Ballads as the oldest forms of poetry

Vocabulary:
minstrel – поет, виконавець
to make up – складати, формувати
to entertain – розважати
however – однак, проте
manor – феодальний, поміщицький
toremain – залишатися
todiffer– відрізнятися
stanza – куплет, строфа
refrain – повтор, приспів

One of the oldest forms of poetry is a special kind of narrative poem known
as the ballad. As a rule, ballads are concerned with sharp conflicts and deep human
emotion. Once in a while, however, a ballad will deal with the funny side of life.
The first ballads were songs made up by bards and minstrels who travelled
from town to town, earning their living by singing their stories to entertain groups of
people common people in town marketplaces as well as nobles in manor houses and
castles. Sometimes listeners would join in on the refrain and occasionally listeners
would dance to the music of the ballad.
The minstrels who composed the early ballads used to be uneducated people,
as a rule. As a result, the language of the early ballads is fairly simple. The ballads
passed on orally from one minstrel to another and from one generation to another.
And so, there are several variations of the same ballad. But even though names and
details may differ, the basic story may remain unchanged. It was not until the
middle of the 1700s that scholars began to write down the early ballads in the forms
we read them today.
Ballads differ from ordinary narrative poems in these ways:
1) They usually involve common, everyday people (although there are ballads
about nobles, too.
2) They deal with physical courage or tragic love.
3) They contain little characterization or description. The action moves forward
mainly through dialogue.
4) Much of the story is told indirectly. The reader has to fill it from what the
words imply.
Ballads tell a reader their stories in stanzas. Each stanza has four lines. The
fourth line rhymes with the second. The first and the third lines of the stanzas have
four accented sounds (syllables).
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 Task 1
Decide if the statements are true or false:
1. One of the oldest forms of poetry is a special kind of narrative poem known
as the novel.
2. Ballads are concerned with sharp conflicts and deep human emotion.
3. Ballads never deal with the hilarious side of life.
4. The minstrels who composed the early ballads used to be highly educated
people.
5. The language of the early ballads is fairly complicated.
6. It was not until the middle of the 1800s that scholars began to write down
the early ballads in the forms we read them today.

Task 2
Choose the correct answer:
1. One of the oldest forms of poetry is a special kind of narrative poem known
as the …
a) The novel;
b) The story;
c) The ballad.
2.The first ballads were songs made up by bards and minstrels who travelled from
town to town, …
a) Doing the sightseeing;
b) Exploring the country;
c) Making their living.

3.The language of the early ballads is …

a) Difficult to comprehend;
b) Hard to memorize;
c) Easy to make out.

4.It was not until the middle of the 1700s that scholars began to … the early
ballads in the forms we read them today.
a) Make out;
b) Take note of;
c) Act out. 2
 Ballads about Robin Hood

Vocabulary:
villain – злодій, злочинець, негативний герой
outlaw – бандит, грабіжник, людина поза закону
archer – лучник
reign – правління
to graze – пастися
landowner – землевласник
to excell - стати майстернішим за інших
contribution – внесок
to betray – зрадити

England`s favourite hero, Robin Hood, is a partly legendary, partly historical

character. He lived in about the second half of the 12 th century, in the times of King
Henry II and his son Richard the Lion-Heart. In those days many of the big castles
belonged to robber-barons, who ill-treated the people, stole children and took away
the cattle and corn of the villains. If the country-folk resisted, they were either killed
by the barons or driven away, and their homes were destroyed. They had no choice
but to go out in bands and hide in the woods; then they were declared outlaws
(outside the protection of the law).
Great oaks and beeches grew in the forests. The forests abounded in the game
of all kinds. The Saxons were keen hunters and skilled archers. But in the reign of
Henry II the numerous herds of deer that grazed in the open glades by the brooks
were proclaimed the king`s deer and the immense forests the king`s forest. Hunting
was prohibited. The laws were always hard on the Saxons and favoured the
Normans. The king`s foresters allowed the barons and the rich abbots to hunt as
much as they pleased. They provided the sheriffs (a sheriff was the chief officer of
the king in a country or shire, responsible for administering justice and keeping the
peace) of the towns with venison (deer fresh). But if a Saxon was caught drawing a
shaft ( letting an arrow fly), he was dragged off to prison and one of his ears was cut
off.
In Sherwood Forest near Nottingham there was a large band of outlaws led by
Robin Hood. He came from a family of Saxon landowners, whose land had been
seized by a Norman baron. Their house was not confiscated only because it was
thought unworthy of being the residence of a Norman baron. Robin`s family were
allowed to stay in their home on the condition the make an annual payment of hogs
and hay. 3
 The Norman barons were all engaged in the king`s wars. During the absence of
the baron, Robin Hood`s family refused to send in their contribution of hogs and
provender. When the baron came back he punished them: stole their cattle, burned
down their house and drove them off into the forest. Fortunately for the Saxon
families their Norman masters were always getting killed, and then the Saxons
would return, rebuild their houses and live in peace until the next baron came. This
was exactly what happened to Robin`s family too.
So Robin had practically grown up in the forest. He had become so skillful an
archer that he excelled all others. He also met his love in the forest, the fair maiden
Marian. They would have been happy but for the continual fear of the Norman
foresters. One day Robin`s father was found murdered in the forest. The night after
the funeral the sheriff of Nottingham came with 20 men to arrest Robin in his house.
The sheriff obviously meant to clear the country of all the Saxon hunters. Robin
defended himself and his arrow pierced the sheriff through the heart. That night
Robin burned down his house and went to the forest again, taking with him all his
family and his friends.
The ballads of Robin Hood tell us of his adventures in the forest as an
outlaw. Many Saxons joined him there. They were called the merry men of Robin
Hood. They roamed the woods in their green coats killing birds and animals for
food, playing all sorts of tricks on anyone who happened to come near them.
Robin`s closest friends were Little John (he was the tallest of them all) and Alana
Dale. Robin himself is described as a man with a twinkle in the eye, who never
robbed the poor. He was a tireless enemy of the Norman oppressors and always
helped the country-folk in their troubles. Though the sheriff had put a big price on
Robin`s head, not a Saxon in all Nottingham betrayed him.

Task 1
Answer the questions
1. Who did the big castles use to belong to?
2. What grew in forests?
3. What was forbidden?
4. Who was responsible for administering justice and keeping the peace?
5. What happened to Robin’s family?
Task 2 Choose the correct answer:
1. Robin Hood …
a) really existed;
b) didn’t really exist;
c) remains an enigma for historians.
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 2. Sherwood Forest is …
a) the place where Robin lived;
b) the oldest forest in England;
c) the biggest forest in England.
3. The Norman barons were all engaged in …
a) the service of the clergymen;
b) royal service;
c) the service of the nobles.
4. The laws were always hard on the … and favoured the …
a) Normans, Saxons
b) Chinese, Saxons
c) Saxons, Normans
5. The sheriff had put a big price on Robin’s head, not a Saxon in all
Nottingham … .
a) praised him;
b) let him down;
c) told him off.

