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    M. Spark's Story - Tasks, Questions

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    Андрей Мельничук
    This document contains a vocabulary list and discussion questions for the short story "You Should Have Seen the Mess" by Muriel Spark. The vocabulary list defines 20 words used in the story, including "eminent", "rickety", and "spick and span". The discussion questions probe the narrative perspective, the heroine Lorna's family and education, their obsessions with cleanliness and respectability, Lorna's interactions with different social classes, and how the story satirizes human psychology and the British class system.

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    M. Spark's Story - Tasks, Questions

    Uploaded by

    Андрей Мельничук
    21 views1 page
    This document contains a vocabulary list and discussion questions for the short story "You Should Have Seen the Mess" by Muriel Spark. The vocabulary list defines 20 words used in the story, including "eminent", "rickety", and "spick and span". The discussion questions probe the narrative perspective, the heroine Lorna's family and education, their obsessions with cleanliness and respectability, Lorna's interactions with different social classes, and how the story satirizes human psychology and the British class system.

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    M. Spark's story - tasks, questions

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    This document contains a vocabulary list and discussion questions for the short story "You Should Have Seen the Mess" by Muriel Spark. The vocabulary list defines 20 words used in the story, including "eminent", "rickety", and "spick and span". The discussion questions probe the narrative perspective, the heroine Lorna's family and education, their obsessions with cleanliness and respectability, Lorna's interactions with different social classes, and how the story satirizes human psychology and the British class system.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    21 views1 page

    M. Spark's Story - Tasks, Questions

    Uploaded by

    Андрей Мельничук
    This document contains a vocabulary list and discussion questions for the short story "You Should Have Seen the Mess" by Muriel Spark. The vocabulary list defines 20 words used in the story, including "eminent", "rickety", and "spick and span". The discussion questions probe the narrative perspective, the heroine Lorna's family and education, their obsessions with cleanliness and respectability, Lorna's interactions with different social classes, and how the story satirizes human psychology and the British class system.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    You Should Have Seen the Mess by Muriel Spark

    Vocabulary revision :

    1. Subsequent(ly) - following in time, 11. A match for smb - Someone who is well
    order, or place suited to someone else, especially as a
    2. Eminent - famous and respected within romantic partner.
    a particular sphere. 12. To be house-proud - proud of the
    3. To fall to pieces - to break into parts appearance, cleanliness, etc, of one's
    4. To crumple - a crushed fold, crease, or house, sometimes excessively so.
    wrinkle. 13. Sufficient - enough; adequate.
    5. To pass a comment -a statement that 14. To be down and out - a person who is
    expresses a personal opinion or belief or destitute and, often, homeless; a social
    adds information. outcast or derelict.
    6. Rickety - lacking stability or firmness 15. To keep an eye on - keep under careful
    7. Spotless - absolutely clean or pure; observation.
    immaculate. 16. To let smb down - Fail to support
    8. Spick and span - Шпилька та п’ядь - someone; also, disappoint someone.
    very clean and neat 17. (carry)cot - a small portable bed for a
    9. To cut a long story short - used when baby.
    you are explaining what happened in a 18. Tumble-down - dilapidated; ruined;
    few words, without giving all the details rundown
    10. To evict (from) - to force someone to 19. In a way - to a certain extent
    leave somewhere 20. To sink (so) low - to do something so
    bad

    Questions and problems for consideration :

    1. What kind of narrative does the story represent? Who is the narrator? What language peculiarities
    of the narrative form can you point out?
    2. What family does the heroine come from? Does their social status affect their way of life? Can
    you trace any traits of philistinism? What is their idea of being respectable?
    3. Speak about Lorna’s education. Why did she prefer the Secondary Modern School? Why did she
    quit her first job? Was it a serious reason in your opinion? Describe her current place of work.
    4. What were Lorna’s and her family’s main obsessions? Comment on such human qualities as
    primness and gentility. Can you feel the author’s irony when she describes Lorna’s preoccupation
    with cleanliness? Quote the text to support your arguments. Pay attention to some typical lexical
    and syntactic devices that underlie the effect created. What are they? (Give examples).
    5. What kind of people were Dr Darby and his family? Why did Lorna’s parents encourage her
    friendship with them? What attracted Lorna in the Darbys and their friends and what made her
    puzzled, embarrassed and shocked sometimes? (Comment on their and Lorna’s use of language).
    6. What was the first thing Lorna judged people by? Do you think she has a sense of humour? How
    does she describe Willy, his place and mode of life? Could she put up with his lifestyle? What
    was her choice in the end?
    7. The title of the story is its key-phrase. Comment on the message of the story which is qualified by
    critics as the sharp satire of class, aspiration and phobia. Say some words about the author’s and
    your own attitude towards all the characters and towards Lorna, the protagonist. What traits of the
    human psyche in general and idiosyncrasies of a British low middle-class person are satirized and
    caricaturized in M. Spark’s story?

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