"Theatre" by W. S. Maugham. Chapter 14

TASKS for Chapter 14

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

on one excuse and another to confess to oneself that was all to the good shrewd vanity to have an affair with sb. sallow to feel compassion for sb. eminent persons to lay no claims on sb. to use all her arts of cajolery stale food to overcome one's scruples to find someone a trifle dull to have no inclination a man of the world she was modest about herself a smack in the face sulkily Julia's heart was wrung chivalrous courtesy a vile disposition alacrity wistful to act with great naturalness to make a scene she was in a black rage she'd get even with him to rack one's brains

под разными предлогами признаваться себе это было всем на пользу проницательный тщеславие иметь дело с кем-либо болезненный чувствовать сострадание к к-л выдающиеся люди не предъявлять претензий к-л использовать все ее искусство лести несвежая еда преодолеть сомнения считать кого-то мелочным занудой не иметь никакой склонности светский человек она была скромна в суждениях о себе пощечина мрачно Сердце Джулии сжалось галантная любезность мерзкое расположение живость задумчивый действовать с большой естественностью устраивать сцену она была в черной ярости она бы ужались и с ним ломать голову

II.     

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

Yes, she was: “It was not till after that night when they had first supped together that Julia confessed to herself that she had fallen in love with Tom. It came to her as a shock. But she was exhilarated.” “she knew very well that Tom was not in love with her. To have an affair with her flattered his vanity.”

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

He was 22 years old:“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. It was strangely flattering for a woman to be treated as a little bit of fluff* that you just tumbled on to a bed.”

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?

He was 17 and he was educated, as he attended Eton college:“Roger was seventeen. He was a nice-looking boy, with reddish hair and blue eyes, but that was the best you could say of him. He had neither his mother's vivacity and changing expression nor his father's beauty of feature. Julia was somewhat disappointed in him. As a child when she had been so constantly photographed with him he was lovely. He was rather stolid now and he had a serious look. Really when you came to examine him his only good features were his teeth and his hair. Julia was very fond of him, but she could not but find him a trifle dull. When she was alone with him the time hung somewhat heavily on her hands. She exhibited a lively interest in the things she supposed must interest him, cricket and such like, but he did not seem to have much to say about them. She was afraid he was not very intelligent.”  

Roger didn’t accept what his parents did, he was a really good boy.

 “He told Julia at once that he 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. Michael had wished him to go into the army, but this he had set his face against. He did not yet know what he wanted to be. Both Julia and Michael had from the first been obsessed by the fear that he would go on the stage, but for this apparently he had no inclination.”

4.         How did Tom and Roger get on together?

They spent much time together, they were peers and had much in common.

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

“At one time people had compared her unfavourably with some actress or other who at the moment enjoyed the public favour, but now no one disputed her supremacy. It was true that she had not the world-wide notoriety of the film-stars; she had tried her luck on the pictures, but had achieved no success; 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. She had got a good deal of useful publicity out of her dignified attitude. But Julia did not envy the film-stars; they came and went; she stayed.”

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

“The critics admired her variety. They praised especially her capacity for insinuating herself into a part. She 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.”

“She could step into a part, not a very good one perhaps, with silly words to say, and by her personality, by the dexterity which she had at her finger-tips, infuse it with life. There was no one who could do what she could with a part. Sometimes she felt like God.”

7.         How did Julia revenge herself on Tom?

She left the money in the envelop.

“She got the Dennorants to come for the week-end. Charles Tamerley was staying at Henley and accepted an invitation to come over for Sunday and bring his host, Sir Mayhew Bryanston, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer. To amuse him and the Dennorants, because she knew that the upper classes do not want to meet one another in what they think is Bohemia, but artists of one sort or another, she asked Archie Dexter, her leading man, and his pretty wife who acted under her maiden name of Grace Hardwill. She felt pretty sure that with a marquess and marchioness to hover round and a Cabinet Minister to be impressed by, Tom would not go off to play golf with Roger or spend the afternoon in a punt. In such a party Roger would sink into his proper place of a schoolboy that no one took any notice of, and Tom would see how brilliant she could be when she took the trouble.”

