TASKS for Chapters 22-24

I. Give Russian equivalents of the following words and phrases:

to make a clean breast of sth – чистосердечно признаться

to tear sb limb from limb -

to give sb a peep at your feet of clay- обнаружить своё слабое место

a sleeping-draught – снотворное

to and fro – взад-вперёд

curtain calls – вызов на сцену

pull oneself together – взять себя в руки

magnanimous – великодушие

to cramp one's style – помешать кому-л

contrition- раскаяние

a succinct account of sth – краткое содержание

a bereavement – тяжелая утрата

an austere and snug little town – строгий и уютный маленький городок

to adhere to sth.- придерживаться чего-либо

VII. Answer the questions:

1. Why couldn't Julie take her troubles to Charles or Dolly as usual?

Julie couldn’t take her troubles to Charles as usual because she thought it would be cruel to tell Charles that she had given to a very ordinary young man what he would gladly have sacrificed ten years of his life for. As for Dolly, she was shocked and jealous when Julia made a clean breast of it.

2. How different was Charles's circle from that of Tom's?

It was like heaven and earth, because Charles spoke about politics, aids, books and Julia wondered how she could exchange it all for a circle in which Tom was.

3. Was Michael right when criticizing Julie's acting?

I think yes. To my mind, Michael was absolutely right, because Julia lived through her role in the play, she didn’t act like actress should do, but splashed out her real emotions.

4. How did Julie react to her husband's criticism?

At first she was furious, but then understood that he was right.

5. How did the breakup with Tom influence Julie's attitude to Michael and Charles?

Julia began to love them more than before. This woman really appreciated all what they had done for her.

6. Why did Julie decide to spend the summer with her mother and aunt?

Julie decided to spend the summer with her mother and aunt to have a rest and completely cut herself off for a time from her old life.

7. What kind of lifestyle did Aunt Carrie and Mrs Lambert have?

Aunt Carrie and Mrs. Lambert were very devout. They went to Mass every morning and to High Mass on Sundays.

8. How did the old ladies treat Julie? How did they feel about her occupation?

The old ladies treated Julia with cordiality, but thought her profession to be indecent.

9. How did Julie imagine Charles's love for her?

As for Julia, she thought that Charles passionately loved her for 20 years, and that she was the only woman in the world whom he fully loved.

10. When in Paris, what did Julie mean when saying, "I feel like a queen returning from an exile?"

Julia was very happy to feel herself again famous and leading an eventful life.

11. How did Julie slip out from the awkward situation with Charles?

Julia turned it into her own advantage. She said that she was glad that they didn’t spoil their friendship.

12. How did Julie explain to herself the fact that her amorous advances had been declined by Charles?

Julia believed that Charles was impotent and used his devotion to her to distract attention from his real inclinations.

TASKS for Chapters 19-21

I. Give Russian equivalents of the following words and phrases:

an understudy - дублер

perfidy -измена

wanton temperament – своенравный темперамент

to cut the date – отменить встречу

an American conjurer – американский иллюзионист

to make a stab at acting in America – попытаться сделать актерскую карьеру в Америке

off the nail – быть навеселе

the R.A.D.A. – Королевская академия драмы

in point of fact – в действительности

insipid - безвкусный

hard as nails – в форме

for toffee – ни за что

be a sport – будь человеком

to beat about the bush – ходить вокруг да около

to feel all in – чувствовать себя в порядке

to give the air – не принять во внимание

to put one's foot down – занять твердую позицию

IV. Answer the questions:

1. Under what circumstances did Roger get acquainted with Joan Denver? What kind of favour (польза; услуга; одолжение) did he ask of Julie? – that was Tom Fennel`s ide to acquaint Roger with Joan Denver. After the show boys Invited Jill and Joan to Tom`s flat and spent the night together. As Joan Denver wanted to take part at new play of Siddons theatre, she asked Roger to put in a good word for her in front of Julia Lambert.

2. Why did Julie feel she had lost Roger? – when Roger had shared his impression of new love experience with his mother, Julia suddenly understood that Roger grew older.

