Раздел 3
“THE GREAT GATSBY”
F
rancis
Scott Fitzgerald
was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota to a once
well-to-do family that had lost much of its wealth and influence. A
wealthy aunt sent Fitzgerald to boarding school in New Jersey in
1911, and later to Princeton. Although Fitzgerald engaged actively
in theater, arts and other campus activities, his financial
background was considerably poorer than those of his classmates, and
he resented what he perceived as his outsider status. He left
Princeton after three years and joined the Army during World War I.
During his army service, he was stationed in Montgomery, Alabama,
where he fell in love with Zelda Sayre, daughter of a State Supreme
Court justice. She rejected the young man, fearing he would not be
able to support her. Fitzgerald moved to New York and wrote the
autobiographical novel This
Side of Paradise
(1920), which immediately launched the 23-year-old writer to fame
and fortune. Impressed by his success, Zelda agreed to marry him,
and the two began a whirlwind life of glamorous parties and
extravagant living in New York. Unfortunately, the Fitzgeralds lived
far beyond their means and soon found themselves deeply in debt.
They moved to Europe, hoping to cut back on expenses. There, they
befriended other expatriate writers including Ernest Hemingway and
Gertrude Stein. While in Europe, Fitzgerald finished his
masterpiece, The
Great Gatsby
(1925). However, Europe proved no cheaper for the Fitzgeralds. As
the couple's debts mounted, Fitzgerald plunged into alcoholism and
his wife suffered several breakdowns. In 1937, Fitzgerald moved to
Hollywood to try screenwriting. He fell in love with Sheilah Graham,
a prominent Hollywood gossip columnist, stopped drinking and began
renewed literary efforts. In 1940, while in the midst of writing a
novel about Hollywood, The
Last Tycoon,
Fitzgerald died of a heart attack at the age of 44. The
Last Tycoon was
published posthumously in 1941.
Assignment #1
CHAPTER I
Learn the pronunciation of the following words:
gorgeous, plagiaristic, supercilious, riotous, bungalow, colossal, contour, tenor, buoy, infinitesimal, twilight, settee, crimson, insincerity, nourish.
Study the vocabulary and render the situations from the text. Make up your own sentences with the vocabulary:
to be privy to smth. 5, to be an eye-sore 9,10, to be a matter for reproach 10, to hate smb’s guts 11, a brute of a man, to take down a drink 15, it is beyond me 15, to go from bad to worse 18, to grasp one’s meaning 20, see you anon 23, to fling smb. together 23, to give smb. a heart-to-heart talk 24, gossip 24, (to be the gossip of).
Find synonyms in the text to the following words:
to pretend 5, to be free from 6, prosperous 7, haughty 11, out of place/inappropriate 13, happening soon 14, to send friendly greetings 14, to be on the alert 17, to improvise 19, experienced in fashionable life 22, imperious 25.
With a situation of your own encourage your group-mates to use the vocabulary of tasks I – III.
Comment on the following sentences:
“ … as my father snobbishly suggested and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth”. (p. 6)
Life is much more successfully looked at from a single window, after all. (p. 9).
The extract on p. 12 “We talked for a few minutes … We’ll go inside”.
“Civilization is going to pieces…” (p. 17).
“I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”. (p. 21).
Speak on the following:
When and where does the action take place?
Speak about the Carraways. What was the reason for Nick Carraway to leave the parents and move to the North?
West Egg and East Egg: the bizarre contrast between them.
What is your impression of the Buchanan’s family life? What epithets does the author use to describe Tom, Daisy and Jordan Baker?
Translate the passage on p. 11 “He had changed since his … who hated his guts”