shst questions 1a5

Short Story 1: D. H. Lawrence, ‘Tickets, Please!’ – Questions & Glossary (characters)
A) LINES 1-88 (down to “the waves of a stormy land?”) = THE DESCRIPTIVE INTRODUCTION
1) When and where does the story take place?
2) Describe the kind of environment in which the story is set.
3) Show that energy is the key word here. How is this energy made tangible? Show that Annie & Ted’s little bit of
dialogue is funny.
4) The characters introduced here: Who are they? What are their main characteristics? Why aren’t any names
mentioned before line 68? Why are some names used after that point? Would you say that these characters are the
direct product of their environment, or that they stand in sharp contrast with it? Why? What do you make of the
reference to the Thermopylae (line 77)? Is there a reason why such an ancient reference is made in this short story?
Why can we say that the theme is Romance is surprisingly introduced into the story (line 78)?
Roar, to: brailler
Get on! = go on !, go ahead!
Abashed: honteux, intimidé
Shapeless: informe
Greet, to: accueillir
Antiphony: contre-chant (religion)
Shipment: cargaison
Grimy: crasseux
Ash tree: frêne
Halt: arrêt
Bold: audacieux
Shiver, to: trembler
Haul out, to: dégager, hisser
Bounce, to: (faire) rebondir
Shriek: cri
Breathless: à couper le souffle
Haven: havre, refuge
Sidle to a standstill, to: s’arrêter
Cap: casquette
furtivement
Hold one’s own, to: se défendre
Career, to: foncer, aller à toute allure Hollow: creux, cuvette
Slack: période creuse
Slither, to: patiner, déraper
Hop off, to: sauter, descendre
Chat, to: bavarder
Howingly: furieusement, affreusement Sprig: branche
Chilly: frisquet
Spy, to: apercevoir
Howl: hurlement
Collier: mineur
Stark: austère, désolé
Hunchback: bossu
Collieries: mines de charbon
Steeple-chase: course, steeple
Come to a (dead) halt: s’arrêter (net) Hussy: gourgandine, fille délurée
Step: marche
Conductor: chef de train, receveur
Jaunty: désinvolte, insouciant
Stolid: impassible
(bus)
Lass: jeune fille
Sturdily: vigoureusement
Corn: cor (au pied) / blé (G-B), gnan- Leap, to: sauter
gnan, eau de rose
Swoop: descente en piqué
Loop: voie d’évitement / de
County town: chef-lieu de comté
That is,: du moins,
raccordement
Creep, to: ramper
Thermopylae: célèbre défilé (passage
Midst = middle
étroit) où Léonidas et ses 300 soldats
Crimson: cramoisi (couleur)
Non-commisioned officer: sousrésistèrent héroïquement (avant de
Cripple: handicapé
officier
mourir) à l’armée perse de Xerxès
Dale: vallon
Notice: pancarte, avis
(Vè siècle avant notre ère)
Dare-devil: casse-cou
Packed: bondé
Tight: serré, bondé
Dismount: descendre
Parsley: persil
Till = until (jusqu’à ce que)
Ditch: fossé
Peaked: à visière
Tilt away, to: aller à toute allure
Done in the eye, be: se faire
Trail of sparks: sillage d’étincelles
Perky: plein d’entrain
avoir/escroquer
Tread on, to: marcher sur
Pounce on, to: se jeter sur
Draw near, to: se rapprocher
Turret: tourelle
Pride: fierté
Drop: pente raide
Unfit: inapte, inadapté
Purr, to: ronronner
Edge: rebord
Unit: groupe, ensemble
Rash: imprudent
Evade, to: esquiver
Vessel: vaisseau
Reckless: téméraire, imprudent
Factory: usine
Reluctance: réticence
Windswept: balayé par les vents
Forlorn: désolé, délaissé
Ride, to: voyager, être passager (d’un
Gas-works: usine à gaz
tram, etc.)
