A World We Live In - Unit1
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UNIT 1
PEOPLE
David Herbert Lawrence
David Herbert Lawrence ( 1885 - 1930) was one of the most prolific writers of the early twentieth century. Particularly remembered for his ground - breaking psychological novels, he also wrote essays, letters, poems, plays, travel books and short stories.
David Herbert Lawrence was born on II September 1885 in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, the fourth child of a miner and an ex - schoolteacher. His tempestuous relationship with his violent father and passionate bonding with his refined, socially ambitious mother shaped much of his later work. In 1889 Lawrence won a scholarship to Nottingham High School and in 1906 he trained as a teacher at Nottingham University College. He taught at an elementary school in Croydon and began writing poems and short stories.
His first novel, The White Peacock, was published in 1911, just weeks after the death of his mother, after which he became seriously ill. He left teaching and wrote The Trespasser ( 1912). This was followed by Sons and Lovers (1913), his first major work and a semi - autobiographical account of his early life and the ambiguous relations he shared with his parents.
In January 1912 Lawrence met Frieda von Richthofen, the wife of his former professor and mother of three children. They fell in love instantly and left for Germany together in May. After travelling around Germany and Italy for two years they returned to England and were married in July 1914. Theirs was a stormy marriage from the first and inspired
Lawrence’s volume of poems Look! We Have Come Through! (1917).
While abroad Lawrence had embarked on a major project entitled The Sisters. This eventually spanned his two most famous novels, The Rainbow (published in September 1915, but suppressed in November) and Women in Love( completed in1917, but only printed privately at first in New York, in 1920).
Disillusioned with England and its narrow - minded rejection of his work, he and Frieda left it for good in 1919. The Lost Girl ( 1920) won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was followed by Aaron’s Rod (1922).
After travelling extensively Lawrence published four intensely personal travel books, Kangaroo (1923), a novel written and set in Australia, and a book of literary criticism, Studies in Classic American Literature. While at the Villa Mirenda in Florence he wrote his last novel, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, which was published privately in 1928. However, it was not published in its complete form in England and the United States until over thirty years later, after an infamous trial attempted to ban it on the grounds of obscenity.
Lawrence’s health, always shaky, declined sharply in 1930 and in March of the same year he died of tuberculosis in Vence, France.
D.H. Lawrence has become a very influential writer, not so much in writing technique as in vision and method. He was forced into illuminating exploration of important areas of human experience, i.e. the worlds of the subconscious and unconscious as significant sources of power and life.
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THE RAINBOW
/Girlhood of Anna Brangwen/
"The human being is a remarkable
psychophysical unity,
each one a unique person,
never again to be repeated in the
entire universe"
Stefan Swiezawski
Anna became a tall, awkward girl. Her eyes were still very very dark and quick, but they had grown careless, they had lost their watchful, hostile look. Her fierce, spun hair turned brown, it grew heavier and was tied back. She was sent to a young ladies' school in Nottingham.
And at this period she was absorbed in becoming a young lady. She was intelligent enough, but not interested in learning. At first, she thought all the girls at school very ladylike and wonderful, and she wanted to be like them. She came to a speedy disillusion: they galled and maddened her, they were petty and mean. After the loose, generous atmosphere of her home, where little things did not count, she was always uneasy in the world, that would snap and bite at every trifle.
A quick change came over her. She mistrusted herself, she mistrusted the outer world. She did not want to go on, she did not want to go out into it, she wanted to go no further.
" What do I care about that lot of girls?" she would say to her father, contemptuously; "they are nobody."
The trouble was that the girls would not accept Anna at her measure. They would have her according to themselves or not at all. So she was confused, seduced, she became as they were for a time, and then, in revulsion, she hated them furiously.
"Why don't you ask some of your girls here?" her father would say. "They're not coming here," she cried.
"And why not?"
"They're bagatelle," she said, using one of her mother's rare phrases. "Bagatelles or billiards, it makes no matter, they're nice young lasses enough."