The Image of the People's Defender

Vocabulary:
to glorify–прославляти
gloriously – славно, чудесно
bishop - єпископ
toinsult–ображати
sumptuousfeast – розкішний бенкет
impenetrable – незрозумілий, безпросвітний, непрохідний
todescend – сходити, спускатись
to turn out – виявитись

In folk ballads about Robin Hood, the hero's justice and his love for the
common people were glorified: “For thirteen years, Rob lived gloriously in the
wilderness. He considered everyone who was disadvantaged to be his best friends,
and the rich were scared to death of his hunting horn. " According to the legend, he
acted with his gang in the Sherwood Forest near Nottingham and fought for justice.
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 In the legend, the enemies against Robin Hood are, first of all, the Bishop of
Herford and the Sheriff of Nottingham. They sometimes set dangerous traps, but
each time the "forest brothers" win because the sympathies of ordinary people are
on their side. He was not an ordinary robber. In ballads, he often supported the
notion of justice.
Robin states: “I have never insulted a person who is responsible and honest,
I attack someone who lives for someone else's place. I never shed the blood of a
plowman ... ". That is why Robin Hood's attackson churches, fiery abbots, and
members living behind other poor workers are so widespread. Robin Hood and his
comrades followed the code of the knight. They vowed to protect the disadvantaged
and the aggrieved, to treat women with respect. They fought only in cases where it
was necessary to restore justice. Robin Hood and his comrades defended the ideals
of morality, honor and justice. Interestingly, dying in the arms of his friend Little
John, Robin Hood did not allow revenge. That is courageous, accepting death; he
did not want others to die because of it.
Long, long ago the biggest part of England was covered with thick green
forests. Not far from Nottingham the gang of robbers hid in the impenetrable
Sherwood Forest. They were dressed in the clothes of green colour. All of them
could shoot arrows and were perfect shooters.
The ringleader of those men was fearless Robin Hood. Robin Hood and his
followers known as the Merry Men were famous for their noble deeds. They tried to
protect poor people from the cruelty of their masters. Very often they took money
from the rich to give it to the poor.
Robin Hood descended from the earldom of the Huntingdons. But after his
parents` death all the rich lands of this noble family were taken away. Family
tragedy made Robin go to Sherwood Forest. With a great bitterness in his heart he
had to leave his birthplace and his beloved Maid Marion, whom he had known from
his childhood, whom he wanted to marry. But a little bit later Marian joined her
beloved and trustful friend Robin Hood and his brave Merry Men. She fearlessly
fought side by side with Robin Hood. They got married not in the church but under
the canopy of the legendary Sherwood Forest.
Once in Sherwood Forest Robin Hood met a strange knight. It was Guy
Gisborn. As it turned out he got the order to catch the robber, Robin Hood. The
bloody fight set in between Guy Gisborn and Robin Hood in which the brave Robin
Hood took the victory. He put on the knight`s clothes and made his way to rescue
his friend Little John who was captured by the sheriff. Sheriff gave an order to hang
Little John as Robin Hood`s accessory. The moment hangman stretched his hand to
his victim, the sounds of the hunting horn were heard. That was Robin Hood who
6
hurried to save his friend. Thanks to Robin`s quick wit and courage Little John
survived. They gave a sumptuous feast for their friends to celebrate success.
Little John stayed with Robin Hood to the end. That was he who closed
Robin`s eyes when merciless death came to the noblest and the most fearless Price
of Thieves. Robin Hood died. But the memory about his glorious deeds and his
noble kind heart lives in the ballads and in the hearts of those people who like
freedom, truth and justice. On the Robin Hood`s grave under the huge oak tree Little
John put a big stone and carved the words devoted to his friend.

Task 1
Actualization of basic knowledge and skills
- Who can be called a real knight?
- Are there real knights nowadays?
Task 2
Answer the questions:
1. Who did Robin Hood support?
2. What qualities of the hero were described in the ballads?
3. What did he fight for in Sherwood Forest?
4. What does the expression "forest brothers" stand for?

Complete the sentences:

1. Family tragedy made Robin go to …. .

2. Robin has never insulted a person who is … .
3. Robin Hood and his comrades followed the code of … .
4. They vowed to protect ….. , to treat women with …. .
5.Robin Hood and his comrades defended the ideals of … .
6. Robin Hood did not allow … .

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 Old English Ballads

Vocabulary:

to disinherit – позбавити спадщини

playwright – драматург
outstanding – визначний, провідний
to concern – стосуватися
toflatter– прикрашати, хвалити
stanza – строфа
refrain– рефрен
strain– напруга, тиск
togain – отримати
almighty– всемогутній, жахливий
torenounce – відрікатися, відступитися

Folk ballads were originally composed by anonymous singers and were

passed down orally from generation to generation before they were written down.
Characteristics of anOld English ballad:
 simple language – they feature language that people can understand without
specialist training or repeated reading;
 ballads tend to be narrative poems;
 the traditional ballad stanza consists of four lines, rhymed abcb;
 repetition. A ballad often has a refrain.
 third-person objective narration- ballad narrators usually do not speak in the
first person;
 traditional images (flowers, palace, drama, crown, etc.);
 dialogues – the stories are mostly told through dialogues;
 use of supernatural elements
The image of the legendary King Lear has become eternal. He is depicted not
only in myths, chronicles and Old English ballads, but also in the play "King Lear"
by the outstanding English playwright W. Shakespeare (1608). This story is reborn
from time to time in different typesof art - literature, painting, opera and ballet.
The main plot concerns Lear, an aged King of Ancient Britain. He prepares to
divide his kingdom among his three daughters – Regan, Goneril and Cordelia."Lear
becomes angry with Cordelia. She refuses to flatter him to gain her portion of the
kingdom. Lear disinherits her. 8
 Regan and Goneril soon show their ingratitude. They deprive Lear of his
servants and force him to spend a night outdoors during a storm. Lear’s mind begins
to snap under the strain. But as he approaches madness, he finally sees his errors and
selfishness. Meanwhile, Goneril poisoned Regan and then killed herself. Lear dies
of a broken heart.
In «King Lear» the very foundations of monarchy to be inhuman,
demoralizing, and monstrousis shown. In the first scenes of the play Lear is an old
king, drunk with the sense of his almighty power. This sense prompts him to put his
power to a final proof by renouncing his royal authority and dividing his kingdom
between hid three daughters.
The reason for this action lies in Lear`s conviction of his personal greatness,
which, as he thinks, does not depend upon his kingship but will be with him in any
circumstances. He is sure that the kingdom will remain a kingdom without king, and
that he will remain a king without his kingdom. He calls this intention “our darker
(that is, hidden, top-secret) purpose”, although at the very beginning of the play we
learn that this plan is known among the courtiers, for Gloucester says that
“equalities are so weighed the curiosity in neither can make choice of either`s
moiety”, which means that the kingdom divided into absolutely equal shares, and no
princess will cause to consider herself dealt with fairly. Nevertheless, in his first
speech Lear commands the princess.

Task 1 Choose the correct answer:

1. In what country did King Lear live:
a) France
b) England
c) Scotland
2. The king's eldest daughter was called:
a) Cordelia
b) Gonorrhea
c) Reagan
3. Which of the daughters Lear was disinherited:
a) the youngest
b) the eldest
c) another
4. How did the father-king divide the inheritance:
a)equally between three daughters
b) gave his heritage to the eldest daughter
c) divided into two parts
5. Did the father-king live happily with the eldest daughter: 9
 a) they got on well with each other
b) he was humiliated, not allowed to eat
c) he was deprived of sleep.

Task 2. Answer the questions:

1. What are the most common characteristics of ballads?
2. How many daughters does he have?
3. Why does he become angry with Cordelia?
4. Who deprives the king of his servants?
5. Does he finally see his errors?
6. What does he die of?

