицо

sulkily – надувшись

Julia's heart was wrung – сердце Джулии сжалось

chivalrous courtesy – рыцарская учтивость

a vile disposition – ужасный нрав

alacrity – готовность

wistful – мечтательный

to act with great naturalness – изображать с большой естественностью

to make a scene – устроить сцену

she was in a black rage – ее душила черная ярость

she'd get even with him – она с ним сквитается

to rack one's brains – биться над задачей

II. Answer the following questions:

1. Was Julia really in love with Tom Fennell? And he?

Julia was really in love with him, she felt a strange passion to him. This woman knew that Tom wasn’t in love with her. He was too young, he was not so interested in her.

2. How old was Tom? What did he do? Why was he a success with women?

Tom was twenty-two and he was five years elder Julia’s son. He was a highly-sexed young man. Julia discovered that since he was seventeen he had had a great many women. He loved the act rather than the person. He looked upon it as the greatest lark in the world. And she could understand why he had so much success. There was something appealing in his slightness, his body was just skin and bone, that was why his clothes sat on him so well, and something charming in his clean freshness. His shyness and his effrontery combined to make him irresistible.

3. How can you characterize Roger? Where was he educated? What were his relations like with his parents? Did he know what he wanted to be? Did he want to go on the stage?

Roger was a nice-looking boy, with reddish hair and blue eyes. He was seventeen. He had neither his mother's vivacity and changing expression nor his father's beauty of feature. As a child Roger was rather stolid and he had a serious look. His only good features were his teeth and his hair, but his figure was rather lumpy. Roger desired to leave Eton at Christmas, he thought he had got everything out of it that he could, and he wanted to go to Vienna for a few months and learn German before going up to Cambridge. As for his future, this young man didn’t know what he wanted to be but at the same time he didn’t want to go on the stage.

4. How did Tom and Roger get on together?

Tom and Roger were at the same age and they spent all the time together.

5. Was Julia as successful in the movies as in the theatre? Did she envy the film-stars?

Julia was not successful in the movies. Her face on the stage so mobile and expressive for some reason lost on the screen, and after one trial she had with Michael's approval refused to accept any of the offers that were from time to time made her. Julia did not envy the film-stars because they came and went but she could stay.

6. Describe in detail how Julia managed to play different characters on the stage. What thrilled her? Why did she sometimes fell like God?

Julia was not aware that she deliberately observed people, but when she came to study a new part vague recollections surged up in her from she knew not where, and she found that she knew things about the character she was to represent that she had had no inkling of. It helped her to think of someone she knew or even someone she had seen in the street or at a party; she combined with this recollection her own personality, and thus built up a character founded on fact but enriched with her experience, her knowledge of technique and her amazing magnetism. People thought that she only acted during the two or three hours she was on the stage; they did not know that the character she was playing dwelt in the back of her mind all day long, when she was talking to others with all the appearance of attention, or in whatever business she was engaged.

7. How did Julia revenge herself on Tom?

Julia decided to revenge on him by reminding him to leave the maid tips, leaving the money in the envelope.

III. Make up a list of words and phrases describing Tom Fennell. Comment on the repetition of "a young man" in the text. First "he was a blushing young man" for Julia. Did her attitude change when she was better aquainted with him? Prove it by giving examples from the text.

- What he's got, of course, is sex appeal

- Sweet with his blue eyes and pale brown hair

- He was so deceitful

-  Young, fresh and ingenuous

- Lips were soft and there was a perfume of youth about him which was really rather delightful
The author uses the repetition "young man" to show that Julia admired Tom’s youth and through it she remembered her times when she was a young woman. At first, Julia tried to attach Tom to her giving him expensive gifts, paying his debts. “She felt a strange compassion for him. He had the high spirits of youth, and she lapped them up as a kitten laps up milk. But he was not amusing. Though he laughed when Julia said a funny thing he never said one himself. She did not mind. She found his dullness restful”.

IV. Find in the text epithets and similes which characterize Julia and Michael and say what effect the author achieves by using them.

Some epithets to describe Julia: very pretty and young (within a company of Tom Julia felt herself much younger); a maiden aunt (to show her disappointment and despair); the popular favourite, the best-dressed woman in London (to show that Julia pretended to be such a woman, it wasn’t her real substance).  