She also gave him money to pay servants to hint that he hadn’t got enough money.

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 acquainted with him? Prove it by giving examples from the text.

Her attitude changed. His young age attracted her.

("My God, I wish it could have choked them.")

“Selfish, stupid and common, that's what he was. She almost wished he wasn't going tomorrow so that she could have the pleasure of turning him out bag and baggage.”

“That showed what a fool he was. You would have thought he'd have some gratitude. Why, the very clothes he had on she'd paid for. That cigarette-case he was so proud of, hadn't she given him that? And the ring he wore. My God, she'd get even with him. Yes, and she knew how she could do it. She knew where he was most sensitive and how she could most cruelly wound him.”

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

Julia : she was exhilarated; looked very pretty and young; Julia was irritated; Julia, radiant, sank back into a chair;

Similes: she lapped them up as a kitten laps up milk.; She read his mind like an open book.

Michael: so damned good-natured about it; Michael was prosy, near with his money, self-complacent, but how extraordinarily kind he was and how unselfish! He was devoid of envy.

Julia and Michael are a binary opposition. The author uses these epithets and similes to demonstrate their strange and different nature which each of them have.

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?

("Bloody fool, bloody fool")

"If I haven't cooked Roger's goose I'll eat my hat," she thought

"Idiots!" she said to herself crossly.

("I must keep my temper. I must keep my temper. Why was I such a fool as to give him a racing punt?")

("Blast his eyes. No, I mustn't show I mind. Thank God, I can act.")

("Lucky I'm a good actress.")

SD: parenthesis (introduction to her inner world).

She used vulgarisms. It characterizes her as an impatient woman, she can control herself outside, but her inner world is impatient.

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

Julia’ s family and Tom spent time together in the villa in the countryside. Tom and Roger found much in common. Julia didn’t like Tom’s attitude to her, as he didn’t spent time with her and treated her as the mother of his friend. She didn’t want to lose Tom, but at the same time she wanted to revenge him. 

"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 to have first nights to be exemplary a pattern of conjugal fidelity to separate be ingenuous to cry almost at will common sense to elope with sb. Preposterous curtain calls prudish in for a penny in for a pound this was all a put-up job indecent in a flash to take liberties with sb. a matinee amiably well-chosen words to have no sequel to erase the episode from her memory pleasant reveries sauntered through her mind hectic flush to see in the flesh to hurt one's pride to have an inkling to pawn

глубокое презрение премьерные показы быть достойным подражания образец супружеской верности отделяться быть бесхитростным кричать  по своему желанию, усмотрению здравый смысл тайно сбежать с кем-либо нелепый вызовы актёра ; выходы на поклон ханжеский, излишне щепетильный за пенс за фунт это была заранее заданная схема неприличный в один миг, в мгновение ока позволять себе вольности с к-л дневной спектакль дружелюбно хорошо подобранные слова не иметь никакого продолжения стереть эпизод из ее памяти приятная мечтательность крутилась у нее в голове чахоточный румянец видеть во плоти ранить гордость иметь подозрение заложить

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?

“Charles Tamerley’s  father, the Marquess of Dennorant, had married an heiress and he had inherited a considerable fortune. Julia often went to the luncheon parties he was fond of giving at his house in Hill Street. There she got acquainted with Lord Tamerly. Julia wasn’t his mistress. He loved her but she didn’t.

“In those days Julia did not think it necessary to go to bed in the afternoons, she was as strong as a horse and never tired, so he used often to take her for walks in the Park. She felt that he wanted her to be a child of nature. That suited her very well. It was no effort for her to be ingenuous, frank and girlishly delighted with everything. He took her to the National Gallery, and the Tate, and the British Museum, and she really enjoyed it almost as much as she said. He liked to impart information and she was glad to receive it. She had a retentive memory and learnt a great deal from him. If later she was able to talk about Proust and Cezanne with the best of them, so that you were surprised and pleased to find so much culture in an actress, it was to him she owed it.”