Old English and Old Scottish ballads as a work of chivalry

Vocabulary:
date (back) -сягати, відноситися
sermon -настанова, проповідь
chivalry - рицарство, благородство та відвага
annal -хроніка подій (одного року)
outwith - за межами, крім того
exhortatory -повчальний
didactic -інструктивний, наставницький
seafaring -мореплавство, мандри, навігація
vernacular- написані на рідній мові
Scottish literature is one of the oldest literatures in Europe. In Scottish
literature you will meet some of the world’s major authors and most essential
writing. And you will be introduced to aspects of Scotland and Scottish life which
are available nowhere else: there are authors and works here that are simply
unimaginable outwith Scotland. Scottish literature has often been described in
historical periods and specific cultural movements.
Old English literature, or Anglo-Saxon literature, encompasses the surviving
literature written in Old English in Anglo-Saxon England, in the period after the
settlement of the Saxons and other Germanic tribes in England (Jutes and the
10
Angles), after the withdrawal of the Romans, and "ending soon after the Norman
 Conquest" in 1066.These works include genres such as epic poetry,
hagiography, sermons, Bible translations, legal works, chronicles and riddles.
There are about 400 surviving manuscripts from the period.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annalsin Old English, from the
9th century, that chronicle is the history of the Anglo-Saxons.The poem Battle of
Maldon also deals with history. This work is dedicated to the Battle of Maldon of
991, when the Anglo-Saxons failed to prevent a Viking invasion.Oral tradition was
very strong in early English culture and the literary works were written to be
performed.
Epic poems were very popular, and some, including Beowulf, have survived
to the present day. Beowulf is the most famous work in Old English, and has
achieved national epic status in England, despite being set in Scandinavia.
Beowulf is the conventional title and its composition is dated between the
8th and the early 11th century.Nearly all Anglo-Saxon authors are anonymous:
twelve are known by name from medieval sources, but only four of those are known
by their vernacularworks.
Cædmon is the earliest English poet whose name is known and his only
known surviving work Cædmon's Hymn probably dates from the late 7th century.
The poem is one of the earliest examples of Old English and isone of three
candidates for the earliest example of Old English poetry. It is also one of the
earliest recorded examples of sustained poetry in a Germanic language.
The poem, The Dream of the Rood, was inscribed upon the Ruthwell
Cross.Two Old English poems from the late 10th century are The Wanderer and The
Seafarer. Both have a religious theme and Richard Marsden describes The Seafarer
as "an exhortatory and didactic poem, in which the miseries of winter seafaring are
used as a metaphor for the challenge faced by the committed Christian "Classical
antiquity was not forgotten in Anglo-Saxon England, and several Old English
poems are the adaptations of late classical philosophical texts.

Complete the statements:

1.Scottish literature has often been described in … and specific … .
2. Scottish literature is one of the …. literatures in … .
3. Old English literature, or Anglo-Saxon literature, encompasses the surviving
literature written in ……, in the period after the …. .
11
4. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of…, from the … century, that
chronicle is the history of … .
 5. …tradition was very strong in early English culture and most literary works
were written to be … .
6. …. is the most famous work in Old English, and has achieved national epic
status in … , despite being set in Scandinavia.
7. Nearly all Anglo-Saxon authors are anonymous: … are known by name from ….

Task 2. Answer the questions:

 What is one of the earliest recorded examples of sustained poetry in a
Germanic language?
 What are the common peculiars of Old English literature?
 What doold English poems and classical philosophical texts have in
common?

The Image of Legendary King Lear

Vocabulary:
to accept – приймати
torment – муки, страждання
sorrow – журба, смуток
abrupt – раптовий, різкий
predicament – скрутне становище
to evade – ухилятися
to cajole – улещувати, задобрювати
to plead – благати
todenouncesomebody – доносити на когось, обвинувачувати когось
profound – проникливий
tounburden – полегшити тягар
to aid – допомогти
to conform to – відповідати (напр. бажанням)
bitter – гіркий
to threaten – погрожувати
12

This is a play with one central character:King Lear. His character is

complex. During the play Lear changes in a deep and radical way. Through great
torment and the endless jar of right and wrong, he comes to a better knowledge of
himself and the world. His most complete moment of happiness occurs when he is
reconciled with Cordelia and looking forward to being with her. It is followed
almost immediately by his most profound moment of sorrow, when his new
understanding with Cordelia comes to an abrupt end with her murder. He dies of a
broken heart.
The energy of his speeches makes it possible to forget that Lear is a very old
man. He is over 80, and it is under the pressure of growing old that he decides to
divide his kingdom. He wants to unburden himself of the cares and business of
government and keep only the prestige, honours, titles and ceremonies. This is a
tragic mistake. This fatal decision is very much Lear's free choice, determined not
by any outside force, but by his character. Lear even ignores all the warnings of
others. This is not simple stubbornness, but a denial of reality that is the beginning
of his madness.
For Shakespeare, the division of a kingdom means civil war and is an image
of chaos. Power cannot be separated from responsibility. Lear seeks to enjoy the
pleasures of power without accepting its pains. This is an indication of his
selfishness.
King Lear is self-centred, pre-occupied throughout the play with his own
predicament and his own feelings. He is child-like in his manner of wanting his
own way and in wanting to destroy the world when it does not conform to his
wishes. Only after his madness, he begins to show concern for other people, he
urges Kent and the Fool to go into the hovel before him, behaviour rare in a king.
Nevertheless, even when he is at last reconciled with Cordelia, he has difficulty in
saying that he is sorry.
Lear has a desperate need to be loved. It is his daughters' ingratitude that he finds
most bitter. The private fact of love is not enough for him; he demands a public
statement of his daughters' affections and even wants them to compete with each
other in their declarations.He does not offer affection to them, only the command:
love me. As it is in the nature of love that it can only be freely given, it is not
surprising that all three daughters, in their different ways, evade his command.
Lear's need to be loved is so great that he not only threatens, cajoles and
pleads with his daughters to care for him, but also studiously ignores the true
nature of their behaviour. He pretends that the world is other than it is.
Shakespeare shows us in "King Lear" the full sense of the word madness,
which means both anger and insanity. After going mad, Lear gradually begins to
re-absorb the world. He starts to see his daughters as they are.
Despite all his weaknesses, Lear inspires great loyalty, not only in Cordelia,
but in the Fool, Kent and Gloucester. All risk their lives to aid Lear, they stand by
him even when he rejects them. They recognize the good in him and serve to
remind us of it. Lear is not betrayed by his friends. Throughout the play he is
13
surrounded by people ready to help him. It shows us that his struggle is primarily
with himself. He is responsible for his fate.
 His madness causes Lear to question his own nature and that of the world.
When in the first scene of the play Cordelia refuses to say anything, Lear does not
inquire into her motives, but only asks if she means it and then, when she says she
does, denounces her. Later, as he feels what it is to be without power, he changes.
As part of his search for self-knowledge, Lear re-examines the society in which he
lives.

Decide if the statement is correct or not:

1. King Lear lived in England.
2. He had 2 daughters.
3. Reagan, the eldest of the king’s daughters, loved her father sincerely and
devotedly.
4. King Lear is a symbol of tragic paternal love.
5. His daughters didn’t let him down.