3. How did Tom react to Julie's plans to take her play to New York? – Tom was extremely glad about Julia`s plans in New York, and insisted that Julia should not reject such favorable offer.

4. What kind of new acquaintances and connections did Tom make through Julie? –

It had spread around among Julia's grander friends that Tom was very clever at helping one with one's income-tax returns. The Dennorants had asked him down to the country for a week-end, and here he had met a number of persons who were glad to take advantage of his technical knowledge. He began to get invitations from people whom Julia did not know. Acquaintances would mention him to her.

5. How did Julie receive Joan Denver? - She received Joan Denver the moment she had taken her last call. In spite of the play ending, Julia continued to play the imperious, aloof, stately and well-bred woman of the play. In a glance she had taken in the young girl who entered her dressing-room. "Very second-rate." – thought Julia. Inwardly Julia slung mud at Joan but outwardly, she carried it off (не подать виду)

 6. How did Michael hear about Avice Crichton? – Tom Fennel told Michael about Avice Crichton.

7. Why does Maugham describe Julie's appearance at the Sunday night show as "beautifully timed?" He described Julia’s appearance at the Sunday night show as “beautifully timed” because she arrived a few minutes before the play started and people were clapping for her, even when she disturbed them to take her place.

8. What impression did Avice Crichton and her acting produce on Julie? - . Avice Crichton was very pretty, no one could deny that, with lovely golden hair, fine blue eyes and a little straight nose; but it was a type that Julia did not care for.

Julia watched her performance for a few minutes. She watched intently, then she leant back in her stall with a little sigh. - "She can't act for toffee,"* she decided

9. Why did it irk Tom to have to come back with Julie after the Sunday night show? –  He was silent in the car and she knew that it irked him to have to come back with her. She guessed that someone was giving a supper party to which Avice Crichton was going and he wanted to be there.

10. What kind of relationship did Tom and Avice have? – Tom was in love with Avice, but that was not mutually, because Avice used Tom`s connection with Julia Lambert for her purpose to play on a stage.

TASKS for Chapters 15-18

I. Give Russian equivalents of the following words and phrases:

condescending letter – снисходительное письмо

pearl studs – жемчужные запонки

peevish – раздраженный

make head or tail of it – ничего не понимать

fatuous irony – глупая ирония

to get back on sb – отделаться от кого-то

song and dance – скандал, постоянные объяснения

to spend a lot on green fees – тратиться на аренду поля для гольфа

despicable – презренный

to give sb a treat – доставить удовольствие кому-то

to wheedle sb into – впутывать кого-то во что-то

prudishness – ханжество

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

to grudge sb – завидовать

conspicuous – очевидный

to take the rough with the smooth – стойко переносить превратности судьбы

to have a joke up your sleeve – держать шутку наготове

to mortify sb – усмирять, укрощать кого-то

disconcerted – смущенный

II. Explain the following metaphors. Who do they refer to?

It won't hurt him to discover that I'm not all milk and honey.

This metaphor suggests comfort, sweetness, and peace. It is a cultural reference, meaning a version of paradise. It refers to Tom because Julia wanted to show her character and her resentment.

I'm not the woman to desert a sinking ship.

This metaphor alludes to rats, which leave a vessel when it founders in a storm or runs aground so as to escape drowning. It was transferred to human behavior by about 1600.

It refers to Dolly who can’t abandon her friend Julia who stopped to care about her reputation.

III. Give a character sketch of Dolly de Vries. Pay special attention to the description of her appearance: "Dolly de Vries was now a woman of sixty. …and a slight cockney accent revealed itself." Dwell on her relationship with Michael and Julia. How did she feel about Tom?

Dolly de Vries was now a woman of sixty. She was very fat, and her face, with its large nose and heavy red lips, seemed larger than life. There was a slightly masculine touch in her black satin dress, but she wore a double string of pearls round her neck, a diamond brooch at her waist and another in her hat. Her short hair was dyed a rich copper. Her lips and her finger-nails were bright red. Her voice was loud and deep, but when she got excited the words were apt to tumble over one another and a slight cockney accent revealed itself. She adored Julia, but didn’t like Michael as well as she didn’t like Tom, because he grabbed all Julia’s attention.