Get off, to: descendre
B) LINES 89-240: “Then, also” (pg. 1, col. 3) to “the waves of a stormy land?” (pg. 2, col. 3) = INTIMACY
1) Show that this part of the story chronicles the progression of Annie and John Thomas’s relationship. Why is
Annie “something of a Tartar” (line 119)? Why is there “subtle antagonism” (line 128, top of pg. 2) between them? In
the middle of pg. 2, in the paragraph which starts in line 186 (“Of course, during these performances”), why does the
narrator use so many after all’s? Comment on the language and syntax (= sentence structure) in one short paragraph,
lines 208-11: from “So Annie” down to “in this life.” (pg. 2)
2) The context: How is the presence of war felt? Why are the few references to electricity interesting (Cf. lines 144,
146, 197, and also in the last column of pg. 4)?
3) Sexual innuendoes: Which phrases or sentences hide sexual innuendoes? Why use innuendoes?
Illustration in The Strand Magazine (April 1919) – lines 98-9
Stiles (line 204, pg. 2 col. 2)
C) FROM LINE 241 (“She had a very shrewd idea,” pg. 2, col. 3) to THE END = VIOLENCE
This part of the story chronicles the progression of the girls’ violence. Why are time indications given in the first
column of pg. 3? How is violence set in motion, and when does it reach its climax? What is the role of humour and
irony here? What are John Thomas and the girl transformed into at the end of this scene? Why do the girls feel “filled
with supernatural strength” (pg. 4, bottom of col. 1)? Who is victorious at the end of the short story?
Short Story 2: T. Hughes, ‘The Rain Horse’ – Questions & Glossary (setting)
A) FROM THE START TO PAGE 58 (down to l. 8: “the
leaning trunk.”) = THE SETTING
1) When and where does the story take place?
2) Draw a map of the setting described here, and give a name
to the main components (= elements) of your drawing. Your
map must include the following words: hill, 300 yards, thorns
in the hedge, barricade of brambles, fallow field, river, river
meadows, wood 1, wood 2, scrub oak trees, quarry, town,
circular, rectangular.
3) What kind of environment is this? Friendly or hostile?
Single or multiple? Natural or manufactured? Closed or open?
Static or dynamic? Why?
4) Did drawing a map of the setting help you understand the
story? Why or in what way?
5) Characterization: What do we learn about the young man
(his past and psychology)?
GLOSSARY:
Ankle: cheville
Back: dos
Bare: nu
Blunder into, to: être assez bête pour
se retrouver
Boredom: ennui
Bracken: fougères
Brambles: ronces
Chin: menton
Cinders: cendres
Close: bien fermé, hermétique
Collar: col
Crest: crête, sommet
Crippled: infirme
Crouch, to: s’accroupir
Curve: courbe
Deter, to: dissuader
Dip, to: plonger
Downpour: averse
Dullness: morosité
Edge: bord, rebord
Fallow field: jachère
Fierce: farouche, féroce
Fringed: bordé, garni
Gap: trou, ouverture
Gate: barrière
Heap: tas
Hedge: haie
Hook: crochet
Leafless: dépourvu de feuilles
Lean, to: (se) pencher
Leaning: penché
Lee: à l’abri du vent
Loop, to: faire une boucle
Meadow: pré
Mud: boue
Nightmare: cauchemar
Nondescript: quelconque, fade
Nudge alive, to: redonner vie
Oak: chêne
Outcast: mis à l’écart, rejeté
Path: sentier
Pillar: pilier
Plaster, to: (faire) coller, adhérer
Ploughland: terre de labours
Quarry: carrière
Random, at: au hasard
Recall, to: se remémorer
Riddled: infesté de
Sapling: jeune arbre
Scrub: peu développé, broussailles
Set out, to: commencer
Shallow: peu profond
Shape: forme
Shelter: abri
Shiver, to: frissonner
Skull: crâne
Skyline: horizon
Slightly: quelque peu, légèrement
Smoulder, to: couver, fumer
Smudge, to: souiller
Spit, to: cracher
Startle, to: faire sursauter
Stiff: raide
Stream, to: ruisseler
Stride: pas, enjambée
Stun, to: abasourdir, stupéfier
Suck, to: s’enfoncer
Sunken: enfoncé
Swarm of: toute une série de
Target: cible
Tarmac: goudron
Tense: tendu, raide
Thick: épais
Thin: mince
Thorn: épine
Thought: pensée
Toe: orteil
Trap: piège
Trek: randonnée
Trespasser: intrus
Trudge through, to: avancer
difficilement
Trunk: tronc
Tuck in, to: rentrer, enfouir
Up to no good: qui manigance
quelque chose
Utterly: entièrement
Vanish, to: disparaître
Warren: terrier
Way, in the ~ of: en matière de
…/…
B) PAGES 58 (from l. 9: “Still panting”) TO 62 (down to l. 19: “within yards of it.”) = OBSESSION AND
FEAR
•
•
•
What makes the young man panic? What does his fear focus on? (= What does he notice especially?)