Complete the sentences:

 The division of a kingdom means …
 Lear even ignores…
 He wants to unburden himself of …
 Lear has a desperate need to…
 He dies of…

Robert Louis Stevenson. Literary Scene

Vocabulary:
to suffer from – потерпати від
dueto - відповідно до
upcoming – майбутній; той, що наближається
immensely – безмежно, сильно
to take a great toll – негативно вплинути
pursue – займатися, працювати над, шукати

The Scottish author is mostly known for his novel “Treasure Island”, and for
the gothic novella “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”, which our upcoming
London StoryTour is based on. Here are ten quick facts to get to know him better.
14
1) Stevenson was born in Edinburgh in 1850 and his family’s profession was
lighthouse design – a career he would later turn down to pursue writing instead.
 2) As a child, Robert Louis Stevenson often suffered from respiratory illnesses,
something that followed him through life and resulted in him being extraordinary
thin. Due to being chronically ill, he was privately tutored at home during long
periods of time and began writing stories already as a young child. His father was
immensely proud of his writing and paid for Robert’s first publication at 16, entitled
“The Pentland Rising: A Page of History, 1666”.
3) Stevenson had a temporary falling out with his parents after his father had
found a pamphlet in his room which contained the constitution of the Liberty,
Justice and Reverence Club, of which Stevenson and his cousin Bob were members.
The constitution began: “Disregard everything our parents have taught us”.
4) He met his American future wife, Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, in France in
1876 when he was 26 years old. Three years later he left Europe on a steamship to
join Fanny and her children in San Francisco, but his health almost caused him to
die before he got there. He had to stop in Monterey in California, where some local
ranchers nursed him back to health. It was not until almost six months after his
journey had started that he once again met Fanny in San Francisco. He later wrote
about the experience in “The Amateur Emigrant”. It seems like a great experience
for his writing, but it took a great toll on him physically.
5) The couple married and spent their honeymoon in an abandoned mining camp
in Napa Valley, a place which was later turned into a park and named after Robert
Louis Stevenson. This trip is described in Stevenson’s “The Silverado Squatters”.
6) Stevenson wrote “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” while spending the
summer in Bournemouth with his family. Fanny later told Stevenson’s biographer
that the story had come to her husband in the shape of a nightmare. She had woken
him up when he had cried out in horror, but when he woke, he was annoyed: “Why
did you wake me? I was dreaming a fine bogey tale!”. Robert wrote the first draft of
the short story in three days, and after having received notes from Fanny, he burned
it and rewrote it in three to six days.
7) He was always on the hunt for a climate that suited his poor health and in 1888
he and his family boarded a ship headed for the eastern and central pacific. They
spent three years travelling around and during their time at the Hawaii islands, he
became good friends with King Kalākaua and the king’s niece Princess Victoria
Kaiulani. The family also spent time at the Gilbert Islands, Tahiti, New Zealand and
the Samoan Islands. During this period, Stevenson completed “The Master of
Ballantrae”, composed two ballads based on the legends of the islanders, and wrote
“The Bottle Imp”.
8) Robert Louis Stevenson died at the age of 44 in 1894. He was talking to his wife
while opening a bottle of wine when he suddenly collapsed. It is believed that he
died from a cerebral hemorrhage. Stevenson is buried on Mount Vaea on Upolu,
close to the family home – which today is a museum dedicated to the author. 15
9)The 1880s were notable for both Stevenson's declining health (which had never
been good) and his prodigious literary output. He suffered from hemorrhaging lungs
(likely caused by undiagnosed tuberculosis), and writing was one of the few
activities he could do while confined to bed. While in this bedridden state, he wrote
some of his most popular fiction, most notably Treasure Island (1883), Kidnapped
(1886), Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) and The Black Arrow
(1888).
10) The idea for Treasure Island was ignited by a map that Stevenson had drawn
for his 12-year-old stepson; Stevenson had conjured a pirate adventure story to
accompany the drawing, and it was serialized in the boys' magazine Young Folks
from October 1881 to January 1882. When Treasure Island was published in book
form in 1883, Stevenson got his first real taste of widespread popularity, and his
career as a profitable writer had finally begun. The book was Stevenson's first
volume-length fictional work, as well as the first of his writings that would be
dubbed "for children." By the end of the 1880s, it was one of the period's most
popular and widely read books.

Complete the sentences:

1. Stevensonis most known for his novel … , and for the gothic novella … .
2. His father was immensely proud of his … and paid for Robert’s first … .
3. Stevenson had a temporary falling out with his parents after his father had found
….
4. Stevenson wrote … while spending the summer in Bournemouth with his
family.
5. The family also spent time at the Gilbert Islands, Tahiti, New Zealand and the
Samoan Islands. During this period, Stevenson completed … .
6. He wrote some of his most popular … , most notably Treasure Island (…. ),
Kidnapped (…. ), Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (….) and The Black
Arrow (…. ).

Answer the questions:

1. Where was Stevenson born?
2. Where did the couple spend their honeymoon?
3. What illnesses did he suffer from?
4. At what age did Stevenson die?

16

Heather Ale: A Galloway Legend

Vocabulary:

heather –вереск
ale - ель
to brew – варити, готувати
moorland – болото, місцевість, яка поросла вереском
tohum – гудіти, чинити гамір
dare–насмілитися

From the bonny bells of heather,

They brewed a drink long syne,
Was sweeter far than honey,
Was stronger far than wine.
They brewed it and they drank it,
And lay in blessed swound,
For days and days together,
In their dwellings underground.
 
There rose a King in Scotland,
A fell man to his foes,
He smote the Picts in battle,
He hunted them like roes.
Over miles of the red mountain
He hunted as they fled,
And strewed the dwarfish bodies
Of the dying and the dead.
 
Summer came in the country,
Red was the heather bell,
But the manner of the brewing,
Was none alive to tell.
In graves that were like children’s
On many a mountain’s head,
The Brewsters of the Heather
Lay numbered with the dead.
 
The king in the red moorland
Rode on a summer’s day;
And the bees hummed and the curlews
Cried beside the way.
The King rode and was angry, 17
Black was his brow and pale,
To rule in a land of heather,
And lack the Heather Ale.
 
It fortuned that his vassals,
Riding free upon the heath,
Came on a stone that was fallen
And vermin hid beneath.
Roughly plucked from their hiding,
Never a word they spoke:
A son and his aged father –
Last of the dwarfish folk.
 
The king sat high on his charger,
He looked down on the little men;
And the dwarfish and swarthy couple
Looked at the king again.
Down by the shore he had them:
And there on the giddy brink –
“I will give thee life ye vermin,
For the secret of the drink.”
 
There stood the son and father
And they looked high and low;
The heather was red around them,
The sea rumbled below.
And up spoke the father,
Shrill was his voice to hear:
“I have a word in private,
A word for the royal ear.
 
“Life is dear to the aged,
And honour a little thing;
I would gladly sell the secret”,
Quoth the Pict to the King.
His voice was small as a sparrow’s,
And shrill and wonderful clear:
“I would gladly sell my secret,
Only my son I fear.
 
“For life is a little matter,
And death is nought to the young;
And I dare not sell my honour,
Under the eye of my son. 18
Take him, O king, and bind him,
And cast him far in the deep;
And it’s I will tell the secret
That I have sworn to keep.”
 
They took the son and bound him,
Neck and heels in a thong,
And a lad took him and swung him,
And flung him far and strong
And the sea swallowed his body,
Like that of a child of ten;
And there on the cliff stood the father,
Last of the dwarfish men.
 
“True was the word I told you:
Only my son I feared;
For I doubt the sapling courage,
That goes without the beard.
But now in vain is the torture,
Fire shall not avail:
Here dies in my bosom
The secret of the Heather Ale.”

