Prepare to give a talk on an important library, its history and facilities.

 

11. Group work. Work in groups of three or four to discuss the pros and cons of reading detective novels and thrillers. Consider the following:

 

" It has been estimated that only 3 percent of the popula­tion in Britain read such classics as Charles Dickens or Jane Austen; Agatha Christie's novels have sold more than 300 mil­lion copies."

(Longman Britain Explored)

 

" As thoughtful citizens we are hemmed in now by gigantic problems that appear as insoluble as they are menacing, so how pleasant it is to take an hour or two off to consider only the problem of the body that locked itself in its study and then used the telephone..."

(J.B. Priestley)

 

" There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

(W.Shakespeare)

 

" The world loves a spice of wickedness."

(H. Longfellow)

 

" If Jonathan Wild the Great had been written today, I think he would have been the hero of it, not the villain, and we should have been expected to feel sorry for him. For compas­sion is the order of the day...

Detective stories have helped to bring this about, and the convention that the murderee is always an unpleasant person, better out of the way."

(LP.Hartley)

 

" The crime novel is developing moral equivalency: un­pleasant detectives and charismatic criminals."

(The Guardian, Oct. 8 1997)

 

 

" If the question " Wither Fiction? " is raised, the novelist will have to make up his mind which side he is on. Is he to write: " She was a beautiful woman, witty, clever, cultivated, sympathetic, charming, but, alas, she was a murderess? Or is he to write: " She was a beautiful woman, witty, clever, etc., and to crown it all, was a murderess"?

(L.P. Hartley)

 

Unit Four

 

TEXT

From: RAGTIME¹

 

By E.L. Doctorow

 

Ragtime is a novel set in America at the beginning of this century. Its characters reflect all that is most significant and dramatic in America's last hundred years. One character, Coalhouse Walker Jr., a black pianist love affair with young Sarah and abandoned her to later reunite. But who bore his child was resentful when he came to rectify his actions. The novel will take you through the tragedy of their lives.

The author E.L. Doctorow, an American writer, is famous for his other novels which include Welcome to Hard Times and The Book of Daniel, which was nominated for a National Book Award.

 

One afternoon, a Sunday, a new model T-Ford² slowly came up the hill and went past the house. The boy, who hap­pened to see it from the porch, ran down the steps and stood on the sidewalk. The driver was looking right and left as if try­ing to find a particular address; he turned the car around at the comer and came back. Pulling up before the boy, he idled his throttle and beckoned with a gloved hand. He was a Negro. His car shone. The brightwork gleamed... I am looking for a young woman of color whose name is Sarah, he said. Sheis said to reside in one of these houses.

The boy realized he meant the woman in the attic. Site's here. The man switched off the motor, set the brake and jumped down.

When Mother came to the door the colored man was respectful, but there was something disturbingly resolute and

 

 

self-important in the way he asked her if he could please speak with Sarah. Mother could not judge his age. He was a stocky man with a red-complected shining brown face, high cheek­bones and large dark eyes so intense as to suggest they were about to cross. He had a neat moustache. He was dressed in the affection of wealth to which colored people lent them­selves.

She told him to wait and closed the door. She climbed to the third floor. She found the girl Sarah not sitting at the window as she usually did but standing rigidly, hands folded in front of her, and facing the door. Sarah, Mother said, you have a caller. The girl said nothing. Will you come to the kitchen? The girl shook her head. You don't want to see him? No, ma'am, the girl finally said softly, while she looked at the floor. Send him away, please. This was the most she had said in all the months she had lived in the house. Mother went back downstairs and found the fellow not at the back door but in the kitchen where, in the warmth of the corner near the cookstove, Sarah's baby lay sleeping in his carriage. The black man was kneeling beside the carriage and staring at the child. Mother, not thinking clearly, was suddenly outraged that he had presumed to come in the door. Sarah is unable to see you, she said and she held the door open. The colored man took another glance at the child, rose, thanked her and departed.

Such was the coming of the colored man in the car to Broadview Avenue. His name was Cualhouse Walker Jr. Beginning with that Sunday he appeared every week, always knocking at the back door. Always turning away without complaint upon Sarah's refusal to see him. Father considered the visits a nuisance and wanted to discourage them. I'll call the police, he said. Mother laid her hand on his arm. One Sunday the colored man left a bouquet of yellow chrysanthe­mums which in this season had to have cost him a pretty penny.

The black girl would say nothing about her visitor. They had no idea where she had met him, or how. As far as they knew she had no family nor any friends from the black community in the downtown section of the city. Apparently she had come by herself from New York to work as a servant. Mother was exhilarated by the situation. She began to regret Sarah's intransigence. She thought of the drive from Harlem, where Coalhouse Walker Jr. lived, and the drive back, and she decided the next time to

 

 

give him more of a visit. She would serve tea in the parlor. Father questioned the propriety of this. Mother said, he is well-spoken and conducts himself as a gentleman. I see nothing wrong with it. When Mr Roosevelt³ was in the White House he gave dinner to Booker T. Washington. Surely we can serve tea to Coalhouse Walker Jr.