Some epithets to describe Michael: friendly way (to show Michael’s kindness); she read his mind like an open book (to show that Julia knew him perfectly).

V. What stylistic device did Maugham employ at large to characterize Julia? Illustrate your answer with the examples from the text. Comment on the lexicon used by Julia. To what stylistic layer of the vocabulary does it belong? How does it characterize Julia?

There were vulgar words: “The blasted fool, why does he talk all that rot?”, “Gosh, I’m going down like a barrel of oysters”. The author used them in Julia’s internal monologues to show that in reality she was not a person of high society. She only seemed to be intelligent with other people.

VI. Give a summary of chapter 14. (in written form)

Julia found herself totally enamored with Tom. She tried to attach the young man to her giving him expensive gifts and paying his debts.  In his turn, Tom had the high spirits of youth, but he was not amusing. Though he laughed when Julia said a funny thing he never said one himself. She found his dullness restful. Also Tom became close friends with her seventeen year son, Roger, and they spent all their time together. However this young man didn’t notice Julia decided to take revenge on him. She reminded him to leave the maid tips, leaving the money in the envelope.

Theatre by W.S. Maugham

Chapters 11-13

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

a profound contempt – глубочайшее презрение

to have first nights – премьеры

to be exemplary – примерный

a pattern of conjugal fidelity – образец супружеской верности

to separate – разлучать

be ingenuous – искренний

to cry almost at will – вызвать слезы по собственному желанию

common sense – здравый смысл

to elope with sb. – сбежать с кем-то

preposterous – абсурдный

curtain calls – выход на поклон

prudish – строгий

in for a penny in for a pound – назвался груздем – полезай в кузов

this was all a put-up job – подстроить что-то специально

indecent – неприличный

in a flash – в мгновение ока

to take liberties with sb. – быть чересчур фамильярным с кем-то

a matinee – дневной спектакль

amiably – дружелюбно

well-chosen words – меткие слова

to have no sequel – продолжения не будет

to erase the episode from her memory – вспоминать

pleasant reveries sauntered through her mind – приятные полумечты-полувоспоминания неторопливо ей в  голову

hectic flush – лихорадочный румянец

to see in the flesh – увидеть в живую

to hurt one's pride – задеть чью-то гордость

to have an inkling – заподозрить

to pawn –ручаться

II. Answer the following questions:

1. How did Julia and Lord Tamerly get acquainted? Was Julia his mistress? What did Julia owe to Charles Tamerly?

Julia and Lord Tamerly got  acquainted at a luncheon party. In spite of the fact that Lord Tamerly was madly fall in love with Julia, she wasn't his mistress.

2. Describe Julia's acting when Lord Tamerly declared his love to her. How can you prove that it was only make-believe?

As for Julia’s acting when Lord Tamerly declared his love to her, she found it rather comic. S said that he was a nice middle-aged man, but she didn’t love him. She sat down and for a minute looked silently at the miniature. Julia raised her eyes till they met Charles's. With her mouth slightly open, with the look in her eyes of a child that has been deeply hurt and does not know why, the effect was unbearably pathetic. She cried and nodded.

3. Why do you think Julia agreed to have tea with the young man? What was his name? Did Julia know it or not?

To my mind, she agreed to have tea with them out of curiosity. His name was Tom Fennel and Julia did not know it.

4. Was the young man as shy as he seemed to be?

The young man seemed shy but one moment he put his arm round her waist and kissed her full on the lips. At that moment this young man wasn’t so shy.

5. How did he show his admiration for Julia?

He had seen her in every play she had acted. He also said that when he was fourteen he had stood outside the stage door after a matinee and had asked her to sign her name in his autograph-book.

6. What feelings did Julia experience after the date with the young man? How did she act after that? How old was Julia at that time? What's your opinion of Julia's behaviour?

Julia found herself enamored with a young man. At that time Julia was fourty but she found herself looking and feeling 20 years younger. Everybody in the theatre noticed how she had changed. She acted with a passion and emotions. As for my opinion, I don’t appreciate her behavior, because I think the woman shouldn’t get out of line.