Answer the questions:

1. What was sweeter far than honey and stronger far than wine?
2. What happened to the Picts when there rose a King in Scotland?
3. Why was the King angry while he was riding on a summer’s day?
4. Who is life dear to?
5. Whose voice was small as sparrow’s?
6. Who was ready to sell the secret?
7. According to the legend death is nought to the young, isn’t it?
8. Who took the son and bound him?
9. Whose body did the sea swallow?
10. Why was the torture in vain?
Translate into English:
 В країні настало літо.
 Так слова і не зронив.
 Поговорити віч-на-віч.
 Старість боїться смерті. 19

Chapter18

Vocabulary:
stockage – запас, збереження запасів
squire – землевласник, суддя, молодий дворянин, зброєносць
ashore – на березі
cannonade – вогонь, обстріл
musket – мушкет, вогнепальна зброя
carpenter– тесляр

Story Continued by the Doctor: End of the First Day's Fight

As we ran as fast as we could to the stockade, we could hear the pirates'
voices quite near. When we came up to the stockade, seven pirates ran out of the
forest. We stopped and the pirates stopped too. Before they could decide what to
do, not only the squire and I, but also Hunter and Joyce from the log-house, had
time to fire. One of the seven pirates fell, and the other six turned and ran back into
the wood. We walked up to the pirate. He was quite dead. But at that moment we
heard a pistol shot in the wood, and poor Tom Redruth fell on the grass. The squire
and I ran up to him. I at once saw that he was dying. We carried him into the log-
house. We all liked him.
He always did everything he was asked to do and never said a word. And
now he was dying. The squire kissed Tom's hands, and cried like a child. "Am I
dying, doctor?" the old man asked me. What could I tell him? Soon after that he
died. All that time in the log-house I also looked at the captain. In his pockets he
had very many things, and now he was taking them out: two British flags, a Bible,
a pen, the ship's log-book, tobacco and other things.
Very soon the British flag was high in the air over the tops of the trees. And
when Tom Redruth died, the captain came up and put the other flag over him. Then
he came up to me. "Doctor Livesey", he said, "We have little food here. Enough
powder and arms, but little food". At that moment a round shot whistled over the
log-house, but it fell far from the house, in the wood. The second round shot fell
inside the stockade. "Captain", said the squire, “they can't see the log-house from
the ship. But now they can see the flag. Won't it be better to strike the flag?"
"Strike the flag?" cried the captain. "No, sir, I'm not going to strike the flag". And
as he said the words, we understood he was right. The flag showed the pirates that
we were not afraid of them and their cannonade.
There is one more thing we must do", said the captain, "we must save the
food that went to the bottom. I don't think there are pirates in the wood in front of
20
us now, and the ebb-tide has carried the water away from the shore. We can get the
salted meat that was in the boat I think, and we must do it now. Volunteers to go
and bring the food". Gray and Hunter at once said they were ready to go. Well-
armed they left the stockade; but it was too late: four or five mutineers were
already carrying the food to one of their boats, which was waiting for them. Silver
was in the stern of it, and every mutineer was now armed with a musket. That day
the captain took the log-book, sat down, and began writing: “Alexander Smollett,
captain of the ship, David Livesey, ship's doctor, John Trelawney, owner of the
Hispaniola, Abraham Gray, carpenter's mate, John Hunter and Richard Joyce,
owner's servants - all that is left faithful of the ship's company - with food only for
ten days, came ashore this day, and put up the British flag on the log-house in
Treasure Island. Thomas Redruth, owner's servant, was shot by the mutineers,
James Hawkins, cabin-boy".
At that time I was also thinking about poor Jim, when suddenly I heard a
loud voice from behind the stockade. "Somebody is calling us", said Hunter who
was on guard. "Doctor! Squire! Captain! Hallo, Hunter, is that you?" somebody
was shouting. And I ran to the door and saw Jim Hawkins climbing over the
stockade.

Choose the correct answer from among those offered:

1. When they came up to the stockade

a) seven pirates ran out of the ship.

b) seven pirates ran out of the forest.
c) three people ran towards the forest.

2. ...fell on the grass.

a) Tom Redruth
c) Joyce
b) Hunter

3. The captain had...

a) a gun in his pocket.
 b) nothing in his pockets.
c) very many things in his pocket.

21
4. The flag showed the pirates...
a) where they were.
b) that they were ready to fight with them.
с) that they were not afraid of them.

5. …took the log-book, and began writing.

a) The captain
b) David Livesey
c) Jim Hawkins

6. Suddenly they heard that...

a)pirates asked for their help.
b) somebody was shouting.
c) somebody ran to the door.

Complete the sentences:

 The flag showed the pirates that…
 One of the seven pirates fell, and the other six turned…
 I at once saw that…
 Well-armed they left the stockade; but …

«Treasure Island»
PART V
My Sea Adventure
CHAPTER 22
How I Began My Sea Adventure
Vocabulary:
mutineer - бунтар
wound, towound – рана, поранити
to bandage – перев’язати
to cutlass – рубати шаблею
stockage – запас, сховище
musket – вогнепальна зброя, мушкет
powder - порох
toarm– озброювати 22
The mutineers did not come back. They did not even make one shot out of
the woods. "They have had enough for this day", the captain said. And we had
enough time to bandage the wounded and to have dinner.
Out of the eight men who fell in the fight, five were dead. The three
wounded were one of the pirates, Hunter and Captain Smollett. The pirate soon
died during the operation, under the doctor's knife. The doctor and we all did
everything to save Hunter, but he was badly wounded and died the following night.
The Captain's wounds were serious enough, but not dangerous.
"I'm sure he will live", said the doctor, “but for a few weeks he mustn't walk or
move his arm, and he must speak as little as he can now".
After dinner the squire and the doctor talked for some time alone, and then
the doctor put on his hat, took two loaded pistols, his cutlass, put the map of the
island into his pocket, and with a musket over his shoulder he crossed the stockade
on the north side and disappeared among the trees. Gray and I were sitting in the
far end of the log-house at that time. We were surprised to see Dr. Livesey going
into the wood alone.
"Is Dr. Livesey mad?" Gray said.
"No", I said. “He's no madder than you or me, or any of the others". "Well, mate",
answered Gray, "If he isn't mad, then I am. I don't understand what he is doing".
"The doctor has his plan", I said. "I think he is going to see Ben Gunn now".
I was right as we later learned. But at that time I began making my own plan
which wasn't so right. It was terribly hot in the log-house. We had to sit in that hot
log- house, and there was so much blood around and there were so many or dead
men lying around, that I began to hate the place. The doctor was now walking in
the woods in the cool air with the birds around him.
All the time I was washing the floor in the log-house, and then washing the
things from dinner, I hated the log-house more and more. And at last, when I was
near the bread-bag of ship's biscuits, and nobody was looking at me, I quickly put
some biscuits into my pockets. Now, I thought, I had food for two days. Next I
took a pair of pistols, and as I already had powder and bullets, I felt I was well
armed.

Complete the sentences:

 Out of the eight men who fell in the fight, five …
 The doctor and we all did everything to save Hunter, but he…
  After dinner the squire and the doctor talked for some time alone, and then
the doctor…
 We had to sit in that hot log- house, and there was so much blood around,
and there were so many or dead men lying around, that I began...
23
Answer the questions:
1. Who died during the operations?
2. What was done to save Hunter?
3. Why were they surprised?
4. Why did they think that the doctor was mad?
5. How many men were wounded?
6. Why did he feel he was well armed?

«Treasure Island»
My Sea Adventure
CHAPTER 22 (Part 2)

Vocabulary:
anchorage – якірна стоянка
current - течія
hawser – трос, канат
board – палуба
tocarryout – здійснювати
squire –зброєносець, суддя, молодий дворянин

