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A Comment on the Story . The story is set against the background of the U. S. in the l960s. As we know, the l960s saw great turbulence in the American society. Yet in this novel there is no mention of the civil rights movement, of student activism and the movement for women's liberation that rocked
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1. UNIT SEVEN LOVE STORY College English Book 5 International Trade Department Xiamen University
2. A Comment on the Story The story is set against the background of the U. S. in the l960s. As we know, the l960s saw great turbulence in the American society. Yet in this novel there is no mention of the civil rights movement, of student activism and the movement for women’s liberation that rocked the continent. Nor do we see much sex or drug use in this story. In this sense, the novel is rather traditional and conventional. The two protagonists, young Barrett and Jennifer, are definitely not hippies or rebels. What they are after is athletic excellence, academic success, material wealth and social status. What young Barrett does rebel against is his father’s dominance of his life and objection to his marriage with a girl from a lower class. This rebellion, however, does not constitute any threat to the existing social order. Not surprisingly, the book has been acclaimed by both the Establishment and the common run of readers.
3. New Words and Phrases r.s.v.p./R.S.V.P.: [French] please reply
Invitation: a spoken or written request for someone's presence or participation
Bug: to annoy; pester; worry
Bullshit: foolish, insolent talk; nonsense
Virtual: existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form, or name
Bozo: a dunce; a fool.
Freshman: a student in the first-year class of a high school, college, or university
Supreme: greatest in power, authority, or rank; paramount or dominant;supreme court
Precisely: in a precise manner
Jokingly: in a joking manner
4. New Words and Phrases (cont.) Deliberately: on purpose
Instantly: at once; immediately; urgently
Bleed: emit or lose blood
Upset: distress or perturb mentally or emotionally
Audible: that is heard or that can be heard
Adamant: stubbornly unyielding
Refusal: act or an instance of refusing
Heartless: devoid of compassion or feeling; pitiless
Bastard: an illegitimate child
Rational: consistent with or based on reason; logical
Rip: cut, tear apart, or tear away roughly or energetically
5. New Words and Phrases (cont.) Hurl: throw with great force; fling
Footstep: a step with the foot; sound of a foot stepping
Dash: hurl, knock, or thrust with sudden violence; move with haste; rush
Scarf: a long piece of cloth worn about the head, neck, or shoulders
Grind: devote oneself to study or work
Fierce: having a savage and violent nature; ferocious
Corridor: narrow hallway, passageway, or gallery, often with rooms or apartments opening onto it.
Blend: combine or mix so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable from one another
Infernal: of or relating to hell; fiendish; awful; terrible
Absently: in an absent-minded manner
Fright: sudden, intense fear
6. New Words and Phrases (cont.) Motionless: having or making no motion
Inwardly: on or in the inside; within; privately; to oneself
Instrument: an implement used to facilitate work; a means by which something is done
Apology: an acknowledgment expressing regret or asking pardon for a fault or offense
Undress: take off one's clothing; remove the clothing of
Reassuringly: in a way that comforts, encourages, or restores confidence
In celebration of: in order to celebrate
Work over: inflict severe physical damage on; beat up; do for a second time
Reach out (to): try to communicate (with); make contact
7. Kind of: to some extent; sort of
In simple terms: in very plain language
Be certain of: have no doubt about
Lose one’s nerve: lose courage or self control
Be immersed in: be deeply absorbed in
Involve in: cause to be mixed up in
Come/get to the point: reach the central question or fact
Hang up: replace (a telephone receiver) on its base or cradle
Get out of one’s mind: go crazy; start to behave in a strange way
Scared to death: extremely frightened
Cut off: stop suddenly; discontinue; interrupt the course or passage o
8. The two chief characters in the story Oliver and Jennifer, the two protagonists, speak the open language of the sixties. Their everyday conversation is full of such profanities as bitch, bastard, goddamn, and shit. They are irreverent to God and to their parents. When they get married they prefer a nonreligious ceremony to a church wedding, saying they are atheists and do not want to be hypocrites. They refer to Oliver’s father as a son-of-a-bitch and are quite open about sex. All this is characteristic of many young Americans in the sixties. Nevertheless, in every other respect, Oliver and Jennifer are traditional in their values.
Despite his hostility towards his father, Oliver models his life on that of his father’s. He hates his father not because the latter has gained athletic achievement, money and social status as such, but because he feels overshadowed by his
9. father’s success and his personal pride is hurt. Even on such a trivial matter as driving, he wants to match his father’s speed. At a time when women’s liberation is the vogue, he regards himself as head of the house and the one to make decisions. When Jenny once suggests he drop out of law school so that she can take the education credits necessary for a teaching post in a public school, he does not hesitate a moment and turns her down by saying “Shit.” In this respect, Jenny goes even farther. She willingly gives up her own career so that Oliver can pursue his. Even when she is very ill and Oliver wants to clean up, she says it is not man’s work. She tries hard to please Oliver’s parents and works even harder to bring about a reconciliation between father and son. She says, “I love not only yourself. I love your name. And your numeral,” which means she loves his father’s wealth, social position and traditional values.
10. …request the pleasure of your company… L2 company: (1) companionship, fellowship
—I was grateful for Jean’s company when I traveled up to Edinburgh.
—He was openly delighted to get rid of her company.