But Anna was not to be won over. She had a curious shrinking from commonplace people, and particularly from the young lady of her day. She would not go into company because of the ill-at-ease feeling other people brought upon her. And she never could decide whether it were her fault or theirs. She half respected these other people, and continuous disillusion maddened her. She wanted to respect them. Still she thought the people she did not know were wonderful. Those she knew seemed always to be limiting her, tying her up in little falsities that irritated her beyond bearing. She would rather stay at home and avoid the rest of the world, leaving it illusory.
For at the Marsh life had indeed a certain freedom and largeness. There was no fret
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about money, no mean little precedence, nor care for what other people thought, because neither Mrs. Brangwen nor Brangwen could be sensible of any judgement passed on them from outside. Their lives were too separate.
So Anna was only easy at home, where the common sense and the supreme relation between her parents produced a freer standard of being than she could find outside. Where, outside the Marsh, could she find the tolerant dignity she had been brought up in? Her parents stood undiminished and unaware of criticism. The people she met outside seemed to begrudge her very existence. They seemed to want to belittle her also. She was exceedingly reluctant to go amongst them. She depended upon her mother and her father. And yet she wanted to go out.
At school, or in the world, she was usually at fault, she felt usually that she ought to be slinking in disgrace. She never felt quite sure, in herself, whether she were wrong, or whether the others were wrong. She had not done her lessons: well, she did not see any reason why she should do her lessons, if she did not want to. Was there some occult reason why she should? Were these people, schoolmistresses, representatives of some mystic Right, some Higher Good? They seemed to think so themselves. But she could not for her life see why a woman should bully and insult her because she did not know thirty lines of "As You Like It". After all, what did it matter if she knew them or not? Nothing could persuade her that it was of the slightest importance. Because she despised inwardly the coarsely working nature of the mistress. Therefore she was always at outs with authority. From constant telling, she came almost to believe in her own intrinsic inferiority. She felt that she ought always to be in a state of slinking disgrace, if she fulfilled what was expected of her. But she rebelled. She never really believed in her own badness. At the bottom of her heart she despised the other people, who carped and were loud over trifles. She despised them, and wanted revenge on them. She hated them whilst they had power over her.
Still she kept an ideal: a free, proud lady absolved from the petty ties, existing beyond petty considerations. She would see such ladies in pictures: Alexandra, Princess of Wales, was one of her models. This lady was proud and royal, and stepped indifferently over all small, mean desires: so thought Anna, in her heart. And the girl did up her hair high under a little slanting hat, her skirts were fashionably bunched up, she wore an elegant, skin-fitting coat.
Her father was delighted. Anna was very proud in her bearing, too naturally indifferent to smaller bonds to satisfy Ilkeston, which would have liked to put her down. But Brangwen was having no such thing. If she chose to be royal, royal she should be. He stood like a rock between her and the world.
After the fashion of his family, he grew stout and handsome. His blue eyes were full of light, twinkling and sensitive, his manner was deliberate, but hearty, warm. His capacity for living his own life without attention from his neighbours made them respect him. They would run to do anything for him. He did not consider them, but was open-handed towards them, so they made profit of their willingness. He liked people, so long as they remained in the background.
Mrs. Brangwen went on in her own way, following her own devices. She had her husband, her two sons and Anna. These staked out and marked her horizon. The other people were outsiders. Inside her own world, her life passed along like a dream for her, it lapsed,
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and she lived within its lapse, active and always pleased, intent. She scarcely noticed the outer things at all. What was outside was outside, non-existent. She did not mind if the boys fought, so long as it was out of her presence. But if they fought when she was by, she was angry, and they were afraid of her. She did not care if they broke a window of a railway carriage or sold their watches to have a revel at the Goose Fair. Brangwen was perhaps angry over these things. To the mother they were insignificant. It was odd little things that offended her. She was furious if the boys hung round the slaughter-house, she was displeased when the school reports were bad. It did not matter how many sins her boys were accused of, so long as they were not stupid, or inferior. If they seemed to brook insult, she hated them. And it was only a certain gaucherie, a gawkiness on Anna's part that irritated her against the girl. Certain forms of clumsiness, grossness, made the mother's eyes glow with curious rage. Otherwise she was pleased, indifferent.
