1. Do the quiz to test how well you remember the details of Chapters 26-29:
1) When Julia was introduced to Avice she …
a) greeted her with cordiality.
b) had a delicious sense of her own power.
c) listened to her intonations attentively.
2) How long did Avice Chrichton’s best scene last?
a) twenty minutes b) ten minutes c) fifteen minutes
3) What subject was Julia going to discuss with Roger?
a) Roger’s trip to Vienna
b) his attitude to Tom
c) Roger’s plans for the future
4) Unfortunately, Roger inherited …
a) neither Michael’s beauty nor Julia’s sparkling vitality.
b) Julia’s spotty face and a rather lumpy figure.
c) his father’s red hair and pale lashes.
5) How old was Roger when he decided that he would never believe in Julia?
a) ten b) fourteen c) twelve
6) Speaking with Roger about acting Julia …
a) felt more and more like Hamlet’s mother.
b) saw herself in a brocaded dress and a string of pearls.
c) wondered if she could play in one of Shakespeare’s comedies.
7) Before Roger’s departure Julia managed …
a) to play different parts in his presence.
b) to spend all her free time with him.
c) that they shouldn’t spend any length of time alone together.
8) How did Julia spend the day before the performance?
a) She was silent and wanted to be left alone.
b) She went for a word-rehearsal in the morning.
c) After she had walked about London streets and squares she had tea with Tom.
9) To bring out the colour of Avice’s blue eyes Michael dressed her in pale blue. But …
a) Avice’s blue dress looked drab in comparison with Julia’s sparkling silver dress.
b) Avice’s blue dress looked drab in comparison with Julia’s yellow dress.
c) Avice’s blue dress looked bright in comparison with Julia’s large handkerchief of scarlet chiffon.
10) In order to leave the theatre unnoticed Julia …
a) put on a brown coat, a skirt and a felt hat.
b) ordered another dress, of sparkling silver.
c) had the telephoning done from the stage-door.
11) At the restaurant Julia ordered …
a) a bottle of champagne with a piece of cake.
b) some grilled steak with onions and fried potatoes, oysters and a bottle of beer.
c) a little caviar and a bottle of wine.
12) Julia concluded that …
a) make-believe was the only reality.
b) actors were only shadows.
c) she would give wonderful performances because she could feel the emotions she portrayed.
2. Prepare the passage for artistic reading and translate it into Russian. Then speak about Julia as an actress:
Now Julia simply could not conceal … That was the end of Avice. (Chapter 29)
3. Write an essay on the following topic:
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”.
4. Arrange a round-table discussion on the following issues:
1) “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”.
2) “The stage is make-believe”.
Culture Corner
1. Do you know that the quotation “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” was borrowed from W.Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) comedy “As you like it” (Act 2, scene 7). Do some research and comment on it in the context of the play.
2. Do you know any other English playwrights? Do some research about William Shakespeare, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Oscar Wilde, Bernard Shaw, John Osborne, Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, etc. Share your opinions in pairs. Would you like to read/watch any of their plays?
You may find the following links helpful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:English_dramatists_and_playwrights
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Category:British_dramatists_and_playwrights
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/
Final Discussion
1. Answer the questions:
1) How much do you know about Julia’s early years?
2) What was Julia’s life like when she was a young struggling actress?
3) Who were her first teachers on the stage?
4) When and how did she meet Michael?
5) How did her attitude to Michael change with years?
6) Why did Julia find it difficult to understand her son, Roger?
7) What was Julia like when she became a leading lady?
8) What word (or words) describes Julia most accurately?
2. Comment on the following:
According to W.S. Maugham “some critics complained that Julia Lambert, his heroine, was not a creature of high moral character, great intelligence and nobility of soul and concluded from this that she was a mediocre actress”.
3. Discuss:
1) W.S. Maugham believed that an actor’s lot was a hard one. Can you support with facts from the novel?
2) Can you prove that theatre took the first place in Julia’s life, that it came before everything else?
3) What makes a great actor or actress?
4) Should great artists be treated like ordinary people? Why (not)?
4. Exchange your opinions on:
1) the author of the book
2) what you liked and / or disliked about the novel
3) your favourite episode in the novel
5. Describe:
1) Julia Lambert
2) Michael Gosselyn
3) Tom Fennel
4) Roger
5) Charles Temerley
6) Dolly de Vries
7) Evice Crichton
6. Speak about:
1) The role of theatre in people’s life.
2) Great actors and actresses of nowadays.
3) Advantages and disadvantages of being an actor / an actress.
4) Acting as an occupation and a style of life.
7. Make reports on the following topics:
1) The art of the theatre as the lightmotive of the novel.
2) Your comment on “Art is living” and “Life is mirage”.
3) The merits and weak points of the novel.
These links can be helpful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Somerset_Maugham
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/W._Somerset_Maugham
Часть II
