Lesson
Wednesday,
the twenty eighth
of April
Theme: The Moon and Sixpence. Short stories.
W. Somerset Maugham’s Novel The Moon and Sixpence
Read the summary. Follow the link.
https://recap.study/summary/2020/british/178.html
·
First Published: 1919
·
Type of Work: Novel
·
Type of Plot: Biographical
·
Time of Work: Late nineteenth, early
twentieth centuries
·
Setting: England, France, and Tahiti
·
Genres: Long fiction, Biographical
fiction, Novel
·
Subjects: France or
French people, Nineteenth
century, England or
English people, Adultery, Creative
process, Ethics, Painting or
painters, Leprosy, South Pacific, Pacific Ocean
·
Locales: France, Europe, Paris, France, London,
England, Marseilles,
France, Tahiti, Central
America and West Indies, United
Kingdom
About
the book The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham
The Moon and Sixpence is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, told in episodic form by the first-person narrator as a series
of glimpses into the mind and soul of the central character, Charles
Strickland, a middle-aged English stockbroker who abandons his wife and
children abruptly to pursue his desire to become an artist. The story is said
to be loosely based on the life of the painter Paul Gauguin.
The novel is written largely
from the point of view of the narrator, who is first introduced to the
character of Strickland through his (Strickland's) wife and strikes him (the
narrator) as unremarkable. Certain chapters are entirely composed of the
stories or narrations of others which the narrator himself is recalling from
memory (selectively editing or elaborating on certain aspects of dialogue,
particularly Strickland's, as Strickland is said by the narrator to be limited
in his use of verbiage and tended to use gestures in his expression).
Strickland is a well-off,
middle-class stockbroker in London sometime in the late 19th or early 20th
century. Early in the novel, he leaves his wife and children and goes to Paris,
living a destitute but defiantly content life there as an artist (specifically
a painter), lodging in run-down hotels and falling prey to both illness and
hunger. Strickland, in his drive to express through his art what appears to
continually possess and compel him inside, cares nothing for physical comfort
and is generally indifferent to his surroundings, but is generously supported
while in Paris by a commercially successful but hackneyed Dutch painter, Dirk
Stroeve, a friend of the narrator's, who immediately recognizes Strickland's
genius. After helping Strickland recover from a life-threatening condition,
Stroeve is repaid by having his wife, Blanche, abandon him for Strickland.
Strickland later discards the wife (all he really sought from Blanche was a
model to paint, not serious companionship, and it is hinted in the novel's
dialogue that he indicated this to her and she took the risk anyway), who then
commits suicide - yet another human casualty (the first ones being his own
established life and those of his wife and children) in Strickland's
single-minded pursuit of Art and Beauty.
After the Paris episode, the story continues in Tahiti. Strickland has already died, and the narrator attempts to piece together his life there from the recollections of others. He finds that Strickland had taken up with a native woman, had two children by her (one of whom dies) and started painting profusely. We learn that Strickland had settled for a short while in the French port of Marseilles before traveling to Tahiti, where he lived for a few years before finally dying of leprosy. Strickland left behind numerous paintings, but his magnum opus, which he painted on the walls of his hut before losing his sight to leprosy, was burnt down after his death by his wife by his dying orders.
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks with the definite
or indefinite article where required:
I
confess that when first I made—acquaintance with Charles Strickland I never
for—moment discerned that there was in him anything out of—ordinary. Yet now
few will be found to deny his greatness. I do not speak of that greatness which
is achieved by—fortunate politician or—successful soldier; that is—quality
which belongs to—place he occupies rather than to—man...—greatness of Charles
Strickland was authentic. It may be that you do not like his art, but at all
events you can hardly refuse it—tribute of your interest... To my mind—most interesting
thing in —art is—personality of—artist; and if that is singular, I am willing
to excuse—thousand faults...—most insignificant of Strickland's works
suggests—personality which is strange, tormented and complex; it is this which
has excited so curious—interest in his-life and character.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with prepositions or
adverbs if necessary:
(a) 1. The
painting is remarkable—its colour scheme. 2. The old man always had a
sympathy—artists. 3. He was—need—paints. 4. This is a very rare edition. I
came—it quite by chance. 5. The picture cost a fortune and was—his means. 6.
The manuscript was found—the papers gathered.—the twenty years—his work there. 7. —one of his visits—our place he
asked—help. I was sorry—the man and did my best to help him. 8. He would stay
away from town—a month and then would turn up again. 9. He was one of those
people who make no particular impression—you when you first come—contact—them.
10. People do not like when jokes are played—them. 11. He thought he owed—me
something—my help.
(b) I
lived—the Hotel de la Fleur, and Mrs. Johnson, the proprietress, had a sad
story to tell—lost opportunity.—Strickland's death certain—his effects were
sold—auction—the market-place—Papeete, and she went—it herself because there
was—the truck an American stove she wanted. She paid'twenty-seven francs—it. "There were a dozen pictures," she
told me, "but they were un-framed, and nobody wanted them. Some—them
sold—as much as ten francs, but. Mostly they
went—five or six. Just think, if I had bought them, I should be a rich
woman now."
Homework
Give a brief summary of the extract in writing or Make dialogues around the following
word combinations.
To make an impression; to come in
contact with; to be beyond one's means; to get hold of; to make allowances; to
fetch large prices; to lay one's hands on something; to lose one's head; to
collect oneself; to be in need of
Out of the ordinary – необычный,
отличающийся;
To be in office – находиться у власти;
At all events – во всяком случае, по
крайней мере;
To blaze the trail – прокладывать путь;
To whet the appetite – возбуждать интерес;
To rub shoulders with smb. – общаться,
водить компанию с кем-либо;
To gain currency – приобрести известность,
распространиться;
In the flesh – во плоти, живой,
собственной персоной;
To subject smb. – подвергать, подчинять
что-либо кому-либо;
To stomach smth. – стерпеть, снести,
вынести что-либо;
To come across – натолкнуться на
кого-либо, встретить случайно;
To be at pains – упорно, усердно работать,
подвергаться трудностям;
To make a great stir – наделать шуму,
сделать сенсацию;
To be on the shelf – устареть, выйти из
моды;
To screw up one`s courage – собрать все
свое мужество;
To excite attention – привлекать внимание;
To take one`s revenge – отомстить;
To tear to pieces – разорвать на клочки, в
пух и прах;
To have passion for smth. – иметь страсть
к чему- либо, кому- либо;
To be bored to death – умирать от скуки;
To stop the gap – заполнить пробел
To be adequate to smb. /smth. – отвечать
требованиям кого-либо, быть достаточным.
To rack one`s brains – ломать голову;
Within an inch of one`s life – до
полусмерти;
Let bygones be bygones – забыть прошлое,
предать прошлое забвению;
Walk in life – занятие, профессия, сфера
деятельности;
To be possessed of a devil – быть
одержимым;
To be keen on – любить что-либо,
интересоваться чем-либо;
To potter about with smth. – забавляться,
“баловаться” чем либо;
To cast a spell over smb. – очаровывать,
околдовывать кого-либо;
To give a clue – дать ключ (к разгадке,
решению);
To be at sea – быть в полном недоумении;
To be on the beach – быть в тяжёлом
положении, на мели;
To keep body and soul togetherжить
впроголодь, с трудом поддерживать существование;
To buy for a song – купить за бесенок;
To be black and blue – быть в синяках;
To sleep like a log – спать крепким сном,
как убитый;
First-rate-excellent – превосходный,
великолепный.
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