She was seventeen, touchy, full of spirits, and very moody: quick to flush, and always uneasy, uncertain. For some reason or other, she turned more to her father, she felt almost flashes of hatred for her mother. Her mother's dark muzzle and curiously insidious ways, her mother's utter surety and confidence, her strange satisfaction, even triumph, her mother's way of laughing at things and her mother's silent overriding of vexatious propositions, most of all her mother's triumphant power maddened the girl.
She became sudden and incalculable. Often she stood at the window, looking out, as if she wanted to go. Sometimes she went, she mixed with people. But always she came home in anger, as if she were diminished, belittled, almost degraded.
There was over the house a kind of dark silence and intensity, in which passion worked its inevitable conclusions. There was in the house a sort of richness, a deep, inarticulate interchange which made other places seem thin and unsatisfying. Brangwen could sit silent, smoking in his chair, the mother could move about in her quiet, insidious way, and the sense of the two presences was powerful, sustaining. The whole intercourse was wordless, intense and close.
But Anna was uneasy. She wanted to get away. Yet wherever she went, there came upon her that feeling of thinness, as if she were made smaller, belittled. She hastened home.
COMMENTARY |
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Would is used here to denote past habit. It is |
often used to talk about regular |
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activities, particularly in narrative, or when somebody |
is reminiscing. Would |
is never |
used at the beginning of a story: the scene must first be set |
with the simple past or |
used to. |
Right or Higher Good - the words are when used to refer to the monotheistic Almighty} are capitalised.
capitalised by analogy with the following rule: deity, God and similar words {the Lord, the
As You Like It is a famous comedy by W. Shakespeare, usually studied at schools.
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Goose Fair is an event traditionally held in Nottingham at which people originally sold geese, but nowadays it is an event at which people display or sell goods and pay to
ride on various machines for amusement or try to win prises |
in games. |
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VOCABULARY |
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accept (v) |
despise |
(v) |
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inferiority (n) |
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awkward (adj) |
dignify |
(v) |
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persuade (v) |
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begrudge (v) |
dignity |
(n) |
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sensible (adj) |
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contemptuously (adj) |
hostile |
(adj) |
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sensitive (adj) |
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count (v) |
ill-at-ease |
(adj) |
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tolerant (adj) |
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depend (v) |
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to be absorbed in; to be accused of; to be (un)aware of; to be brought up; to be in disgrace; to be exceedingly reluctant; to be at fault; to have power over smb.; to be interested in; to be delighted; to take delight in smth.; to be at outs with; to be sensible of; to be sensitive to; to be tolerant of; to be won over; to come to disillusion; to follow one's own devices; over to irritate smb. beyond bearing; to glow with rage; at the bottom of one's heart (mind); deep in one’s heart; at every trifle; for some reason or other.
Exercises to the Text
I. Think over the questions and give detailed answers:
1. 1) What first impression did the text produce on you? Did the author succeed in holding your interest? Why?
2) Whose personality is in the centre of the author's attention? Prove your point of
view.
3)Where was Anna sent to?
4)What was she absorbed in at that period?
5)What was Anna's attitude towards learning and the girls at school?
6)What was the atmosphere of her home?
7)Why did a quick change come over her?
8)What was the trouble ?
9) Why wasn’t Anna to be won over?
10) Where could Anna be absolutely easy? Why? 11)What were objective and subjective reasons for:
a)Anna's indifference in learning?
b)her mistrusting the outside world?
c)her despising the schoolmistresses?
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12)What ideal did the girl keep?
13)What changed Anna’s attitude to her parents?
14)What traits of Anna’s parents' character are revealed through their description?
15)Why did the author turn to:
a)Anna's description at her seventeen?
b)her parents' description?
16) What is the purpose of the insidehouse description and outsidehouse description?
17)What made Anna hasten home whenever she went out?
18)What are the most remarkable traits of Anna's character?
19)What particularly differed her from the girls of her age?