I was a fool if you want to know, and I was certainly going to do a foolish
thing. But the plan which I had in my head wasn’t a bad plan. I was going to go to
Ben Gunn's white rock and see if Ben Gunn's boat was there or not. I knew I had
no right to leave my friends, and I knew they couldn't let me go. So my plan was to
run away when nobody was watching. That was a wrong way, and it made my plan
wrong. But you will remember that I was only a boy at that time. Well, I soon
found a good moment to run away, when the squire and Gray were helping the
captain with his bandages. I climbed over thestockade, and before they saw that I
was absent, I was already far away from my friends and the log-house.
That was certainly a second foolish thing that I did. It was even worse than
the first, when I went ashore with the pirates. This time there were only two strong
24
men in the log-house - Gray and the squire. But, like the first foolish thing I did, it
helped to save all of us.
I ran towards the sea at once. It was already late in the afternoon, but the sun
was still shining brightly, it was warm and there was a cool wind. I enjoyed the
walk. At last I came to the anchorage and saw the Hispaniola. The Jolly Roger was
hanging from her mast. I saw one of the boatsnear the ship. Silver was sitting in it.
He was talking to two other pirates who were standing on board the ship. But the
ship was too far away from me and I couldn't hear anything. Suddenly I heard the
most terrible cry, but I soon remembered the voice of Silver's parrot, Captain Flint,
and I even saw the bird as she sat on the pirate's shoulder.
Soon the boat left the ship and returned to the shore. The two pirates on the
deck turned and went down, into the cabin, maybe. At the same time the sun went
down. It became darker and darker. I saw I must lose no time if I wanted to find
Ben Gunn's boat that evening.
The white rock was quite near that place, but it took me some time to get to
it. Sometimes I had to crawl on all fours l under the low trees. It was almost night
when I got to the place. Under the rock I found a little tent, and there, under the
tent was Ben Gunn's boat – a home - made, rude, lop-sided boat. It was very small,
even for me. I couldn't understand how Ben Gunn could get into it. So, now, that I
knew the boat was there under the white rock you will think I was going to return
to the log-house. But I was not. At that time I already had a new plan in my head,
and I liked the new plan so much that I had to carry it out at all costs.
My plan was to get to the ship at night, in Ben Gunn's boat, cut the hawser
that held the anchor and let the wind and the currents carry the Hispaniola into the
open sea, away from Treasure Island. "After today's fight", I thought, "the
mutineers will understand that the best thing for them is to return on board the ship
and go away to sea. I won't let them do that. I'll cut the Hispaniola’s hawser, and
when they come to the anchorage in the morning, they will not find the Hispaniola
there. That will be a fine thing". That was what I thought. I knew that the two
mutineers on board the ship had no boat, and I could do what I was planning with
little risk. When it was quite dark, I carried Ben Gunn's boat to the water.

Complete the sentences:

 That was certainly a second foolish thing that I did. It was even worse
than the first, when I… .
 Suddenly I heard the most terrible cry, but I soon…
  My plan was to… .
 When it was quite dark, I… .

25
Answer the questions:
1. What did the main character enjoy?
2. Which plan did he have?
3. What did he find under the rock?
4. What did he have to carry out at any costs?
5. What did he carry to the water?
6. What will the mutineers have to understand?

Robert Louis Stevenson. Treasure Island

Vocabulary:
eager – охочий, спраглий
consistently – постійно
deceitful – оманливий
recklessness – азарт, авантюра, ризик
genuinely – щиро
to boast of - вихвалятися

• Jim Hawkins: The first-person point of view, of almost the entire novel. Jim is
the son of an innkeeper near Bristol, England, and is probably in his mid teens. He is
eager and enthusiastic to go to sea and hunt for treasure. He is a modest narrator,
never boasting of the remarkable courage and heroism he consistently displays. Jim
is often impulsive and impetuous, but he exhibits increasing sensitivity and wisdom.
• Long John Silver: The cook on the voyage to Treasure Island. Silver is the
secret ringleader of the pirate band. His physical and emotional strength are
impressive. Silver is deceitful and disloyal, greedy and visceral, and does not care
about human relations. Yet he is always kind toward Jim and genuinely fond of the
boy. Silver is a powerful mixture of charisma and self-destructiveness,
individualism and recklessness. The one-legged Silver was based in part on
Stevenson's friend and mentor William Ernest Henley.
 • Dr. David Livesey: The local doctor and magistrate. Dr. Livesey is wise and
practical, and Jim respects but is not inspired by him. Livesey narrates a few
chapters of the novel. Some years previously in 1745, he had participated in the
Battle ofFontenoy, during which he waswounded in action. Livesey exhibits
26

common sense and rational thought while on the island. He is fair-minded,

magnanimously agreeing to treat the pirates with just as much care as his own
wounded men. As his name suggests, Livesey represents the steady, modest virtues
of everyday life rather than fantasy, dream, or adventure.
• Captain Alexander Smollett: The captain of the voyage to Treasure Island.
Captain Smollett is savvy and is rightly suspicious of the crew Trelawney has hired.
Smollett is a real professional, taking his job seriously and displaying significant
skill as a negotiator. Like Livesey, Smollett is too competent and reliable to be an
inspirational figure for Jim's teenage mind. Smollett believes in rules and does not
like Jim's disobedience but later in the novel states that he and Jim shouldn't go to
sea together again as Jim was too much of the born favorite for him.

• Squire John Trelawney: A local wealthy landowner; his name suggests he has
Cornish origins (a traditional Cornish rhyme states "By Tre, Pol and Pen, Ye shall
know all Cornishmen"). Trelawney arranges the voyage to the island to find the
treasure. Trelawney is excessively trustful, and is duped by Silver into hiring pirates
as his crew.

• Billy Bones: The old seaman who resides at Jim's parents' inn. Billy, who used to
be Flint's first mate, is surly and rude. He hires Jim to be on the lookout for a one-
legged man, thus involving the young Jim in the pirate life. Billy's sea chest and
treasure map set the whole adventure in motion. His gruff refusal to pay his inn bills
symbolizes the pirates' general opposition to law, order, and civilisation. His illness
and his fondness for rum symbolise the weak and self-destructive aspects of the
pirate lifestyle. He dies of a stroke as a result of drinking too much rum.

• Benjamin "Ben" Gunn: A former member of Flint's crew who became half
insane after being marooned for three years on Treasure Island, having convinced
another ship's crew that he was capable of finding Flint's treasure. Helps Jim by
giving him the location of his homemade boat and kills two of the mutineers. After
Dr. Livesey gives him what he most craves (cheese), Gunn reveals that he has found
the treasure. In Spanish America, he lets Silver escape, and in England spends his
share of the treasure (£ 1,000) in 19 days, becoming a beggar until he becomes
keeper at a lodge and a church singer "on Sundays and holy days".

Complete the sentences:

1.JimHawkinsis the son of … .
2. He is eager and enthusiastic to go to … and hunt for … .
3. Jim is often … and…. , but he exhibits increasing … and wisdom.
4. Long John Silver is the … on the voyage to Treasure Island.
5. Silver is deceitful and disloyal, greedy and visceral, and does not care about … .
6. Silver is always kind toward … .
27
7. In 1745 … had participated in the Battle of Fontenoy, during which he was
wounded in action.
8. … believes in rules and does not like Jim's disobedience.
9.Squire John Trelawney is local wealthy … .
10. …. arranges the voyage to the island to find the treasure.
11. … lets Silver escape, and in England spends his share of the treasure (£ 1,000)
in …. days, becoming a … until he becomes keeper at a lodge and a church
singer "on Sundays and holy days".

