OSCAR WILDE. “THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY”

TASK 1 Preface and chapter 1

1.Read the preface. Point out the statements, which interested you. Why do you find them interesting? What is the preface for?

2.Speak about the way the author introduces his characters — situation, description of the appearance?

3. Why didn’t Basil Hallward want to send his portrait to the exhibition?

4.Write out APHORISMS and PARADOXES. Comment on some of them.

NOTE: PARADOX is a statement, contradictory to generally accepted truth, e.g. All influence is immoral.

APHORISM is a short and witty saying, e.g.: The aim of life is self-development.

5. Speak about Basil Hallward — a man and a painter.

6. Speak about Lord Henry. Does he differ from both Dorian Gray and Basil Hallward? Did CYNICISM of his statements startle you? Are you ready to contradict him?

7. In what way is Dorian Gray introduced? Why, do you think, nothing is said about his intellect, and so much- about his good looks?

8.Speak about Basil and Dorian’s relations: is it real friendship or anything else?

9. Comment on: life-sized portrait of smb; to be in one’s black books; philanthropy; hedonism; whim; aphorism; paradox; rose-white boyhood; odour; comedy, Tradename of the firm; oil painting; a motive in art; scrupulous; sense of beauty; easel; full-length portrait.; to put smth into practice; to charm listeners out themselves.

10. Make up a plan of this chapter and outline the events of the chapter in a nut-shell.

OSCAR WILDE. “THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY”

TASK 2 Chapter 2.

1. READ AND MAKE A LITERARY TRANSLATION OF THE EXTRACT ON PAGE 39 beginning with: “Music had stirred him…” and ending: “…Why had he not known it?” in written form.

2. GIVE THE MEANING: in a wilful petulant manner; to be worth doing smth; to degenerate; to be a favourite of smb; philanthropy; a work of art.

3. GIVE THE CONTEXT: To be in smb’s black books

To have influence over smb / to influence smb

To go into philanthropy

To be in sulky moods

To take a fancy to smb

To pay smb compliments

4.WRITE OUT APHORISMS AND PARADOXES. COMMENT UPON THEM.

5.PICK OUT PASSAGES WITH DORIAN GRAY AND LORD WATSON’S

APPEARANCE-DESCRIPTION. TRANSLATE THEM.

6. Make up a plan of this chapter and outline the events of the chapter in a nut-shell.

OSCAR WILDE. “THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY”

TASK 3 Chapter 3

1.CHOOSE A PASSAGE TO READ AND TRANSLATE TO YOUR LIKING.

2.GIVE THE MEANING: rough-mannered bachelor; selfish; aristocratic art of doing absolutely nothing; to bully smb; valet; Tory, Radicals,; dandy; humbug; smb’s background; from a psychological point of view; privilege.

3. GIVE THE CONTEXT: to be in office

To make smb frantic by doing smth

To fall into proper hands

To be not of age

To be after smb

To take things flying

To be well off

4. SPEAK of Lord Fermor and the way in which the author introduces him.

5. WHY DID LORD HENRY CALL DORIAN THE SON OF LOVE AND DEATH?

6. HOW DOES THE AUTHOR DESCRIBE THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE NEW AND THE OLD WORLD?

7. SPEAK OF THE SOCIAL GATHERING described in the chapter; how would you characterize them? THINK OF THE ADJECTIVES to be applied to them. Speak of the things they discussed.

8. Write out aphorisms and paradoxes. Comment upon them.

9. Make up a plan of this chapter and outline the events of the chapter in a nut-shell.

OSCAR WILDE. “THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY”

TASK 4 Chapter 4

1.CHOOSE A PASSAGE TO READ AND MAKE A LITERARY TRANSLATION TO YOUR LIKING.

2. Speak about Lord Henry’s house: the way it was furnished, etc. Does the abundance of French titles add any meaning to the description?

3. What is your attitude towards Lord Henry’s habit of being always late on principle? Do you agree that punctuality is the thief of time?

4. Speak about Dorian’s meeting with Lady Henry. What is your impression of the woman? Was she surprised to find that Dorian was alike wither husband?

5. Pick out aphorisms and paradoxes. Comment on them (especially about women and marriage).

6. GIVE THE CONTEXT: (not) to be likely to do smth

to put smth into practice

(not) to be on friendly terms

7. COMMENT ON the aphorisms about fidelity (p.136), grand passion being the privilege of the idle classes (p.136).

8. SPEAK ON the way in which Dorian informed Lord Henry about his love and the way Lord Henry reacted (The only thing worth loving is an actress).

9. PREPARE a character-sketch of Lord Henry.

10. Make up a plan of this chapter and outline the events of the chapter in a nut-shell.

OSCAR WILDE. “THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY”

TASK 5 Chapter 5.

1. EXPLAIN what is meant by: a rose shook in her blood; the petals of her lips; parrot-phrase; false-jewelled fingers; thin-lipped wisdom;…she was free in the prison opial and discovery; muffler; Mrs Vane intensified her smile; meager meal; flower-like lips; fancy being cooped up in a horrid ship; a nugget of pure gold; a train of horrible thoughts; people began to gape.