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

“Then Julia did a disgraceful thing. She sat down and for a minute looked silently at the miniature. Timing it perfectly, she raised her eyes till they met Charles's. She could cry almost at will, it was one of her most telling accomplishments, and now without a sound, without a sob, the tears poured down her cheeks. 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.”

Julia felt exhilarated. She is an actress and she only plays her role, she is an actress even in life.

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

He was so young and she saw and imagined herself as a young. It was rather delicious for her that this young man tried to create an impression on her. His name was Tom. She didn’t know his name.

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

Firstly, he was shy.”He seemed shy, much shyer than he had seemed over the telephone “ .But then he wasn’t.

5.         How did he show his admiration for Julia?

He phoned her and offered her tea with a biscuit. Then he began to kiss her. “He put his arm round her waist and kissed her full on the lips. No woman was ever more surprised in her life. She was so taken aback that she never thought of doing anything. His lips were soft and there was a perfume of youth about him which was really rather delightful.” He was emphatically (настойчтв).

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?

She was extremely happy, it was a new adventure for her. Her eyes shone brightly and wonderfully. "I feel like a two-year-old.“

“Julia acted as though it was the first time. Her performance was brilliant. She got laughs that she had never got before. She always had magnetism, but on this occasion it seemed to flow over the house in a great radiance." She was 40 year old.

Your surrounding always reflects on you. She can’t refuse to Tom. She remembered her previous life and how happy she was. Her husband didn’t give her that passion and love that Tom gave. But she is older him and it is wrong to my mind to have an affair with him.

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?

The trains south were so crowded that she had not been able to get a sleeper. One man, Spaniard, offers her his place. She agreed. They had a conversation, but that man didn’t want to leave her. When they began to say goodbye, the man kissed Julie and they had an affair. She didn’t want to sleep with him. But his beard attracted her.

-"He can hardly expect me to ask him to come and sleep in here," Julia said to herself. "I'm beginning to think this was all a put-up job. Nothing doing, my lad." And then aloud. "Romantic, of course, but uncomfortable."   Her thoughts are right at first. She understands how she mustn’t act. But her actions are so different from her thoughts. She yielded to temptation.

-"If you think that because you've given up your compartment to me I'm going to let you sleep with me, you're mistaken."

"Just as you say, of course. But why not?"

"I'm not that sort of terribly attractive woman."

"What sort of woman are you then?"

"A faithful wife and a devoted mother."

He gave a little sigh.

"Very well. Then I'll say good night to you."  She quietly told about the man’s wish, she understood that many men wanted her. But she couldn’t think that she could sleep with a stranger.

"But as time passed Julia's indignation was mitigated, and she had often thought of the adventure since with a good deal of pleasure. After all it had been fun.”  She perceived all this as an adventure. As she didn’t make something terrible. On the one hand, she had the right because her husband didn’t give her passion. He loved only himself. On the other hand, she is married. She must save her condition. I think she was wrong. It isn’t proper to sleep with a stranger, especially she is married. Moreover, she thought bad about such women, but anyway slept with that man.

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

Tom called her and they agreed upon to meet in the theater

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

“But when she saw him, so slight, with his hectic flush and his blue eyes, so charmingly boyish, she felt a sudden pang.” He was about 18. As her son Roger was seventeen . “she  was old enough to be his mother.”

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

They were so bright, beautiful and famous. They can do everything. He wants to be like they.

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

I disapprove her actions. It is ridiculous to my mind at her age to meet with so young man.

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.

 “She was troubled. It seemed to her that her voice did not sound quite natural.("What the devil's the matter with me? God, I can hardly breathe.")”   Her interior monologue helps to see her emotional experience, how she is afraid of her feelings.

("I'm a fool. I'm a bloody fool.") the repetition of the word “fool” strengthen her fear to him.

“kissed him as passionately”

 “She could have taken him in her arms then and there and kissed his blue eyes. She adored him.”

She has contradictory feelings. Her mind and her soul think differently. When she is without Tom, she understands all her consequences, she thinks reasonably. But at his present her exciting and loving feelings to him win.

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).

Siddons- was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century.

Ellen Terry- was an English stage actress who became the leading Shakespearean actress in Britain.