Walter Scott

Vocabulary:
novel - роман
lame - кульгавий
todepict - відображати
outlaw - розбійник
beggar - злидар
toreveal - виявляти
accidentally - випадково
devoted - відданий
defender - захисник

Walter Scott is the creator of the English historical novel. He is one of the
greatest writers in English literature. His life was a romance and a tragedy. Walter
Scott was born in 1771 in Edinburgh. Although he lost the use of his right leg
when he was only 18 months old and was lame all his life, Scott grew up a strong
man, he was the first to begin a fight and the last to end it. Grown up, he often
walked twenty or thirty miles across the countryside, meeting people whom he
afterwards depicted in his books. Scott followed his father's profession and became
a lawyer. Though he was a hard worker at his profession, he found time to dream
about the past, to study his country's history, legends and folklore. He was never
tired of searching for old people who had fought in long-ago battles or could retell
stories of Scotland's wars or its struggle against the English.
His first success was a volume of ballads, which was published in 1802
under the title of "Border Minstrelsy". In 1805 his next outstanding work "Lay of
28
the Last Minstrel" was published. Then came his finest novels “Ivanhoe", "Rob
Roy", "The Heart of a Midlothian", "Kenilworth" and others. His knowledge of the
history of his people, their customs, dress, architecture and folklore made past ages
live again in his novels. His characters are highland chiefs, princes, knights,
plowmen (ploughmen), soldiers, outlaws, gypsies, and beggars. But depicting
outstanding historical persons, kings and princes, Scott shows that their life,
actions and fate always depended on the people as a whole. Like every great
national writer. Walter Scott gave us true pictures of the life of the whole nation
and the struggle between the upper and lower sections in it. The best ofthem were
translated into the Russian language. their edition running into thousands of copies.
Walter Scott died in 1832, He was the founder of the historical novel.
Appealing to the past Walter Scott choses the period of sharp social and national
conflicts: fighting of Scotland highlanders for their independence, the revolution of
the XVII century, fighting between Saxons and Normans, conflicts of two political
forces (Puritans and Catholics) and so on. The novel usually begins with the side
episodes, in which the peculiarities of life and manners of epoch are revealed and
the political situation in the country is shown. Dozens of characters,
representatives of the various strata of society create that picturesque historical
background on which the plot of a novel is developing.
The historical persons (leaders of the parties, military leaders, kings) are
shown on the second or third background, as a rule. In the centre there is always an
imaginary character, a little idealized, not an outstanding man, but a person of
average abilities and of low social status, who accidentally gets into the vortex of
events; as if plot lines of: historical and imaginary characters cross on him and the
essence of the other shown conflict is discovered as Walter Scott saw it.
The history of Walter Scott is not the history of kings and military leaders.
That's why not outstanding persons but common people are in the centre of his
novels. Feudal peasants in "Ivanhoe", Scotland highlanders in "Rob Roy" and other
novels, craftsmen in "Perth Beauty" exercise influence on the course of events.
Although his political views were conservative, he was an advocate of "fair
monarchy" and against a revolution.
The main signs of historical genre are:
1. The colour of time and locality.
2. The description of interior.
3. Time limits and historical events.
4. Some historical persons and truthfulness of life and manners details.
One of the most popular works of Walter Scott is his novel "Ivanhoe" (1820)
in which he appeals to the period of early Middle Ages, depicting events of the last
years of the XI century. It was the period when feudal relations were firmly
29
established, the enslaving of peasants by landowners and church was finished.
The first characters readers meet on the pages of the novel are peasants Turt
and Wamba. They open the whole gallery of characters presenting the lower class
of the society. Devoted patriots of England are ordinary people- "green army" of
people's leader Robin Hood. The type of this national hero, the half-- legendary
leader of peasant rising, fair and courageous defender of oppressed people is one of
the great artistic achievements of Walter Scott. The main historical character-
Richard The Lion Heart is shown on the 3rd background but as a progressive
leader. The historical events are shown in their real everyday life in this novel.

Answer the questions:

1. When and where was W. Scott born?
2. Why was he lame all his life? What kind of man did he grow up?
3. What was his first occupation?
4. What brought him the first success?
5. What made past ages live again in his novels?
6. Who are the characters of his novels?
7. Why were his novels so popular?
8. Why is W. Scott called the founder of the historical novels?
9. What did W. Scott usually show as a background of his novel? What kind of
history did he describe?
10. What are the main signs of historical genre?

“Ivanhoe”

Vocabulary:
conqueror -загарбник
medival - середньовічний
wretched – жалюгдний, огидний
tosubdue – оволодіти, знизити
tousurp – незаконно захопити
breach – вторгнення, розрив
toreconcile – примиритися
to seize -захопити
to restore–відновити
30
The action of the novel is set in medieval England during the Crusades. The
author has introduced characters from all classes of feudal society and has shown
how class interests give rise to a bitter struggle. The central conflict of the novel
lies in the struggle of the Anglo-Saxon landowners against the Norman barons,
who cannot come to an understanding. The breach between them is widened by
their speaking different languages. Scott shows what a wretched thing it is to have
no rights in the land of one's birth. There is no peace among the Norman
conquerors either. The struggle for power does not cease. Prince John tries to usurp
the throne of his brother Richard, at that time engaged in a Crusade.
The characters of the two brothers show the two tendencies that caused the
Normans to split: one side wished to seize all the land and subdue the Anglo-
Saxons completely, while the other tended to cooperate with the remaining Anglo-
Saxon land-owners. The latter tendency was progressive, because it led to the birth
of a new nation. At the head of the remaining Anglo-Saxon knights we find a
thane, Cedric the Saxon. He hopes to restore their independence by putting a
Saxon king and queen on the throne. The queen is to be Rowena Irou'i:nəl, a young
lady said to be descended from Alfred the Great, and the future king, Athelstane of
Coningsburgh. But Cedric has a son, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who upsets his father's
plans by falling in love with Rowena. Cedric disinherits his son, and Ivanhoe goes
on a Crusade where he meets King Richard, and they become friends On their
return to England, Richard with the help of the Saxons and the free archers of
Robin Hood, fights for his crown against Prince John and wins. Cedric finally
understands how impossible it is to restore Saxon power and becomes reconciled
to the Normans. The two chief events of the novel are the great tournament at
Ashby-de-la-Zouche and the siege of Torquilstone, the castle of Sir Reginald
Front-de-Beuf.
A wonderful gallery of characters is set before our eyes; they may be
classified into three groups, according to the manner of their portrayal. The first
group is formed by those characters which are typical of the historical period
described by Scott. Such are Cedric the Saxon. Athelstane of Coningsburgh, Prince
John and the Normans, Isaac of York, and others. Each of them is endowed with a
psychology typical of his epoch and social standing.
We may say that all these characters are drawn realistically. Let us see, for
instance, how Scott depicts two serfs, Gurth the swineherd and Wamba the jester.
The former, conscious of being oppressed, is hostile to his master, Cedric the
Saxon; however, when need arises, he remains true to feudal ethics and fights for
the rescue of his master; for this he is granted his freedom, which he accepts with
great joy.
 The clever and sharp-tongued Wamba (in writing of him Scott was
doubtlessly influenced by Shakespeare's fools) prefers to remain a serf when
freedom is offered to him. This action of granting freedom to a serf is not an
31
attempt of the author to idealize feudal relations; it helps the reader to understand
his deep penetration into class psychology. Gurth is a peasant, a toiler, and such
men always long to be free and work on their own land. Wamba, on the other hand,
is a servant - one of a privileged kind, but still a servant. He is, most probably, a
hereditary jester: his father was named Witless (foolish) which is doubtless a
jester's nick- name. Wamba's psychology has been formed by his servile position,
and if he received his freedom, he would gain practically nothing, for he is not fit
to till the soil and knows no trade.
The second group of characters comprises those described in the romantic
manner. These are the fierce Templar, Sir Brian de Bois Guilbert, Rebecca, and
Ulrica, that sinister and tragic old woman. The fatal passion which Sir Brian
experiences for the beautiful Rebecca puts him among the demonic romantic
heroes, and, villain though he is, his deep and fiery emotions inspire respect and
even admiration in the reader. And the least interesting representatives of the
group, as usually happens in Scott's works, are the hero and heroine, Wilfred of
Ivanhoe and the Lady Rowena.
The characters of the third group are those created in the folklore tradition. It
goes without saying that Robin Hood, Friar Tuck and other outlaws are among
their number. But the interesting thing is that the figure of King Richard is drawn
in the same tradition. We may state with absolute assurance that a king of that kind
never existed in all the history of the world; in him Scott gives substance to the
dream which the common people cherished for many centuries: their ideal of what
a really good king should be. That is why King Richard resembles the hero of a
legend or a ballad rather than a character in a novel. The book is written with the
great descriptive skill for which Scott is justly famous. We feel drawn into the
atmosphere of the period and very soon become convinced that life in the 12th
century was such as we see it on the pages of the book. All the typical features of
Scott's creative method are concentrated in "Ivanhoe".
The author introduced characters from all classes of feudal society. The
central conflict of the novel lies in the struggle of the Anglo- Saxon landowners
against the Norman barons. The breach between them is widened by speaking
different languages. There is no peace among the Norman conquerors either. The
struggle for power does not cease. Prince John tries to usurp the throne of his
brother Richard, who was at the Crusade at that time. The characters of the two
brothers show the two tendencies that caused the Normans to split: one side wished
to seize all the land and subdue the Anglo- Saxons completely; while the other
tended to cooperate with them. Cedric the Saxon, the head of the remaining Anglo-
Saxon knights, hopes to restore their independence by putting a Saxon king or
queen on the throne. The queen is to be Rowena, young lady is said to be
descended from Alfred the Great. But Cedric has a son, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who
upsets his father's plans by falling in love with Rowena. Cedric disinherits his son,
32
and Ivanhoe gets on a Crusade where he meets King Richard, and they become
friends. On their return to England, Richard with the help of the Saxons, fights for
his crown against Prince John and wins. Cedric finally understands how impossible
it is to restore Saxon power.