 

And so it happened on the next Sunday that the Negro took tea. Father noted that he suffered no embarrassment by being in the parlor with a cup and saucer in his hand. On the contrary, he acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The surroundings did not awe him nor was his manner deferential. He was courteous and correct. He told them about himself. He was a professional pianist and was now more or less permanently located in New York, having secured a job with the Jim Europe Clef Club Orchestra, a well-known ensemble that gave regular concerts at the Manhattan⁴ Casino on 155th Street and Eighth Avenue. It was important, he said, for a musician to find a place that was permanent, a job that required no travelling... I am through travelling, he said. I am through going on the road. He spoke so fervently that Father realized the message was intended for the woman upstairs. This irritated him. What can you play? he said abruptly. Why don't you play something for us?

The black man placed tea, on the tray. He rose, patted his lips with the napkin, placed the napkin beside his cup and went to the piano. He sat on the piano stool and immediately rose and twirled it till the height was to his satisfaction. He sat down again, played a chord and turned to them. This piano is badly in need of a tuning, he said. Father's face reddened. Oh, yes, Mother said, we are terrible about that. The musician turned again to the keyboard. " Wall Street⁵ Rag, " he said. Composed by the great Scott Joplin.⁶ He began to play. Ill-tuned or not the Aeolian had never made such sounds. Small clear chords hung in the air like flowers. The melodies were like bouquets. There seemed to be no other possibilities for life than those delineated by the music. When the piece was over Coalhouse Walker turned on the stool and found in his audience the entire family: Mother, Father, the boy, Grandfather and Mother's Younger Brother, who had come down from his room in shirt and suspenders to see who was playing. Of all of

 

them he was the only one who knew ragtime. He had heard it in his nightlife period in New York. He had never expected to hear it in his sister's home.

Coalhouse Walker Jr. turned back to the piano and said " The Maple Leaf". Composed by the great Scott Joplin. The most famous rag of all rang through the air. The pianist sat stiffly at the keyboard, his long dark hands with their pink nails seemingly with no effort producing the clusters of syncopating chords and the thumping octaves. This was a most robust composition, a vigorous music that roused the senses and never stood still a moment. The boy perceived it as light touching various places in space, accumulating in intricate patterns until the entire room was made to glow with its own being. The music filled the stairwell to the third floor where the mute and unforgiving Sarah sat with her hands folded and listened with the door open.

The piece was brought to a conclusion. Everyone applauded. Mother then introduced Mr Walker to Grandfather and to Younger Brother, who shook the black man's hand and said I am pleased to meet you. Coalhouse Walker was solemn. Everyone was standing. There was a silence. Father cleared his throat. Father was not knowledgeable in music. His taste ran to Carrie Jacobs Bond.⁷ He thought Negro music had to have smiling and cakewalking. Do you know any coon songs? ⁸ he said. He did not intend to be rude — coon songs was what they were called. But the pianist responded with a tense shake of the head. Coon songs are made for minstrel shows, ⁹ he said. White men sing them in black face. There was another silence. The black man looked at the ceiling. Well, he said, it appears as if Miss Sarah will not be able to receive me. He turned abruptly and walked through the hall to the kitchen. The family followed him. He had left his coat on a chair. He put it on and ignoring them all, he knelt and gazed at the baby asleep in its carriage. After several moments he stood up, said good day and walked out of the door.

 

Commentary

 

1. Ragtime: the form of music, song and dance of black US origin, popular in the 1920's in which the strong note of the tune comes just before the main beat of the music played with it (syncopation)

 

 

2. a new model T-Ford: the model T-Ford, of which 15 mil­lion were sold, was the automobile that changed the pattern of life in the United States. It first appeared in 1908 and was one of the first cars to be made by assembly line methods and was the first gasoline-operated car sold at a price that many Ameri­cans could afford. The name of its builder, Henry Ford, became a household word around the world.

3. Theodore Roosevelt: (1858-1919), twenty-sixth presi­dent of the United States of America (1901-1909).

4. Manhattan: one of the five boroughs that make up New York City. Reputation as the cultural centre of the nation.

5. Wall Street: a street in New York dity, extending from Broadway to the East River, financial center of the United States.

6. Scott Joplin: (1868-1917), American composer of ragtime music, who was known as the " King of Ragtime". The son of a railroad laborer who had been a slave, Joplin showed musical ability by the time he was seven. He taught himself to play the piano and eventually became an itinerant musician, playing in cafes and honky-tonks and learning the music of the blacks in the Mississippf Valley.