Farquhar - was an Irish dramatist. He is noted for his contributions to late Restoration comedy, particularly for his plays The Recruiting Officer (1706) and The Beaux' Stratagem (1707).

Goldsmith- was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright and poet, who is best known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), his pastoral poem The Deserted Village (1770), and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man (1768) and She Stoops to Conquer (1771, first performed in 1773).

Alfred de Musset. - was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.[1][2] Along with his poetry, he is known for writing La Confession d'un enfant du siècle (The Confession of a Child of the Century, autobiographical) from 1836

Clairon- French actress, whose real name was Clair Josèphe Hippolyte Leris, was born at Condé-sur-l'Escaut, Hainaut, the daughter of an army sergeant.

Bal de l'Opera

Verlaine-  Paul-Marie Verlaine (French pronunciation: [vɛʁˈlɛn]; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.

Madame Recamier - known as Juliette (French pronunciation: [ʒy.ljɛt]), was a French society leader, whose salon drew Parisians from the leading literary and political circles of the early 19th century.

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.

“Julia tore off her clothes, and flung them with ample gestures all over the room. Then, stark naked, she skipped on to the bed, stood up on it for a moment, like Venus rising from the waves, and then throwing herself down stretched herself out.”

Venus is the second planet from the Sun. The planet is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky.  Julie is full of love and beauty. Tom makes her to feel younger than she is.

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

Julia recollected her love affairs. A young man Tom, who admired Julia, insisted on the meet with the actress and invited her to have a cup of tea.  She agreed. Then in his flat they had their love affair for the first time. After that she remembered one Spaniard, with whom she had a fleeting affair in the train some years ago. Soon, Julia and Tom met again in the theater. Thus, Julia understood that she loved Tom and couldn’t refuse him. Shortly after, Tom invited Julia to the restaurant and after their supper they went to his flat one more time.

"THEATRE" by W. S. Maugham (Chapters 7-10)

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

Placidity - спокойный

to make frantic scenes - закатывать безумные (неистовые) сцены

to give sb. a look of scorn - бросить презрительный взгляд на кого-либо

lavishness - щедрость

to know how to pull strings adroitly – знать как пустить в ход связи

to fall out of love - разлюбить

close-cropped hair - коротко стриженный

to resist an inclination - удержаться от чего-то

weather-beaten skin - обветренная кожа

coltish grace - щенячья грация

to be on active service - быть в действующей армии

confinement - роды

to run a theatre - открыть театр

effusive - несдержанный

virile air – зрелый вид

to set one's mind to smth - стремиться к чему-либо

disconcerting - смущающий

it's a knock out - сногсшибательно

amiability - добродушие

affable manner - дружеское обращение

to exercise great ingenuity in (doing) smth - проявить великую изобретательность в чем-то

to be unperturbed - быть невозмутимым

shrewdness - проницательность

to grizzle - возмущаться, раздражать

it's a mere commonplace - это банально

exorbitant - непомерный

to be conciliatory - дружелюбный

to foster one's career - способствовать чьей-то карьере

prosiness - прозаичность

acumen - проницательность

to have one's face lifted - подтянуть кожу лица

it's no good crying over spilt milk - потерянного не воротишь

to have little flirtations - заводить небольшие интриги

masseuse - массажистка

gossip column - колонка светской хроники

the world of make-believe - мир притворства

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What did Michael and Julia do when the war broke out?

Michael and Julia were acting when the war broke out.

2. Why do you think Michael enjoyed the war?

Michael’s father and his grandfather were military men and Michael could not but participate it. He also was a patriot.

3. Do you think love is important for a successful family life? Would you share your point of view on this problem with your fellow students?

I’m absolutely sure that love is one of the most important things for a successful family life, it’s the basic element of any family. Surely, everyone has their own point of view.

4. How did it happen that Julia fell out of love with Michael?

She fell out of love with him before the end of the war, she realized that he was no longer young, he was already a man.

5. How did Michael manage to find the money to rent a theatre? What was the theatre called? Who was in the partnership with him?