On pages 59 and 60, why can we say that he tries to rationalize the situation? What does he tell himself? What
part does the outside world play in this rationalization? What is the role of such a rationalization?
The horse is seen three times in this part of the story (59, 59, 61): Where? Why can we say that these
encounters go crescendo?
C) PAGES 62 (from line 20: “However, this last attack”) TO 65 (down to line 18: “had not moved.”) =
DETERMINATION
•
•
What does the last attack “clear up” (pg. 62, line 20)? Would you say the young man grows more or less
strong, more or less determined? Why? What has changed? Is this change for certain? What difference does
it make?
Is this just the story of an “encounter” between a horse and a man, or could it symbolize something else? Why
is the reader tempted to give a symbolic dimension to this passage?
D) PAGES 65 (from line 19: “At the corner”) TO THE END = AFTER THE “ORDEAL”
•
•
Show that this passage is ambiguous in its treatment of themes like remembering/forgetting, being aware/
being unconscious, revealing/hiding things. Have all mysteries / uncertainties been explained?
On what note does the story conclude? Would you say that the rain has had a “healing” [apaisant] effect
(page 65, line 23) on the young man?
Short Story 3: K. Mansfield, ‘The Garden Party’ – Questions & Glossary (narration)
A New Zealand karaka
Poisonous karaka berries
Chesterfield leather chair
A) BEGINNING TO PAGE 244, LINE 3 (“‘nice men.’”) = INTRODUCING THE SHERIDANS.
1) When and where does the story take place? How do we know?
2) Characterize the Sheridans. Who are they? What are their names? What kind of life do they lead? What are the
names and functions of the people around them?
3) What kind of narrator do we have here? What roles or functions does s/he play in the story? Would you call
him/her omniscient, intrusive or unobtrusive, homoediegetic or heterodiegetic, detached or involved? Is this a first- or
a third-person narrative? What kind of focalization is associated with this narrator? Do we see everything through
his/her eyes?
4) Written comprehension: Say why the following lines particularly stand out (P.S.: The clues in parenthesis should
help you a little!): (1) First line: “And after all the weather was ideal.” (syntax/narration); (2) Pg. 237, lines 11-2: “the
green bushes bowed down as though they had been visited by archangels.” (characterization/narration); (3) Pg. 241,
lines 1-2: “big pink flowers, wide open, radiant, almost frighteningly alive on bright crimson stems.”
(characterization/narration); (4) Pg. 243, line 21: “Nobody ever thought of making them at home."
(characterization/narration); (5) Pg. 243, last four lines, from “Oh, impossible” to “whipped cream.” (narration).
Baize: feutre
Band: orchestre
Butterfly: dandy
Canna lily: canna
Canvas: toile
Care for, to: aimer
Castor = caster: roulette
Chap: type
Cluster: grappe
Conspicuous: visible
Despise, to: mépriser
Feather: plume
Flag (ici): étiquette
Freckle: tache de rousseur
Cream puffs
Glossary
Give a bang slap in the face, to: en Pacify, to: calmer, apaiser
Print skirt: jupe imprimée
mettre plein la vue
Rosette: rosace
Give a squiz = press (a coat, etc.)
Hammer: marteau
Scratch meal: repas improvisé
Short-sighted: myope
Haze: brume
Inward: (tourné vers l’) intérieur
Shudder, to: trembler
Spot (of sun): point (lumineux)
Lanky: grand et maigre
Lawn: pelouse
Stammer, to: bégayer
Make for, to: se diriger
Staff, staves (plural): baton, hampe
Thud: bruit sourd
Marquee: grande tente
Wakening: réveil
Matey: mon gars, mon vieux
Moan: gémissement
Weary: lassant
Mournful: lugubre, sinistre
Whipped cream: crème fouettée
Mow, to: tondre
Pink canna lily
Lemon curd and scone
B) PAGE 244, LINE 4 (“But the back door”) TO PAGE 247, LINE 4 (“after all.”) = A MORAL DILEMMA
5) Characterization: Who is “Godber’s man”? Why do his behaviour and reaction form a striking contrast with
Laura’s and Jose’s? Find 3 or 4 lines with markers showing that Laura and Jose are still young.