Answer the questions :

1.Which characters did the author introduce?
2. What does the central conflict lie in?
3. What is the beach widened by?
4. What are two tendencies that caused the Normans to split?
5. How did Cedric the Saxon hope to restore the power?
6. Why did Cedric disinherit his son?
7. Was it possible to restore Saxon power?
8. What did Cedric finally understand?

James Aldridge

Vocabulary:

fighting countries – ворогуючі країни

to promise - обіцяти
to be attacked by sharks – бути атакованим акулами
to be devoted to – бути відданим комусь або чомусь
satiricalplay – сатирична п’єса
ordinary – звичайні, пересічні
liberation –звільнення

James Aldridge is a progressive English writer. He was born in Australia but

he received his education in England. He began to work as a journalist when he
was sixteen.
The Spanish Civil War made a great impression on Aldridge and helped to
form him as an anti-fascist. He finished a pilot school and wanted to go to Spain
and help the Spanish people in their struggle against the fascists, but he was not
allowed to go there. During World War II he was a newspaper reporter and visited
almost all the fighting countries.
 His first novel "Signed with Their Honour" (1942) is a story of the war in
Greece. Aldridge shows in this book that in 1940 the British command in Greece,
which had promised to help the Greeks against the fascist Italian and German
armies, was really on the side of the fascists. 33
Aldridge had always been interested in aviation and could be often seen
piloting a plane. Later he took an interest in the ocean. In Australia he saw how
people were attacked by sharks. He heard many stories of sharks attacking people
in the water. He wanted to find out if these stories were true, and went down under
the water to make a film about sharks. Several times Aldridge visited Russia. He
was at the Black Sea and greatly enjoyed underwater swimming. Aldridge wrote
several books. His second novel "The Sea Eagle" (1944) was also devoted to the
struggle of the Greeks against fascism. His other books are "The Diplomat", “In
Italy", “The Forty-Ninth State", a satirical play which tells how Britain depends on
the USA, and others. In 1974 his latest novel "Mockery in Arms" was published.
His main characters are ordinary people who struggle for the liberation of
their countries from foreign armies and fascism.

Check yourself:

1. When and where was J. Aldridge born?

2. Where did he get his education?
3.When did he begin to work and in what profession?
4. What did he do during World War ll?
5. When was his first novel published? What is it about?
6. What was J. Aldridge interested in?
7. What are his other novels?
8. Who are the main characters of his novels?

«The last Inch»

Chapter 1

Vocabulary:
orders - накази
squadron – військовий підрозділ, ескадра, батальйон
to refuel - дозаправитися
militarytroops – збройні сили
wagon–автофургон, джип, вагон
topat – легко поплескати по плечу
headquarter штаб–квартира
 Eighty squadrons went to Greece. This was going on in the last days of
October when the Italian army entered Greece.
34
When Eighty Squadron stayed in Heliopolis and was waiting for orders, the
command sent it to Greece. The first five Gladiators went to Athens, stopping on
Crete for refueling. The next five followed two days later. The last five were new
planes and they had to be tested before they could also be sent to Greece...
The summer was ending. It was getting colder at night and stayed colder
long in the mornings. There was no moon, and the Italian planes had stopped
bombing. One afternoon the British officers were waiting in a bar where they
usually drank beer. They were waiting for Hickey, their squadron leader, to come
back from Headquarters in the city. When he came he told them they were all
going to Greece. They wanted to talk about it, but couldn't because it was still
secret.
Later when John Quayle and Hickey were walking back to Headquarters,
Hickey told him that Eighty Squadron would be the only British squadron in
Greece. "No other British military troops here," he said. It was a long flight, and
they stopped on Crete to refuel, then came to Greece. Hickey was waiting for them
with the station wagon and they drove into Athens. There were surprising scenes:
people greeted them as they went quickly the two miles into town. The wagon was
gray with dust, and this made it look military. When the Greeks saw that it was
British, they shouted happily at them everywhere.
A great crowd suddenly gathered as they took their things off the wagon to
carry them into the hotel. Quayle's bag was taken out of his hand. He was patted on
the back. He had to fight his way with Hickey to get in the door of the hotel. It was
fine; he heard them shouting: "English, English aeroplanes!" The English pilots
were happy and they felt that the Greeks were fine people. And when they walked
down the street, people followed them and talked happily to them in Greek. When
there was an air raid alarm on the first day and they did not go into the cover," the
police tried to push him and Hickey there. The people were astonished that the
English pilots were not up in the air to keep the Italian planes away. But no Italian
planes came over the city and the Greeks were even happier and a well-dressed
Greek said to Hickey: "They, the Italians, will notcome now. No, we can be happy
now. You are fine men. We are glad you are here. They, the Italians, will not come
now. Oh, no!" It was like a film; the next day and night were mad and fantastic.
The five British planes went up in a wide circle over Athens and did not leave it.
Quayle looked around at his planes. They were shining now in the high sunlight.
He could see the pilots, Gorel, Brewer, Richardson and Tap, under him. Quayle
looked around. Suddenly he saw Italian bombers,' slow and dark, in a wide line.
They had seen the Gladiators because they were going up. They were going
straight for the city to do the bombing.
Gladiators were only good for shooting down Italian fighters. Seldom could
one Gladiator alone shoot down a bomber; he had to get two or three attacks,
which wasn't often. A squadron of Gladiators had a chance, because one by one
they could come up to a single bomber and shoot the pilot or an engine, but it had
35
to be very close to the enemy plane. Quayle could see one Gladiator moving down
on the Italian bomber, and the bullets flying past the bomber, and the bomber's
bullets passing into the Gladiator, but the Gladiator moved up and went over to the
left. Smoke was coming from the engine of the Italian bomber and it was losing
height. It was out of control and soon fell down into the sea.

Find in the text and read aloud sentences to prove that the following facts are
true:
1. The British command which had promised to help the Greeks against the
invasion of the fascist Italian and German armies sent to Greece very few
planes.
2. The Greek people were happy when they saw the British airmen arriving in
Athens.
3. The British airmen wanted to help the Greeks. 4. There were not enough planes
to keep the fascist bombers away.
Answer the questions:

1. Which country did the Italian army enter?

2. What had to be tested?
3. What happened on the first day?
4. What went up in a wide circle over Athens ?
5. Smoke was coming from the engine of the Italian bomber and it was losing
height, wasn’t it?
36