7. Describe the episode of Julia's adventure on the train to Cannes. What was Julia's attitude towards this accident? Give quotations from the text and comment on them. What do you think of this adventure?

During her trip to Cannes, Julia acquainted with the man who told her that he was an attaché at the Spanish Embassy in Paris and was going down to Cannes for
Easter. They spent the night together, and after a while it turned out that he had a family. Next morning she couldn’t believe that it had happened with her, but at the same time she did care more about the safety of her jewelry. I think her behavior was immoral.

8. When did Julia see Tom Fennell again? Under what circumstances?

Several days later Tom called her and ask for one more meeting. Julia tried to refuse him, but finally agreed to meet with Tom in her dressing-room.

9. What do you think attracted Julia to Tom? How old was he?

His youth attracted Julia. As for Tom, he was no more than 20. His lips were soft and there was a perfume of youth about him which was really rather delightful, blue eyes were so charmingly boyish.

10. Why do you think Tom was interested in grand people?

I think, Tom wanted to become rich and famous like them.

11. Do you approve or disapprove of Julia's love affair with Tom Fennell?

I disapprove of Julia’s love affair with Tom. I think any woman shouldn’t get out of line.

III. Make up a list of words and phrases which the author uses to show Julia's attitude towards Tom Fennell. Comment on their semantics and stylistic value.

- Young, fresh and ingenuous.

- Sweet with his blue eyes and pale brown hair.
- His lips were soft and there was a perfume of youth about him which was really rather delightful.
- There was something charming in his clean freshness.
- Julia could have taken him in her arms then and there and kissed his blue eyes. She adored him.
- She had been as excited all the evening as a girl going to her first ball. She could not help thinking how absurd she was.

All these phrases show Julia’s attitude to Thomas Fennel. She realized, she fall in love with Tom but she knew it was wrong to date with him.

IV. The author uses a number of theatrical allusions. Find them in the text and say what you know about them. (Consult the Oxford Guide to British and American Culture or any other culture dictionary).

Ellen Terry was an English actress who became one of the most popular stage performers in both Great Britain and North America. For 24 years she worked as the leading lady of Sir Henry Irving in one of the most famous partnerships in the theatre. In the 1890s she began her famous “paper courtship” with George Bernard Shaw, one of the most brilliant correspondences in the history of English letter writing.

Mlle Clairon was a leading actress of the Comédie-Française who created many parts in the plays of Voltaire, Jean-François Marmontel, Bernard-Joseph Saurin, and others.

George Farquhar was an Irish playwright of real comic power who wrote for the English stage at the beginning of the 18th century. He stood out from his contemporaries for originality of dialogue and a stage sense that doubtless stemmed from his experience as an actor.

Oliver Goldsmith was an Anglo-Irish essayist, poet, novelist, dramatist, and eccentric, made famous by such works as the series of essays The Citizen of the World, or, Letters from a Chinese Philosopher (1762), the poem The Deserted Village (1770), the novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766).

Marcel Proust was a French novelist, author of “À la recherche du temps perdu”, a seven-volume novel based on Proust’s life told psychologically and allegorically.

Paul Cézanne was a French painter, one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionists, whose works and ideas were influential in the aesthetic development of many 20th-century artists and art movements, especially Cubism.

V. In chapter 11 you can find the following phrase: "... like Venus rising from the waves." What is the source of this allusion? Comment on it and its stylistic effect.

“The Birth of Venus” is a 1486 painting by Sandro Botticelli. I think, the author used such allusion to stress Julia’s state of mind. When she met Tom she was looking and feeling 20 years younger.

VI. Give a summary of chapters 11-13. (in written form)

Julia met with Tom, who was madly in love with her. This woman found him very polite and elegant. Next morning Mr. Fennel called her and invited to have a cup of tea. His poor apartment reminded Julia the times when she was in the beginning of her carrier. Suddenly the young man kissed her. At first Julia didn’t take it seriously, but this relationship made her feel younger and gave her inspiration. During her trip this woman had another affair with an unknown man. After her returning Julia and  Tom went to an expensive restaurant. She pointed out that he had pawned his watch in order to take her out to supper. Finally Julia realized that she had fallen in love with Tom.