20)Can you say that all teenagers are facing the same problems?
21)What is the difference in them?
22)Will the information obtained help students, future parents and teachers solve their problems?
II. Arrange the following statements in their logical order. Explain and expand on them:
The whole intercourse was wordless, intense and close. He stood like a rock between her and the world.
She became sudden and incalculable. Their lives were too separate.
For at the Marsh life had indeed a certain freedom and largeness. She was exceedingly reluctant to go amongst them.
"Bagatelles or billiards" ...
A quick change came over her.
III. Speak on the part of the text which impressed you most of all.
Account for your choice.
IV. Retell the text as if you were: the author, Anna,
Mr. Brangwen,
Mrs. Brangwen,
one of Anna’s teachers.
V. Think over other ways of retelling the story to stir up the audience.
VI. Discuss in pairs (groups):
1)Anna's strong and weak traits of character;
2)a character which impressed (struck) you both.
VII. 1. Act out the dialogue presented in the text.
2. Think over other possible dialogues. Act them out. Account for your choice.
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3. Think over some inner monologues. Act them out.
Vocabulary Exercises
I.Write out the vocabulary to describe: Anna, her father, her mother,
the school girls.
II. Classify the vocabulary according to: virtuous (good) traits of character, evil (bad) ones.
III. Write out the words from the text meaning the opposite:
graceful, careful, absent-minded, friendly, calm, unintelligent, kind, noble, tense, easy, to trust, inner, admirably, to refuse, cruel, natural (easy), pure (honest), diminished, aware, on friendly terms, curious, passive, pleased, significant, clever, certain, calculable, articulate, satisfying, to linger.
IV. Give English equivalents for the following:
в глубине души, иметь власть над, оставаться в стороне, делать все по-своему, в своем мире, в ее отсутствие, быть обвиненном в ... , по той или иной причине, спешить, легко поддающийся переменам настроения, моргающие, быть поглощенным, чувствительный, зависеть от, негодность, неуклюжий.
V. Give Russian equivalents for the following:
ladylike; her fierce, spun hair; to come to a speedy disillusion; to count; at every trifle; at one's measure; not to be won over; a curious shrinking from commonplace people; to irritate smb.; beyond bearing; the supreme relation; the tolerant dignity; to begrudge; occult reason; from constant telling; intrinsic inferiority; capacity for; open-handed; outsiders; grossness; to glow with furious rage; touchy; full of spirits; she turned more to her father; what was outside; non-existent.
VI. Paraphrase the marked sections of the following sentences:
1.The young man wasn't quite sure of himself.
2.Martin Eden listened to what the editors were saying with ill-at-ease feelings.
3.He was against our proposal.
4.The boy's foolish questions got on the father's nerves.
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5.Who'll take care of the baby after his parents' death?
6.I'll be glad to come.
7.Waddington couldn't help thinking about Kitty's behaviour.
8.Walter could bear Kitty's unfaithfulness because he never ceased loving her.
9.That's very reasonable of you!
10.Judson Webb hated the people to cross his path. Things had to be done his way.
11.Judson Webb made Marcia realise that he was not going to take pity on a thief.
12.He couldn't tear himself away from the book, because he took much interest in the books of that sort.
13.The painter didn't refuse the offer because he was starving.
14.Charles Strickland didn't want the author to be disillusioned and yet got into conversation unwillingly.
15.She burst into a rage because she didn't want to give in.
VII. Find suitable adjectives to characterise a person who is not interested in learning
comes to disillusion
is very hard to get along with is uneasy in the world
mistrusts everything and everybody cares about nothing and nobody
is not to be won over
feels ill-at-ease in the company avoides company
is irritated by everything and everybody can never decide whose fault it is
lives a separate life is usually at fault
never feels quite sure in herself (himself) is depended on (upon) somebody
is always at outs with authority
is always in a state of slinking disgrace despises people and wants revenge on them has power over others
keeps an ideal respects others
is respected by others follows her (his) own devices is full of spirits
is never satisfied with herself /himself
XIII. Fill in the prepositions or adverbs where necessary:
When Anna was nine years old, Brangwen sent her ... the dame's school ... Cossethay.