6) Which arguments does Mrs Sheridan use to go on as planned with the party? Are those arguments acceptable—are
they moral? What are the moral and social implications of this story?
7) Page 246: Why can Mrs Sheridan’s hat and hand mirror be said to be symbolic?
Annoyed: irrité
Blurred: flou
Carter: charretier
Choke, to: étouffer
Cluck, to: glousser
Cobbler: cordonnier
Conductor: chef d’orchestre
Door knob: poignée de porte
Dreadful: effroyable
Dwelling: demeure
Eyesore: verrue (dans un paysage)
Fray: cohue
Frill: frange, volant
Glossary
Goggle one’s eyes, to: ouvrir/faire des
yeux ronds
Hail, to: saluer
Hen: poule
Mean: miteux
Pinch, to: pincer
Plume: panache
Pok[e]y: exigu
Pond: bassin, étang
Puff out one’s cheeks: gonfler ses
joues
Rags and shreds: bouts, bribes
Ribbon: ruban
Screwed up (ici):(visage) plissé
Shy at, to: broncher, prendre peur
Sleeve: manche
Spoil, to: gâcher
Steep: pentu, raide
Strenuous (life): stressant
Swarm, to: fourmiller, grouiller
Sweep (chimney ~): ramoneur
Stunning: étourdissant, stupéfiant
Sympathetic: compatissant
Too like frogs for words, they are =
they look exactly like frogs
Topping: épatant, superbe
Trimmed: bordé, orné
Velvet: velours
C) PAGE 247, LINE 21 (“Soon after”) TO PAGE 248, LINE 9 (“deserted marquee.”)
8) The garden party: What is so special about it? Is it banal or exceptional? How much length does the narrative
devote to it? What kind of feeling does its end evoke in its hostess? Why does the party not conclude the story? Why
does it give the story its title?
Glossary
Becoming: seyant
Round up, to: rassembler
Stroll, to: se promener
Hire, to: embaucher
Streams, in ~: défilé ininterrompu
D) PAGE 248, LINE 10 (“‘Have a sandwich”) TO THE END
9) How is the Scotts’ lower class status conveyed by the narrative? Which words especially stand out? Is Laura just
as class-conscious as her mother?
10) The dead man: How is death portrayed here? Is Laura shocked by what she sees? Why does she exclaim “Forgive
my hat” (page 251, line 18), and how would you complete her final exclamation (“Isn’t life –?” in line 33)? “Why is it
interesting at this point to remember the song Jose sang earlier on? Does the story conclude on an issue related to
social classes? Is this a coincidence?
Anxious: inquiet
Content: satisfait
Crutch: béquille
Dusky: sombre
Eyelid: paupière
Flicker: lueur, vacillement
Heap, to: remplir, entasser
Hum: bourdonnement
Knot: petit groupe (ici)
Lace: dentelle
Glossary
Lane: rue (ville), chemin (campagne)
Lass: demoiselle
Palings: palisade
Point, what a ~: what a wonderful
thing (it will be)
Pucker up, to: se plisser
Queer: étrange
Rate, at any = in any case
Remote: éloigné
Shawl: châle
Sly: sournois
Sob: sanglot
Stem: tige
Streamer: serpentin, ruban
Swollen: gonflé
Tiny: minuscule
Toss, to: jeter
Treat: cadeau, régal
Wretched: misérable
Portrait of K. Mansfield by Anne E. Rice (June 1918)
Short Story 4: V. Woolf, ‘Kew Gardens’ – Questions & Glossary (focalization)
A) FIRST PARAGRAPH (“INCIPIT”) AND LAST PARAGRAPH (“EXCIPIT”) OF THE STORY = from l.1
down to “Kew Gardens in July” (pg. 90), and from “Thus one couple” to the end (pg. 95).
1) Summary: In two or three short sentences, summarize each of these two paragraphs.
