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Дополнительные
материалы Control work IV-VIII (Материалы предоставлены Ириной, студенткой НГЛУ)
THEATRE W. Somerset Maugham
I. Write out from the book words and word-combinations characterizing the main personages of the novel.
Julia LambertShe had large dark brown eyes She talked very differently to herself and to other people She had a lovely figure She was fairly tall for a woman and she had long legs A born actress Had got an indiarubber face Her timing was almost perfect Quick-witted Easy to get on Was a damned good sort and clever, as clever as a bagful of monkeys, one could talk to her about anything in the world She was a kindly woman When she chose she could be very vulgar Naturally polite A working woman and an artist She wasn’t a brilliant conversationalist, but her eyes were so bright, her manner so intelligent She had a great gift of mimicry She was always beautifully dressed She was a pattern of conjugal fidelity She had a warmth, a force of character, and a bubbling vitality She had genius She was as strong as a horse and never tired She was very sweet and womanly Generous in her praise and her praise was sincere Modest about herself She felt alert and young She was a very good-tempered woman There was smth. about her that prevented you from taking liberties with her A woman of character Always punctual
Michael GosselynHe 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 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 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 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 He was prosy, near with his money, self-complacent, but how extraordinarily kind he was and how unselfish He was devoid of envy Always the ferfect gentleman RogerA nice-looking boy with reddish hair and blue eyes Rather stolid Had a serious look His only good features were his teeth and his hair Rather casual He led his own life Sweet but dull His smile was very sweet His pale lashes gave his face a sort of empty look His figure was rather lumpy He seemed a trifle apathetic His eyes were calm and reflective Lord Charles TamerleyThe oldest and the most constant of Julia’s admirers A man of nearly forty, with a small head on an elegant body, not very good-looking but of distinguished appearance He looked very well-bred, which indeed he was, and he had exquisite manners An amateur of the arts A lover of music Well-read He was so elegant, so cultured He was tenderly allusive and playfully erudite He philosophized without pedantry He had always been at Julia’s beck and call His features were intellectual and distinguished
Tom FennellHe was sweet with his blue eyes and pale brown hairHe had a white skin and rather a high colour He looked incredibly clean His lips were soft and there was a perfume of youth about him which was really rather delightful A sweet little thing His blue eyes were so charmingly boyish There was smth. charming in his clean freshness He had the high spirits of youth but he wasn’t amusing A good listener Clever at his business Very pleasant about the house He was a silly little thing; he was such a simple fool (according to Julia) He was proud to be Julia’s lover, it gave him confidence in himself He seemed a nice little thing, a useful escort for Julia when Michael was busy, but perfectly insignificant He was an extra man you invited to dinner to make an odd number even Very commonplace Young, fresh and ingenuous He was so deceitful He was pleasant and unassuming, very well-dressed, and with a fresh, clean look that was engaging; He was able to save people money
II. Characterise one of the main personages. Julia Lambert is the main character of Maugham’s novel “Theatre”. She is an independent woman, in whom the sense of humor, the ability to judge people and to understand the circumstances are combined with being an adventurer. I’d rather say that she is essentially a risk taker, always rejecting the secure, ordinary world for more exciting, mystical unknown. She is a determined woman, striving to be totally free from the everyday aspects of the world. She is a beautiful woman, more or less a careful mother, a rather good wife and a brilliant actress. Being a really great actress of her time, it doesn’t present any difficulty for her to think over every detail, every scene of her life, not only on the stage: the way she is dressed, the way she’ll turn her head and what she’ll say. In fact Julia is a sensitive idealistic nature and is always searching for perfection in herself and in others. She searches and searches for her own identity, then she finds her love. But she goes through disappointment. She tries to find herself, to understand herself and her environment. As a result the received spiritual experience enriches her as a person and helps her to come up to a new step in her creativity. It reminds me of a need to understand the constant discovery of ourselves and the world around us.
III. Analyze one of the conflicts of the novel. I’d like to revise a kind of interpersonal conflict by the example of the relationship between Julia and her son Roger. To find out what aspects, both positive and negative, are conveyed in the relationship between them one must first look at them individually. At first sight the problem is quite invisible. Julia is a great actress, she leads an active way of life, full of performances, receptions, meetings and acquaintances. We can see a happy, well-to-do family – a careful mother and wife, a good husband and a son. Everything seems to be quite perfect. Roger, Julia’s son, grows up in easy circumstances, all his whims are being fulfilled, his future is unclouded as it may seem. All roads are opened for him: to get the proper education, to be what he wants to be. There is no any barrier for him. But the reader faces the problem between mother and her son much later. Roger has grown up. Now he is able to evaluate the relations between people in family, as well as in society. He is proud of his mother, a brilliant actress, but he realizes with sadness that there are “mother-son” relationships and he is done out of it. Material well-being, which Roger’s family has given him, is only a visible part of relations. He never had any possibility to tell his mother his kid’s problems and fears. And Julia, on her part, even couldn’t suspect anything about it. Though in outward appearance everything seemed to be all right. But now when Roger has grown up, with a lot of unsaid kid’s emotions, he feels the ability in himself to share them with his mother, to tell her all about them. However the conversation Julia had with her son only puzzled her. Of course she realized that she hadn’t paid enough attention to her son but I think that she didn’t understand all the deepness of his feelings. She even thought that the reason he talked to her that way was just his transitional age. As for Roger, he suffered and his sufferings hurt him greatly. It seemed to him that the relationships within their family were rather theatrical…There was a constant performance and he was one of the audience. But he wanted reality.
IV. Make up 6 sentences with the Oblique Moods on the basis of the book. - It’s surprising that Julia should have been married to a man so different from her. - If Dolly hadn’t put her contribution to the business, Michael would have never bought the Theatre. - If Julia hadn’t been in love with Tom, he would have never met all those outstanding people. - It’s surprising that Charles should have been in love with Julia for so many years. - It’s surprising that Julia should have been so polite to Avice. - If Julia hadn’t had love-affair with Tom, she would have never decided to run Avice down.
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