IV. Speak on Julia's reputation and talent. Do you agree that no one expects an actress to be a pattern of propriety?

No one expects it because actress plays lots of roles, she can every emotion and feeling. Julia was a pattern of propriety as a perfect wife, but  the critics called her talent genius, that was a very grand word, her gift, if you like, was not really herself, not even part of her, but something outside that used her, Julia Lambert the woman, in order to express itself. It was a strange, immaterial personality that seemed to descend upon her and it did things through her that she did not know she was capable of doing. She was an ordinary, prettyish, ageing woman. Her gift had neither age nor form. It was a spirit that played on her body as the violinist plays on his violin.

Actress can do what they want because people don’t know when she shows her real personality and when it’s the mask on her face.

V. Answer the questions:

1. Why did Julia offer Tom the money for servants' tips? Do you think she made the right decision?

Julia wanted Tom to feel aggrieved as he didn’t have money to pay for himself and even he couldn’t give tips for servants. I think, it wasn’t a perfect decision because it only showed her as a selfishe and rude person.

2. Did Julia manage to induce Tom to see her again after that?

Julia made Tom believe that he understood her erroneous and that she didn’t understand what had happened with him and their relationships.

3. Did Dolly believe that Julia didn't have a lover? Why?

No, Dolly didn’t believe that Julia didn’t have a lover, because people were saying rather disagreeable things about her.

4. Whom did Dolly finally decide to talk to about Julia's cheating?

Dolly was a little frightened of Julia. There was something about her that prevented you from taking liberties with her. This woman came to the conclusion that Michael had to speak to his wife. She had never liked Michael, but after all he was Julia's husband and it was her duty to make him put a stop to whatever was going on.

5. Why did Dolly not confess to Michael that she suspected Julia of having a love affair?

Dolly had an intuition that she could not mistrust. The woman couldn’t give Julia away. Her husband might go and tell her and Julia would never speak to her again. He might have Julia watched and catch her out.

6. Why did Michael suggest buying Dolly's share out?

If Julia's gadding about all night it must tell on her performances. “I know Julia well enough to know that she wouldn't put up with any interference with her liberty of action. I'm her husband and I've got to put up with it. But you're in a different position altogether. I shouldn't blame you if you wanted to get out while the going was good.”

7. What was the reason for Dolly's desperate jealousy?

Dolly knew how much money meant to him and she had a hope that what she had said would rankle. She helped Julia at the very beginning of her career and loved her, she couldn’t allow her to loose anything.

8. How did Dolly try to convince Julia that Tom was not very discreet?

Dolly knew that Tom’s father bought him a share in the firm and he became a junior partner. Then it seems a little strange that on that the young man should be able to have a flat, dress the way he does and take people to night clubs, as if his father bought him a partnership he wasn’t making him an allowance as well.

9. Why couldn't Julia fall asleep after the lunch with Dolly?

The strange thing was that when she looked into her heart it was not Julia Lambert the woman who resented the affront, she didn't care for herself, it was the affront to Julia Lambert the actress that stung her. She had often felt that her talent, genius the critics called it, but that was a very grand word, her gift, not even part of her, but something outside that used her.

VI. Summarize the events of chapters 15-18.

Julia decided to take revenge on Tom. Knowing how to hurt his feelings, she reminded him to leave the maid tips, leaving the money in the envelope. The next day Tom returned all her presents, because this woman managed to hurt him. After a little conversation Tom remained with her. Julia even bought him a flat, that was near to her, furnished it. Several times a week together they appeared in restaurants and night clubs. Gossip had so nearly reached the truth about them. Julia got to know about that from Michael, who knew that from possessed with jealousy Dolly de Vries. Julia tried to find out from Dolly, who gossiped about her, and during the conversation she knew that Tom promised some Evis Crichton the role in the play. It was the moment when the woman understood that the young man didn’t love her.