2) Setting: Where does the story take place? Which elements of the setting does the narrator focus on in the
beginning, and in the end? Why is this surprising? Why can we say that the excipit (last paragraph) opens up the
story’s horizon? Which elements does the narrator stress in the space situated just outside the garden? Which idea or
impression do those other elements add to the story?
3) Play of light. In the incipit, what colours are the petals of the flowers mentioned? What is special about those three
colours? Where else does the narrator see those same colours, and why do they move? Why doesn’t the narrator tell us
directly the species to which those flowers belong? Which flowers could these be? In the excipit, why do the couples
“dissolve in the green-blue atmosphere” (p. 95, l. 12)? What are the other visual effects described? Which sound
effects are also mentioned? If this story were the description of a painting, what kind of painting would you imagine?
Glossary (incipit & excipit)
Aimless: sans but
Hop, to: sautiller
Huddled: regroupé, blotti
Back: dos
Inch: pouce (2,54 cm)
Beneath: en dessous
Branching
thread:
réseau
de Intricate: complexe
ramifications
Layer: couche
Loll, to: pendre mollement
Breadth: étendue (ici), largeur
Nest: nid
Brisk: vif
Ceaselessly: sans fin
Outline: contour, silhouette
Clubbed: aplati
Palm house: palmarium, serre à
Dash of: pointe /soupçon de (quantité) palmiers
Pebble: caillou, galet
Depth: profondeur
Ramble, to: errer (sans but),
Drone: vrombissement
Fierce: ardent, féroce
“papillonner”
Roof: toit
Flake: flocon (ici, aile de papillon)
Seek, to: chercher
Flower-bed: parterre de fleurs
Shade: ombre
Gear: vitesse (terme de mécanique)
Gross: grossier, sans finesse
-shaped: en forme de
Shatter, to: briser
Shift, to: déplacer, remuer
Smooth: lisse
Snail: escargot
Spot, to: apercevoir
Spot: tache (de couleur)
Stain, to: tacher
Stalk: tige
Steel: acier
Stir: remuer, agiter
Straight: (tout) droit
Thrush: grive (oiseau)
Tip: bout
Unfurl, to: déployer
Waver, to: trembler, vaciller
Waxen: de/en cire
Wrought: forgé, ciselé
(above) The Palm House at Kew;
(left) Map of the Royal Botanic Gardens
at Kew
B) THE FOUR VIGNETTES IN THE REST OF THE STORY (from “The figures of these men and women”
(pg. 90, l. 21) to “he bore her on.” (pg. 95, l. 7).
1) VISION IN THE FIRST VIGNETTE, from “The figures” (pg. 90, l. 21) to “irregular patches.” (pg. 91, l. 30)
How is the couple’s movement described at the beginning and end of the vignette, and why? Which two memories [Fr.
souvenirs] from the past does the couple remember? What is the common point between those memories, and how are
they linked with the theme of seeing / focalization?
2) THE 3 OTHER VIGNETTES: In what lines do the three other vignettes start and end? Who are the characters?
3) The 2nd vignette:
a) Which VIEWPOINT does the narrator adopt here? How do we know? What is the term for such a
focalization? The last line on pg. 91 and the first 3 lines on pg. 92 speak of “deep green lakes in the hollows,” “round
boulders of grey stone,” and “surfaces of a thin crackling texture:” What are the equivalents of such components in the
incipit you studied previously? What are the differences between those two descriptions, and what are they due to?
b) Why does the elder man speak about SPIRITS? What does he have to say about them? Is he an eccentric
or a madman (pg. 93, l. 13)? Why do you think so? How does the theme of spirits link up the 1st and 2nd vignettes?
4) What do the 3rd and 4th vignettes have in common as concerns DIALOGUES AND LANGUAGE? How would
you describe those dialogues? What does the 4th vignette say about words, and why are words said to have “short
wings” (pg. 94, l. 21)? Why doesn’t the young man feel real (pg. 94, l. 32-8)?
5) CONCLUSION: Is this story only fragmented into different vignettes, or
does it also offer some sort of centre and unity? Why? Which themes and
techniques make this short story typically modernist? Which vision of life
and/or human beings is necessary to write such a story?