7. Carrie Jacobs Bond: (1862-1946), songwriter, author of about 170 published songs, including " I Love You Truly" and " The End of a Perfect Day".

8. coon songs: White American Negro (Black) folksongs.

9. minstrel show: stage entertainment featuring comic dia­logue, song and dance, in highly conventionalized patterns. Performed by a troupe of actors in blackface comprising of an interlocutor, two end men, and a chorus; developed in the United States in the early and mid-19th century.

 

SPEECH PATTERNS

 

1.... there was something disturbingly resolute and self-im­portant in the way he asked her...

There was something strange in (about) the way he greeted me that morning.

There was something disturbing (in) about the way the girl entered the room.

There is something special in the way she dresses on Sun­days.

 

2. He was a stocky man with large dark eyes so intense as to suggest they were about to cross.

I think the speaker is about to conclude his speech.

I have a strange feeling that something terrible is about to happen.

The satellite launch is about to commence.

 

3. This was the most she had said in all the months she had lived in the house.

This was the most he had eaten in a long time.

This was the most I had heard from my family all year.

While your pupil is recovering he can only read the book.

This will be the most you can expect of him.

 

4.... tuned or not the Aeolian had never made such sounds.

Clumsy or not she was a good basketball player.

Busy or not Mr Jones always finds time for his students.

 

Phrases and Word Combinations

 

to go past to suffer (no) embarrassment

(to look) right and left on the contrary

to judge one's age (to do smth) to one's satisfaction

to presume to do smth to bring to a conclusion

to regret smth to clear one's throat

to question the propriety to be knowledgeable in/about

of smth smth

 

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY

 

1.set vt/i 1) to make to be in a specified condition, as to open the cage and set the bird free; to set the papers (a village, a house) on fire; to fix or determine (a rule, time, standard), as to set a wedding day, to set a new land, speed, record; 2) to give (a piece of work) for (someone) to do, e, g. Who sets the ques­tions for the examination? The teacher sets the class various exercises. 3) to fix firmly (a part of the body, esp. regarded as showing one's intentions, feelings, etc.), E. g. He set his jaw and refused to agree to anything I said. She's set against her daugh­ter's marriage. 4) to put into action, e. g. He set the machine going with a push; to set the ball rolling; 5) to cause (a liquid,

 

paste, soft material, etc.) to become solid, e. g. Set the jelly by putting it in a cold place. 6) to write or provide (music) for a poem or other words to be sung, e. g. The poem was set to an old working song tune.

to set eyes on to see, e. g. I hope I never set eyes on that fellow again.

to set someone's teeth on edge to frighten smb

to set one's heart (mind, hopes) on to be filled with strong desire for, e. g. The boy has set his heart on becoming an engi­neer.

set a 1) determined, e. g. He is very set on going and I can't make him see that it's a bad idea. 2) given or fixed for study, e. g. The examination will have questions on the set books (texts). 3) (of part of the body, manner, state of mind, etc.) fixed in position, unmoving, e. g. She greeted her guests with a set smile. 4) ready, prepared, e. g. Are you all set? Then let's go.

set n I) (informal) a group of people of a special type: the jet set. 2) (not pi) natural position of part of the body, e. g. From the set of her shoulders it was clear that she was tired. 3) setting of the hair, e. g. " Shampoo and set, please, " she said abruptly.

 

2. abandon vt 1) to leave completely and for ever, desert, e. g. The sailors abandoned the sinking ship. 2) to leave (a rela­tion or friend) in a thoughtless or cruel way, e. g. He aban­doned his wife and went abroad. 3) to give up, esp. without fin­ishing, e, g. The search was abandoned when the night came though the child had not been found.

 

N.B. to abandon may be used with far more negative reasons than to give up.

3. resent vt to show or feel indignation at, as to resent smb's behaviour (smb's words, an insult, smb's manner, etc.), e. g. Any­one would resent such treatment. The child resented being made fun of.

 

Note the pattern smb resents smth. Compare with the Russian patterns: кого-л. возмущает

что-л.; возмущает кого-л.

 

resentful a feeling or showing resentment, as to be resentful of smb (smth), e. g. The boy was resentful of the remark.

resentment n a feeling of indignation or annoyance; a deep sense of injury, as to (have) bear no resentment against smb (smth), e. g. His conduct aroused everybody's resentment.

 

4. suggest vt 1) to cause to come to the mind, e.g. The open window suggested that somebody else had got into the house.

2) to bring itself to the mind, e. g. An idea suggested itself, Harry has bad manners. Lack of proper home training suggests itself. 3) to give signs (of), e. g. Her expression suggested, anger/(that), she was angry.

suggestion n a slight sign, e. g. Her face held a suggestion of anger.

 

5. hand n 1) a performer; a practiser of a skill

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