They had a plan, they wanted to find a rich man, who fell in love with Julia or a rich old woman, who fell in love with Michael and ask this person for money. Finally they find a woman who was interested in Julia. Mrs. de Vries was in the partnership with them. The theatre was called “The Siddons theatre”.

6. Why was Julia against Michael's taking up directing?

Julia thought he had no talent for it, she said that he had no fantasy.

7. What kind of director was Michael?

He was a good director, Julia didn’t expect it from him. “He was thorough; he worked hard. Julia, strangely enough, felt that he was getting more out of her than any other director had done”.

8. What irritated Julia in Michael more and more? How did he change in Julia's eyes?

“His thrift, which in the early days had seemed an amusing, rather touching trait, now revolted her. When people were in trouble, and on the stage they too often are, they got sympathy and kind friendly words from Michael, but very little cash. He looked upon himself as devilish generous when he parted with a guinea, and a five‑pound note was to him the extreme of lavishness. He had soon discovered that Julia ran the house extravagantly, and insisting that he wanted to save her trouble took the matter in his own hands. After that nothing was wasted. Every penny was accounted for. Julia wondered why servants stayed with them”.

9. Why was Julia sad when she thought of her married life?

Julia fell out of love with Michael, she had never thought that such thing could happen with her, Michael’s manners; everything in his behavior irritated her.

10. Why was Michael happier than he had been before?

Julia became more complaisant than she’d been before, she stopped make scenes, Michael liked it, he didn’t know that she fell out of love with him, he just thought that Julia changed her behavior for the better.

11. Julia's dresser and maid was a Cockney, wasn't she? Please prove it using the examples from the text.

“Evie was Julia's dresser and maid. She had come to her first at Middlepool and had accompanied her to London. She was a cockney, a thin, raddled, angular woman, with red hair which was always untidy and looked as if it much needed washing, two of her front teeth were missing but, notwithstanding Julia's offer, repeated for years, to provide her with new ones she would not have them replaced.”
Cockney dialect characterized by colloquial pronunciation and grammatical errors: "if he saw you now 'e wouldn't, not if I know anything about men"

12. Who was the unknown man who sent flowers to Julia? Why did she write him a thank you note?

Lord Charles Tamerley sent flowers to Julia, he “was the oldest and the most constant of Julia's admirers”. Julia answered to all letters from her fans, she was polite with them.

III. Make up a list of words and phrases describing Michael's appearance and character. Say what you think of him.

He was the best- looking actor on the English stage.

The only thing that slightly spoiled him was the thinness of his mouth.

He was six foot tall and he had a gallant bearing.

He had a very good figure, a great mass of curling chestnut hair and large deep blue eyes, a straight nose and small ears.

He was so handsome that it took your breath away.

He had an easy manner and he talked like a gentleman.

He was good-looking and kindly.

He was eager to get on.

His voice was a trifle thin.

He was easy enough in ordinary dialogue.

He was prosy, near with his money, self-complacent, but how extraordinarily kind he was and how unselfish.

He was devoid of envy.

A perfect gentleman.

He didn’t much like spending money.

He was friendly, good-humoured and kind.

Very simple-minded in some ways.

He had no fantasy and his ideas were commonplace.

Honest.

A perfect husband.

He took his beauty for granted.

He devoted anxious care to his figure.

He was prudent and all he wanted was admiration.

I like Michael’s way of living, he is handsome, hard-working, purposeful, he is devoted to his wife, his family and work. Michael is a little vain (he takes his beauty for granted) , but at the same time, he is thoughtful, honest and kind men. His attitude to money enchant me, he is a perfect gentlemen.

IV. Comment on the phrase from chapter 9: "Roger had been entered for Eton within a week of his birth." Comment on it. Give a short presentation on public schools in Britain.

Eton college is a public very prestigious school for boys in England. Roger’s parents wanted nothing but the best for their child, that’s why he was sent to this school.

 The British public school can be characterized by institutional independence, an emphasis on the ideal of a "liberal" curriculum, and a fee-paying student body that frequently boards at the school.