Glossary (vignettes 1 to 4)
Abreast: de front, côte à côte
Alight, to: se poser
Arched: cambré, arqué
Attempt, to: tenter de
Awkward: maladroit
Bear on, to: continuer d’avancer
Betoken, to: dénoter, témoigner de
Bill: addition (restaurant)
Blade: lame
Blanketed with: recouvert de
Boulder: rocher
Brass: cuivre jaune
Buckle: boucle
Carelessly: de manière insouciante
Carriage: voiture
Circumvent, to: contourner
Cliff: falaise
Conceal, to: dissimuler
Crane: grue (oiseau)
Creep, to: ramper
Crimson-crested: à la crête empourprée
Crumb: miette
Crumpled: froissé
Directly: aussitôt que
Disordered: malade
Doubtful: incertain, sceptique
Dragon-fly: libellule
Drown, to: se noyer (accident)
Easel: chevalet
Edge: (re)bord
Fold: (re)pli
Genuinely: véritablement
Greens: légumes verts
Gummy: collant, gluant
High-stepping: à grandes enjambées
Hollow: creux
Horn:corne, (ici) antenne
Jerk, to: faire qqch d’un coup sec
Kipper: hareng saur
Labour, to: s’efforcer
Let alone: sans parler de
Loom up, to: se dresser (menaçant)
Loose: détaché
Mahogany: acajou
Mermaid: sirène (créature)
Mind, to: être dérangé par
Motionless: immobile
Mutter, to: marmonner
Nightingale: rossignol
Nimble: agile, leste
Odd: étrange
Patch: tache (de couleur)
Pattern: motif, ordre, système
Pointless: vain, gratuit
Ponderous: pesant
Prime: « fleur » (de la jeunesse)
Puzzled: perplexe
Queer: étrange
Remain, to: demeurer
Respect, in this ~: en cela
Rubber: caoutchouc
Settle, to: se poser
Skip: sauter, passer sur
Sleeve: manche
Slightly: un peu, légèrement
Slope: pente
Sly: sournois
Smooth: lisse
The Chinese Pagoda at Kew
Square: carré(e)
Stand: support, pied
Standstill: arrêt, immobilisation
Station: position sociale
Steadily: fixement
Stock, to take ~ of: faire le point sur
Stout: costaud, costaude
Straggle, to: traîner
Stroll, to: se balader
Summon, to: convoquer
Surround, to: entourer
Sway, to: faire osciller
Thessaly: région de la Grèce antique,
plaine fertile sur la mer Égée
Thought: pensée
Thrill: frisson
Toe: bout, pointe (d’une chaussure)
Trail, to: laisser traîner
Turf: gazon
Uneven: irrégulier
Upright: droit, dressé
Utter, to: prononcer
Wart: verrue
Water-lily: nénuphar
Well-to-do: aisé, nanti
Widow: veuve
Wire: fil électrique
Worth, be ~: valoir
Short Story 5: A. Sillitoe, ‘The Fishing-Boat Picture’ – Questions & Glossary (time)
1) When and where does the story take place? Quote two revealing geographical markers, and two famous
historical references. How are those indications given to the reader: just in passing or quite visibly?
2) The narrator: What do we learn about him, as far as his profession, everyday life, hobbies, and personality traits?
Then give 5 adjectives to describe him. Why don’t he and Kathy get along*? How and why do they fight? What is
wrong with him and/or her? Why can we consider that he is an unreliable narrator? Does he change totally or
partially at the end of the story (pg. 15)? What makes you think so?
[* s'entendre]
3) Time:
(a) As you read the story, highlight the most important time markers; then fill in the following diagram by
indicating which event(s) took place in the various time periods mentioned.
l
around 32
yrs ago
l
28 yrs ago
l
23 yrs
ago
l
22 yrs ago
l
15 yrs
ago
l l
12 every
years week
ago
l
6 yrs ago
l
‘NOW’
→
(b) Would you say that this short story is mostly chronological or not? Find three examples of analepses, or
flashbacks (pgs. 4 and 8, for instance), and three examples of prolepses, or flashforwards (at the top of pg. 12, at
the center of pg. 13, in the first third of pg. 14). Why do you think the narrator decided to tell his story—what do we
learn about his life “now”?