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There she went, flipping and dancing ... her inconsequential fashion, doing very much as she liked, disconcerting old Miss Coates ... her indifference ... respectability and ... her lack ...
reverence. Anna only laughed ... Miss Coates, liked her, and patronised her ... superb, childish fashion.
The girl was ... once shy and wild. She had a curious contempt ... ordinary people, a benevolent superiority. She was very shy, and tortured ... misery when people did not like her. ... the other hand, she cared very little ... anybody save her mother, whom she still rather resentfully worshipped, and father, whom she loved and patronized, but ... whom she depended. These two, her mother and father, held her still ... fee. But she was free ... other people, ... whom, ... the whole, she took the benevolent attitude.
IX. Fill in the articles where necessary:
She deeply hated ugliness or intrusion or arrogance, however. As ... child, she was as proud and shadowy as ... tiger, and as aloof. She could confer ... favours, but, save from her mother and father, she could receive none. She hated ... people who came too near to her. Like ... wild thing, she wanted her distance. She mistrusted ... intimacy.
In Cossethay and Ilkeston she was always ... alien. She had plenty of acquaintances, but no friends. Very few people whom she met were significant to her. They seemed part of
... herd, undistinguished. She didn't take ... people very seriously.
She had two brothers, Tom, ... dark-haired, small, ... volatile, whom she was intimately related to but whom she never mingled with, and Fred, ... fair and ... responsive, whom she adored but did not consider as ... real, ... separate being. She was too much ... centre of her own universe, too little aware of anything outside.
(D.H.Lawrence “The Rainbow”)
X. Translate into English with particular care for the marked words and phrases.
1.Как Руфь могла влюбиться в такого неуклюжего парня?
2.В глубине души она понимала, что разочарование наступит очень быстро.
3.Ее родители жили своей жизнью и не понимали, что девочке было одиноко в родительском доме.
4.Анна не могла понять, почему она должна была учить уроки, если ей не хотелось.
5.Почему у вас нет интереса к учебе?
6.Войдя в класс, учитель увидел, что ученики были поглощены чтением.
7.Мальчик воспитывался в работном доме, и там его наказывали за малейшую провинность.
8.Анна видела, что девочки не хотели воспринимать ее такой какая она есть.
9.Анна зависела от родителей , и это невыносимо раздражало ее.
10. Анна испытывала неприязненные чувства к матери.
11.Молодым людям в возрасте 15-17 лет свойственно все делать по-своему и быть независимыми.
12.Ребенка больше тянуло к слугам.
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13. Ничто сколь-нибудь важное не могло убедить ее.
14.Анна постоянно чувствовала себя неуместной (не в своей тарелке) и старалась избегать присутствия в обществе.
15.Миссис Брангуэн была безразлична ко всему, что происходило в ее отсутствие.
16.Господин Брангуэн любил тех людей, которые не вмешивались в его дела.
17.Отец Анны бывало спрашивал ее, почему они не приглашают девочек к себе.
18.Джимми ненавидел мачеху, так как она часто била его, отбирала у него деньги, обвиняла его в том, что он терял их.
19.Отец Джимми ничего не знал об этом, т.к. мальчику было приказано молчать.
Да и что зависело от него?
20. Она не могла не чувствовать на себе их презрительные взгляды.
Discussion Exercises
I.Read the verse emphasizing its main thoughts.
THE ENGLISH
They dress in what they like;
They are interested in sport;
They partake in all activities
If they think they ought.
They all succeed in doing
Their job in five short days,
Which leaves them the two longest ones
To spend in different ways.
Then some indulge in gardening,
Or walking in the rain.
And some delight in cricket.
Or in riding in the plain.
In spite of what's around him,
The average Englishman
Does crosswords in the newspaper
In pencil - if he can.
Involved in any accident
The English take a pride
In being unemotional:
They take things in their stride.
In any circumstances -
Whatever they may be -
The English solve their problems