Public schools can be full boarding (pupils live there all academic year except for holidays), normal (pupils go home every day) and mixed (some pupils go home every weekend and some stay). Until very recently public schools were either all-boys or all-girls. some public schools charge up to £20,000 a year. There are some grants for bright pupils as well but the places are few and the competition is very strong. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that only six percent of the people in the UK can afford it. The other important criterion is that you have to belong to the right class as the class system in Britain is still very important. Mostly, public education is a privilege of the upper middle and upper classes. The entrance exams used by most public schools are known as Common Entrance exams and are taken at the age of 11 (girls) or 13 (boys).

VI. Give a summary of chapters 7-10.

Michael and Julia had a happy family life, they both were acting when the war broke out. Michael volunteered and Julia continued to act on the stage. Julia took hard their parting, but when he returned, she realized that she fell out of love with him, he was still handsome, but now he was a men, not a young boy, she loved. They respected each other and they had an aim – to open their own theatre. Mrs. de Vries was their partnership and Michael became a director of the theatre. Julia became one of the most famous actresses and had lots of fans, one of them was Tomas Fennel.

"THEATRE" by W. S. Maugham (Chapters 3-6)

I. Explain in English or give definitions of and find contextual synonyms for the following words and phrases:

Asset - a useful or valuable thing (Michael’s beauty)

a sumptuous supper - luxurious meal, banquet

 extravagance - a thing on which too much money has been spent (gold cigarette for Michael)

 thrift - the quality of using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully

 to remonstrate - make a forcefully reproachful protest (Julia at restaurants)

 equanimity - calmness

 at a loose end - without purpose or occupation

 to jeopardize - put (someone or something) into a situation in which there is a danger of loss, harm, or failure

 alacrity - brisk and cheerful readiness

 susceptible to - easily influenced by feelings or emotions; sensitive (Michael was susceptible to flattery)

 obsequious - obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree

 a retainer - a servant, especially one who has worked for a person or family for a long time

II. Find quotations in the text. State their meaning and their function.

“nemo me impune lacessit” - "No one (Harms, wounds, hurts, provokes) me with impunity."
It was Michael’s motto, engraved on his signet ring.

“neither a borrower nor a lender be” – it means that you should be able to manage on your own and not need to borrow.
Michael was very economical, he quoted from Polonius.

"I could not love thee, dear, so much, loved I not honour more,"  

Michael used this quotation to describe his attitude to relationship and love.

III. Explain the metaphor "she is a millstone round his neck." Who does it refer to?
It’s a problem prevents you from doing what you want, for Michael it’s early marriage. It could ruin his and Julia’s career.

IV. Comment on the context of the following phrases:
"He was too modest to resent an unfavourable criticism."
Michael was a very beautiful actor, but he understood that he had not a great talent in acting.
"... after all he was born a gentleman."
Michael’s parents wanted him to become a military man, but they accepted his choice and anyway they brought him up as a gentlemen.
"He is going to be a flop."
Michael was selected to work in America, but his director in England was sure that Michael would flop.
"'I suppose it's beastly of me,' she thought, 'but thank God, thank God.'"
Julia used this phrase to express her feelings  when Michael returned back home.

VI. What techniques are employed by the author to make the reader see the events through Julia's eyes?
The author used inner speech (the stream of consciousness)  to show us Julia’s attitude and feelings: “of course, he likes me”, “he likes me better than anyone, he even admires me..”, “gosh, I’m going down like a barrel of oysters”,  “by God, it was a put-up job”.

VII. Answer the questions:
1. Who was Jimmie Langton and what role did he play in Julia's and Michael's lives?

Jimmie Langton was the director od Michael and Julia’s troupe. He always support his actors and help them in their job.

 2. When did Julia and Michael join the Middlepool Theatre Company?

Michael had been playing in another theatre for three years, when the he was in Middlepool, he was noticed  by Langton, who asked him to join Middlepool Theatre, Michael agreed.

Julia had bee working in a small theatre, Jimmy offered her a slender salary, but great prospect, and Julia also agreed to join Middlepool Theater.

3. How did Julia and Michael get to know each other?

They played in the same play. Then they had a lunch together and  made friends.
4. What did Julia like about Michael?
Michael was a handsome, beautiful gentleman.