2. GIVE THE CONTEXT: To fix eyes on smb

To assert oneself

To feel ill at ease

To be annoyed at

To lose one’s temper

To surpass oneself

To put one’s head in one’s hands

To cut smb short

3. SPEAK ABOUT Sybil’s conversation with her mother. How is the girl’s appearance presented? Was she a match to Dorian? Speak about her feelings for Dorian.

4. What was Sybil’s mother’s practical view on the problem. Do you agree with Sybil that love is more than money? Was Mrs Vane a practical woman? What features would you ascribe to her? Is she constantly acting at home?

5. SPEAK ABOUT JAMES VANE. What impression does he produce on you? Where was he going and why? Were the Vanes a well-off family? How did Jim treat his sister? What made him trouble about his sister? Tell about Jim and his mother’s relations.

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6.COMMENT ON the aphorisms and paradoxes you have written out.

7. FIND the following stylistic devices: EPITHETS, REPETITIONS, BARBARISMS.

8. SUPPLY AS MANY ADJECTIVES AS POSSIBLE TO DESCRIBE : Sybil; her mother; Dorian; James Vane. PREPARE A CHARACTER-SKETCH of one of them (10-15 sentences).

9. GIVE THE OPPOSITES FOR: clumsy in movements; serious; passionate; trustful; sensitive; patient; artificial, practical, legitimate.

10. GIVE THE CONTENTS OF THE CHAPTER IN A NUTSHELL.

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES TO TASK 5:

SYBIL: naïve, sensitive, usiastic, romantic, childish, impractical.

MOTHER: cold, pracrtical, artificial.

DORIAN: charming

JAMES: steady, reliable, trustworthy, honest, decent.

OSCAR WILDE. “THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY”

TASK 6 Chapters 6, 7

1. GIVE THE MEANING: infatuation; sensible/ sensitive; to be a champion of marriage; peace; highwayman; to spare one’s pockets; born artist; dead secret; to be of age; to speak at the top of one’s voice; engagement.

2. GIVE THE CONTEXT To marry beneath smb

To walk up and down the room

To interfere with smb

To beam with a smile

To be a failure(fiasco)

To have (nothing) to do with

I wish I had never laid my eyes on you

3. BASIL HALLWARD’S /LORD HENRY’S / DORIAN’S impression of Sybil’s acting. Why does the chapter abound in quotations from Shakespeare?

4. COMMENT ON Lord Henry’s verdict for Sybil. Do you think it is justified?

5.SPEAK OF SYBIL’S appearance and the way she acted.

TO BE DONE IN CLASS:

1. Dorian: she can give soul to those who have lived without one; she can create the sense of Beauty in people, whose lives have been ugly and sordid; she can strip them of selfishness and lend them tears for sorrows that are not their own; she is worthy of the adoration of the world.

2. Sybil: she stepped on the stage: smth of the fawn in her shy grace and startled eyes; a faint Blush came to her cheeks- like a shadow of a rose in a mirror of silver.

3. Basil: leaped to his feet; began to applaud; motionless, as if in a dream, sat Dorian Gray, gazing at her. He grew pale as he watched her. Lord Henry peered through his glasses, murmuring: Charming”. Neither of his friends dared to say anything to him. They were horribly disappointed.

4. Sybil: moved like a creature from a finer world. Her body swayed, while she danced, as a plant sways in the water. The curves of her throat were the curves of a white lily. Her hands seemed to be made of cool ivory.

5. She was listless… showed no sign of joy, when her eyes rested on Romeo; he few words; she had to say were spoken in a thoroughly artificial manner; her voice was exquisite, but the tone was false; it was wrong in colour; it took away all the life from the verse. It made the passion unreal. She seemed absolutely incompetent.

6. She liked charming, that couldn’t be denied. But the staginess of her acting was unbearable and grew worse as she went on. Her gestures became absurdly artificial. She overemphasized everything that she had to say… she declaimed a beautiful passage with the painful precision of a school-girl, who has been taught to recite by a second-rate professor.

6. VERDICT; It was simply bad art. She was a complete failure. She is quite beautiful, but she can’t act.

6. WHOM DO THESE WORDS BELONG TO?

- I AM GOING to see the play through.

- I am sorry that I have made you waste the evening.

- I should think Miss Vane was ill. We will come some other time.

7. CAN YOU ADD SOME MORE ADJECTIVES TO THE ANTONYMS:

Great, talented actor - commonplace, mediocre

Marvelous - callous

Has genius and intellect-- a third-rate actress

8. TRANSLATE THE WORD-COMBINATIONS, DESCRIBING EMOTIONS:

grew pale; trembled; clenched his hands; voice seemed to catch in her throat; murmured; piteous expression of pain in her face; flung herself at his feet, like a trampled flower; her tears and sobs annoyed him; wept silently; crouched on the floor like a wounded thing.