(c) Why do we find 6 blanks in the story? How much time passes during those intervals, and what is the technical
term for such a length of un-described time? (Clue: an 8-letter word, starting with an ‘E.’) In general, why does a
narrator use such blanks in his/her story? And why does the narrator use quite a few in this particular story?
(d) Which seasons are mentioned in the text, and why is it interesting to notice this? Which ideas do we associate
with those two seasons?
4) The painting: Find the different parts of the story where the painting is spoken of. Who does this painting belong
to? What is it a picture of? Would you call the subject original or not? Find the lines which show that Harry and
Kathy do not really “see” the same painting, or that they do not attach the same importance to paintings in general.
Why does Kathy ask for the painting, then sell it? Explain the strange sentence at the bottom of pg. 13 (lines 35-8),
from “I don’t think she wanted” to “either of us any more.” Is it important to stress the fact that the painting is finally
destroyed? Which symbolic value could this painting have?
Glossary
About up: quasiment terminé
Blow-through: force, conséquence
Aerial: antenne
Bob = 1 shilling = 12 pence
Ain’t = isn’t (colloquial)
Bone(-hard): (dur comme de l’) os
Allowance: pension
Bonfire: feu de joie, explosion
Allus: always (colloquial)
Booze: bibine, boisson alcoolisée
Alter, to: changer, (se) transformer
Bother, to: (se) déranger, (se) tracasser
Back to this: en réaction à ceci
Bullet: balle (de revolver)
Backyard: arrière-cour
Bundle: paquet, ballot
Band: bande (d’étoffe)
Carry on, to: continuer, poursuivre
Barefaced: effronté, éhonté
Ceiling: plafond
Bark, to: aboyer
Chap: type, mec (colloquial)
Belly: ventre
Cheeky: effronté, impertinent
Bite: mordant
Chin, to: marchander
Bits, knocked to: réduit en morceaux
Chip: ébréchure, écornure
Bitterness: amertume
Clock one, to: flanquer un marron (col.)
Blackout: panne générale
Cloth: nappe
Bladeless: dépourvu d’hélice
Clubfoot: pied bot
Blank: dégarni, vide
Cock of the walk way: qui se prend pour le
Bleak: morne, désolé
grand chef
Bleddy: bloody (colloquial)
Cod: morue (poisson)
Bleed, to: saigner
Come back with, to: rétorquer
Bloke: type, gars (colloquial)
Confined: (femme) en couches
Bloody: (adv.) sacrément, rudement ; Conger-eel: congre, anguille de mer
espèce de ; (adj.) fichu, satané
Counter: comptoir
Course: trajectoire, direction
Court, to: faire la cour, “fréquenter”
Crawl, to: se traîner, ramper
Crisp: croquant, craquant
Crown = 5 shillings = 60 pence
Crumpled: froissé
Daft: idiot, crétin
Dare, to: oser
Dead-head: nullité
Dish out, to: distribuer, prodiguer
Doddering: chancelant, gâteux
Dole, on the: au chômage
er
Down payment: acompte, 1 versement
Draughts: (jeu de) dames
Draw back, to: s’éloigner
Dresser: commode
Drizzle: bruine
Dust, to: dépoussiérer
Dwell, to: demeurer, s’apesantir sur qqch
Dye, to: teindre
Errand-boy: coursier
Fag: cigarette
Fag-end of, at ~: au bout de
Fair: blond
Fancy +ing! = how funny it is that…!
Fasten, to: attacher
Firegrate: foyer, âtre
Fleet: flotte (de bateaux)
Forewowan: contremaîtresse
Frock: robe
Gait: allure, demarche
Get off, to tell sb where to ~: envoyer
balader qqn
Graveside: près du tombeau
Grin: large sourire
Grocer: épicier
Hammer: marteau
Happen (adv.) = maybe (colloquial)
Hard up: sans le sou
Heaped-up coals: tas de charbon
Hearth: âtre, foyer (de la cheminée)
Hint, to take sb’s ~: comprendre l’allusion
Hire purchase: location-vente
Hit it off, to: bien s’entendre
Hover, to: rôder, tourner autour
Hurl, to: jeter, lancer (violemment)
If that: et encore !