5.What did Michael think of good looks and decent families?
Family for his was much more important, than good appearance.

6.How did Julia feel about her family?

Julia loved her family. Her father was a vet, and she was proud of it.

 7.What were Michael's views on marriage?
“I think an actor's a perfect fool to marry young. There are so many cases in which it absolutely ruins a chap's career. Especially if he marries an actress. He becomes a star and then she's a millstone round his neck”.
8.What did Michael read newspaper reviews for? Did Julia share his views?
He tried to find there the information about him. Julia wanted to pay attention to her reviews too, but he didn’t.

9.Who invited Julia to Michael's house for the Holy Week? –

Michael’s mother, Mrs. Gosselyn, invited Julia to their house.
10.Did Michael's father meet Julia's expectations?
Julia  had expected, that Mr. Gosselyn  was civil, but he  was rather  generous. He was neither irritable nor oppressive. He read The Times, went to church on Sunday and accompanied his wife to tea-parties.

 11.What impression did Julia produce on Michael's parents?
They liked Julia."You've made a tremendous success with my people. They've taken an enormous fancy to you. Father told me you were very ladylike, and not a bit like an actress, and mother says you're so sensible."
12.Was the proposal expected by Michael's parents?
Yes, it was.
13.What steps did Julia take upon finding Michael was leaving for America?
She wanted Jimmie not to let Michael go.
14.What professional offer did Michael receive and who facilitated this?
Michael was offered a contract in America, and Jimmie facilitated it.
15.Was Michael a success in America?
No, he didn't find success there.
16.Did Julia keep in touch with him while he was away?
Yes,she wrote him  a lot of passionate letters, while he answered “once a week, four pages exactly in a neat, precise hand.”
17. Was Julia eager to meet Michael straight at the station?
 She met him at the station and booked two rooms in a hotel.
18.What were Michael's impressions after staying and working in America?
Michael was depressed. He told Julia that his roles were terrible.
19.What was Michael going to do in England and what were his prospects?
He wanted to open the theater, where he and Julia would play key roles.

VIII. Summarize the events of chapters 3-6.

Julia recollected her life. She remembered her first play in Jimmies troupe, her relationship with Michael and their feelings. Julia and Michael fell in love and she was invited by his mother to their house for the Holy Week, during this week Michael made a proposal. They got married. Soon Michael went to America, but he couldn’t find success there. He returned back home, there Julia was waiting for him. She met him at the station and booked two rooms in a luxurious hotel.

Tasks for Chapters 1-2 "Theatre"

I. Explain in English or give definitions of and find contextual synonyms for the following words and phrases:

Complacency - a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements

 three times running - taking place three times

 filthy - disgustingly dirty, very unpleasant

 supercilious - behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others

 military bearing - the high level of military professionalism

 natural flamboyance – natural beauty, stylish, exiting person

stupendous - extremely impressive or large

 staggered - astonish or deeply shock

 natural homage - special respect

 entanglement - a complicated or compromising relationship or situation

 concubinage – 1) cohabitation without legal marriage 2) the state of living as a concubine

 languorous - If you describe an activity as languorous, you mean that it is lazy, relaxed, and not energetic, usually in a pleasant way. [LITERARY]

 flippant rejoinder - frivolous answer

 to risk smth - act in such a way as to bring about the possibility of (an unpleasant or unwelcome event)

 a quick study – to learn smth in a short period of time

II. Search for the allusions in the text. Define their type (literary, artistic, historical and others) and functions; explain their meaning.

Literary allusions:

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays,154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, the authorship of some of which is uncertain. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Artistic allusions:

Sir Thomas Lawrence (13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830) was a leading English portrait painter and president of the Royal Academy. The author uses the name of this painter to highlight the pompousness and at the same time tenderness of the main character.

Jean-Marc Nattier (March 17, 1685 – November 7, 1766) was a French painter. He is noted for his portraits of the ladies of King Louis XV's court in classical mythological attire. He subsequently revived the genre of the allegorical portrait, in which a living person is depicted as a Greco-Roman goddess or other mythological figure. Nattier's graceful and charming portraits of court ladies in this mode were very fashionable
To my mind the author used this name in the chapter to show the beauty of Julia Lambert.

