The vast range of tones can be classified into three basic keys: lyrical, dramatic and grotesque. The term key denotes the prevailing mood and the atmosphere created in the story

УДК 802.0(075.8)

ББК 81.2 Ан

ã Минский государственный лингвистический университет, 2003

ã Е. Ю. Кирейчук, Т. Г. Васильева, 2003

CONTENTS

To the Student…………………………………………………………………...4

Unit 1: Tone. The Lyrical Key. ……………………………………………........5

G. M. Brown. Shell Songs ……………………………………………...6

Unit 2: The Dramatic Key. …………………………………………………….13

J. Stuart. Love ………………………………………………………….13

Unit 3: The Grotesque Key. …………………………………………………...18

J. Thurber. The Rabbits Who Caused All the Trouble ……..................22

Saki. The Story-Teller ……………………………………...................23

Unit 4: Symbolism. …………………………………………............................30

L. Carrington. The Debutante ………………………………………...32

T. Winton. Secrets …………………………………………………….36

Unit 5: Title. …………………………………………………………………...41

Gr. Greene. The Invisible Japanese Gentlemen ………………………43

Reading Independently. The Scheme of Story Analysis……………………...49

Stories for Independent Reading

1. D. Leavitt. Gravity ………………………………………………….50

2. B. Aldiss. Making My Father Read Revered Writings ……………..55

3. J. Collier. The Chaser …………………………………....................60

4. J. Archer. Cheap at Half the Price ……………………....................64

5. R. Goldberg. Art for Heart’s Sake ………………………………….78

6. Saki. The Lumber-Room ………………………………....................82

7. Ph. Dick. Human Is ……………………………………....................89

8. O. Henry. The Skylight Room …………………………...................104

9. O. Wilde. The Model Millionaire ………………………………….111

10. J. Mark. Teeth ……………………………………………………...117

11. E. Hemingway. Cat in the Rain ……………………………………123

12. J. Winterson. O’Brien’s First Christmas …………………………..127

13. M. Whitaker. Hannah ……………………………………………...133

14. M. Armstrong. The Poets and the Housewife (a Fable) …………...137

15. A. Cassidy. Shopping for One ……………………………………...140

Supplement……………………………………………………………………..........144

Reference……………………………………………………………………….........161

TO THE STUDENT

Reading will be a substantial component of students’ curriculum this term. This course will aid in dealing with the reading and interpretation of short stories by American and British writers and is aimed at the expansion of understanding of a short story beyond the literal and simple recollection of factual details. The majority of the activities in this course will concentrate on reading and analyzing the short story and its elements (the emotive key, the functions of the title, literary symbolism).

During the 2^nd term students are expected:

· to read 23 short stories by British and American authors;

· to accomplish 2 home tests (supposed to be done independently and checked with the attached keys);

· to do an entrance test and a final test.

Part 2 of the book Reading and Appreciationof the Short Story is divided into 5 units containing original and unabridged short stories, followed by sections of questions to help students to appreciate the text and organize discussions in class. The texts are preceded by a necessary minimum of information, which will allow the student to answer the After You Read questions and accomplish the Before You Read tasks. The tasks take a variety of formats and are meant for full class activities, group activities and individual work.

Part 2 also includes 15 short stories intended for students’ independent reading and appreciation. To facilitate the task, a scheme of analysis is suggested and each short story is followed by a set of questions which focus the reader’s attention on the most relevant and important issues of interpretation. The supplement to Part 2 contains 2 home tests provided with keys for self-control.

The course presupposes thorough and conscientious independent and class work on behalf of the student.

We hope that this course will encourage students to respond imaginatively to what they read, to build up their vocabulary. It will help to understand and enjoy reading English language literature and will give tools and methods for appreciating fiction students will read in the future.

UNIT 1

TONE

Tone is the manner in which an author expresses his/her attitude to the characters and events in the story; it is the intonation of voice, which expresses meaning. Within a work of fiction the tone may shift from paragraph to paragraph, or even from line to line; it is the result of allusion, diction, figurative language, irony, motif, symbolism, syntax, and style.

A speaker’s tone is evident to all, but understanding written tone is an entirely different matter. The reader must appreciate word choice, imagery and details. A careful look, sentence by sentence, at the language of a work of fiction — the words chosen and the way they are put together — can often help us to understand what that work means. Writers labour to make language serve their purposes, to produce the effects they desire, that is to establish the necessary tone:

· A writer’s tone may be formal or informal, friendly or distant, personal or pompous, earnest or humorous, serious or ironic.

· Tone can be said to be sarcastic, light-hearted, angry; sympathetic or impassive, cheerful or melancholy, vigorous or matter-of-fact or any number of other terms.

The vast range of tones can be classified into three basic keys: lyrical, dramatic and grotesque. The term key denotes the prevailing mood and the atmosphere created in the story.