Junk: article de peu de valeur
Knight in armour: redresseur de tort
Lace: dentelle
Lack, to: manquer de
Lamp-post: réverbère
Land, to: décrocher (un travail)
Last, to: durer
Lavatory: toilettes
Lead-poisoning: saturnisme, intoxication
par le plomb
Lend’s = lend us = lend me (colloquial)
Loaded with: croulant sous
Loose-limbed: souple, agile
Lot, the ~: la totale
Lurch, to leave in the: laisser en plan
Mantelpiece: rebord de la cheminée
Mash-lad: (sorte de) garçon d’écurie
Match, to strike a: allumer une allumette
Measly: misérable, miteux
Mildew: moisissure
Nippy: frisquet, frais
Nowt = nothing (colloquial)
Oblige, to: rendre service (ironique), se
faire un malin plaisir de
Off-handed: désinvolte, cavalier
Orchard: verger
Pawn, to: mettre en gage
Alan Sillitoe
(born 1928)
and his most
famous
collection of
short stories
Pawnshop: boutique de prêteur sur
gages, mont-de-piété
Payday: jour de paie
Picture house = pictures = cinema
Pit against, to: lutter/protéger contre
Plain: en toute simplicité
Plea: demande, requête
Poker: tisonnier
Pop, to: « mettre au clou »
Pop: mont-de-piété
Potty: fou, dément
Pound: livre sterling = 20 shillings = 240
pence (jusqu’en 1971)
Print: mots (imprimés sur la page)
Prise from, to: arracher à
Prop, to: appuyer
Put by, to: mettre de côté
Put out: fâché, contrarié
Quart = 2 pints = 2 x 568 ml
Quid = sterling pound (£) (colloquial)
Rammel: rubbish (colloquial)
Registered letter: un recommandé
Rotten luck: déveine, manque de chance
Rotten: pourri, minable
Round: tournée (d’un facteur)
Row, to: (se) quereller
Ruffled: irrité, froissé
Rusty: rouillé
Sack, to get the: se faire virer
Safe bet, to be a: être à peu près sûr
Sail: voile (de bateau)
Sake, for the ~ of: par égard pour
Sarky < sarcastic
Scuttle: seau à charbon
Set sb thinking, to: faire réfléchir qqn
Settle an issue, to: régler un problème
Seven and six=seven shillings & six pence
Sexton: sacristain, bedeau
Shabby: miteux
Shame, it’s a: dommage, gâchis
th
Shilling: 1/20 part of a pound
Shrapnel: éclats d’obus
Shrink, to: diminuer, (se) réduire
Shuffle, to: traîner les pieds
Sideboard: buffet
Sidestep, to: esquiver
Single: célibataire
Skinflint: radin
Skip off, to: décamper, filer
Slam out, to: partir en claquant la porte
Smear, to: tacher
Sneer, to: railler, dire ironiquement
So long! = see you!
So’s = so as = so that (colloquial)
Soak, to: tremper
Soar, to: s’élancer, s’élever
Soggy: détrempé
Sole: semelle
Spark: étincelle
Spin out, to: faire durer, tout décrire
Spinebone: épine dorsale
Spirit-level: niveau à bulle
Split second: fraction de seconde
Stack, to: empiler, entasser
Starvation wages: salaire de misère
Stick, to: coller, rester en mémoire
Stink, to: puer
Stove: poêle
Straightaway: tout de suite
Strap: lanière
Stroke of luck: coup de chance
Stuff, to: fourrer
Stuff: articles, affaires
Swear, to: jurer, injurier
Take on, to: lutter, se batter (contre)
Talkative: bavard
Tea: repas du soir
Tear stain: tache/trace de larme
Terrace: rangée de maisons identiques
Thirty-odd: personne d’une trentaine
d’années
Thoughts, on second ~: à la réflexion
Tie, to: attacher, nouer
Top of the world, be on ~: avoir la forme
Trowel: truelle
Tune: air, mélodie
Turn up again like a bad penny, to: être
un vrai pot de colle
Uneasy: mal à l’aise
Unhook, to: décrocher
Wage: salaire
Wage-packet:
paie
en
espèces
(enveloppe)
Wedding: (cérémonie de) mariage
Weight: poids
Wireless: la T.S.F. (radio)
Woodwork: cadre (en bois)
Work further, to: pousser un peu plus loin
Wrap, to: emballer, envelopper
Wreckage: naufrage
Wry: désabusé, ironique