Sarah Siddons (1755 – 1831) was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. She was most famous for her portrayal of the Shakespearean character, Lady Macbeth, a character she made her own, and for famously fainting at the sight of the Elgin Marbles in London. 

Sarah Siddons was an important figure in the world of theatre. Julia always dreamed to play one of Shakespearean character, but that was not that her cup of tea.

John Philip Kemble (1757 – 1823)  was an English actor. His elder sister Sarah Siddons achieved fame with him on the stage of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He played a huge number of parts, including a large number of Shakespearean characters.

Benoît-Constant Coquelin ( 1841 – 1909), known as Coquelin aîné ("Coquelin the Eldest"), was a French actor, "one of the greatest theatrical figures of the age."

The author uses this allusion to draw a parallel between her and Julia’s talents and great careers.

Charles John Kean (1811-1868) was born at Waterford, Ireland, the son of the actor Edmund Kean. Charles Kean had early opportunities to play Shakespearian leads in London: Romeo (1829), Richard III (1830), Iago (1833) to his father's Othello, Othello and Hamlet (both 1838); in addition to which he undertook engagements in the provinces and America.
His name was used in the chapter 2 in order to show us how incredible and lofty actors felt then they were praised by their director Jimmie.

Historical allusions:

Sir Francis Robert Benson –  (4 November 1858 – 31 December 1939), commonly known as Frank Benson or F. R. Benson, was a British actor-manager. He founded his own company in 1883 and produced all but two of Shakespeare's plays.

The author uses these allusions to bring us nearer to the world of theatre, to make it brighter and clearer for us.

III. Using direct and indirect evidence from the text give character sketches of Julia Lambert and Michael Gosselyn.

Julia Lambert is the protagonist in the W.S. Maugham’s novel “Theatre”. She is 46, she had “a lovely figure” and big brown eyes, “she was fairly tall for a woman and she had long legs”,  “she had got an indiarubber face”. She is themost talented and famous actress in Britain. She was born in Jersey. Her father was a veterinary. Her Aunty, former actress, gave her the first lessons of actor's skill. In sixteen she has entered the Royal academy of the dramatics, but only Jimmie Langton made a real actress from her.
Speaking about her main traits of character“she wasn’t a brilliant conversationalist, but her eyes were so bright, her manner so intelligent”, “she was born actress”. She is an independent woman with a sense of humor and high self-esteem. Julia’s life is acting.
Julia’s actions and relations with people are fully determined by her profession. Julia never stays natural for people, she always acts, she uses her professional stunts in life. “Her timing was almost perfect”. She had a distinct articulation and chest voice. She had an ability to judge people and to understand the reasons of their actions.

Michael Gosselyn is another main character of Maugham’s novel “Theatre”. He is 52. “He had a very good figure, a great mass of curling chestnut hair and large deep blue eyes, a straight nose and small ears.” “The only thing that slightly spoiled him was the thinness of his mouth.” “He was six foot tall and he had a gallant bearing.””He was so handsome that it took your breath away.” He took his beauty for granted. ”He had an easy manner and he talked like a gentleman.” ‘He was the best- looking actor on the English stage.”He was proud of his money, of his wife and of himself. “His voice was a trifle thin.” “He was easy enough in ordinary dialogue.” A perfect husband.

IV. Summary:
Michael Gosselyn, fifty two year-old theater worker and his wife Julia, a famous actress, had a conversation. Michael introduced his new clerk to Julia. He added, that this guy was an admirer of Julia’s talent. They decided to invite young man to their house to have lunch with them, thought Michael and Julia didn’t know his name. After the end of lunch, actress signed her own photograph and presented it to the clerk. Then she started looking through her other photographs and recollect the past.

Julia was a born actress. She began playing at the age of twelve, and after some period of time she was noticed by Jimmie, a successful director, and invited to join his troupe. Michael, had met Jimmie Langton in the beginning of his career and also joined his troupe. Because of this and his appearance, Gossleyn became rather famous. The couple met in Jimmies troupe.