(2) companions; the people with whom a person spends time
—You may know a man by the company he keeps.
—Take care not to get into bad company.
(3) one or more guests
—We had company and I couldn't get away.
—No, you can’t go out tonight; we’re expecting company.
11. … at a dinner in celebration of… L3 in celebration of: in order to celebrate
—We threw a party in celebration of Mother’s silver wedding.
—Mass meetings were held in celebration of the country’s independence.
12. …in midst of abstracting… L10 midst: (lit, or old use) the middle part or position
—Aunt Sophia took ill in the midst of the ceremony.
—In the midst of plenty there is want.
abstract: make a written summary of a book, etc.
—Mary spent the whole morning abstracting the book.
—I have abstracted the main points of the article to give you a general idea of what it is about.
This word is also used as a noun.
—This computer program puts the abstracts from hundreds of medical journals at doctors’ fingertips.
13. …a very important precedent in criminal law. L11 precedent: a past legal decision which establishes a rule that guides future decisions in similar cases
—In deciding the case in this way, the judge was following a precedent set in the Brown case of 1954.
14. …was sort of waving the invitation to bug me. L12 sort of: (inf.) in a way; rather; to a certain extent
—I sort of thought you might not accept the invitation.
—He was sort of peculiar!
bug: (sl.) bother, irritate or anger (someone)
—I suspected something was bugging her from the way she talked to me.
—Don’t bug me with petty details.
15. I kept working as she worked me over. L17 To work someone over is to beat him up very roughly.
In the text this phrasal verb is used in a figurative way to indicate that the husband felt he was under attack.
—Shopkeepers who couldn't pay the money demanded from them were often worked over by gang members.
—He’d been worked over by the gang for giving information to the police.
16. he’s reaching out to you! L18 reach out (to): try to communicate (with); make contact (with)
—Modern politicians try to reach out to ordinary people in their broadcast speeches.
—The Democrats attempted to reach out to the southern blacks and other underprivileged ethnic groups.
17. …in the virtual shadow of exams. L23 virtual: almost, even if not exactly or in every way
—Ten years of incompetent government had brought about the virtual collapse of the country’s economy.
—She was a virtual unknown when she was chosen for the part.
in / under the shadow of: (1) very near to
—The friends met in a little cafe under the shadow of St. Peter’s.
—They live in a charming house in/under the shadow of the cathedral.
(2) being influenced or affected by
—They are living in the shadow of war.
—He is under the shadow of investigation for illegal business activities.
18. …her tone kind of pleading… L25 kind of: to some extent; sort of
—It was kind of strange to see him again.
—I feel kind of sorry for him.
19. …you’re finally ready for the reconciliation. L26 reconciliation: peace-making; bringing together in friendship, settlement or adjustment of disagreements or differences
—His efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two parties came off.
—Three days of discussion brought about a reconciliation of opposite points of view.
20. I informed Jenny in the simplest possible terms… L28 in simple terms: in very plain language
—He told me in simple terms that he was not in the least interested in the project..
in (strong, glowing, etc.) terms; in terms of
—He complained in the strongest terms.
—She spoke of his achievements in glowing terms.
—She referred to your work in terms of high praise.
21. …squeezing herself onto a corner L30 squeeze: press (sth.) firmly from all sides in order to change its shape, reduce its size or remove liquid from it
—She unscrewed the top of the tube and squeezed some paint on the brush.
—As she waited to go into the exam, he squeezed her hand and wished her good luck.
22. I snapped at her. L34 snap at: speak suddenly and angrily to (sb.)
—The foreman snapped impatiently at a workman who was a bit slow.
—It’s not good for a teacher to keep order by snapping at the children all day.
23. “Listen, O1, even if we name…. you’ll probably be in the supreme court!” L36 “Listen, O1, whatever name we call our son by, he’s still going to feel bad about you because you were a famous Harvard athletic hero. And by the time he goes to college, you’ll probably be a justice in the supreme court!” The implication here is that as you resent your father because he’s better than you in athletic excellence, material wealth, and social status, so will your son resent you because you will be better than he.
supreme: at the highest level
—She was awarded a medal for showing supreme courage in battle.
— This invention is one of the supreme achievements of the present century.
24. I said that a Radcliffe music major could probably compose a nice little negative RSVP without professional guidance L52 I told her that with her excellent education, she could write a nice brief note of refusal without my help.
25. I’ve never deliberately hurt anyone. L55 deliberately: on purpose
—Calmly and deliberately, she poured petrol over the car and set it alight.
—I’m sure he says these things deliberately to annoy me.
26. …the essence of the message… L58 essence: the main feature or most important quality
—The essence of his argument was that education should continue throughout life.
—You must apply at once — time is of the essence — next week will be too late.
27. In a minute I’ll lose my nerve. L63 I’ve got to ring them right now, or I’ll never have the courage to do so.
nerve: courage
—A test pilot needs plenty of nerve.
—It takes a lot of nerve to work as a lion tamer.
lose one’s nerve: panic suddenly; lose courage or self-control
—The men inside the building lost their nerve and opened fire on the crowd.
—I don’t ride any more; I had a bad fall and lost my nerve.
28. …and was instantly immersed in Percival’s appeal… L64 instantly: at once; immediately
—Both drivers were killed instantly.
—He’s an instantly likable guy — so easy to talk to.
immersed: put deep under water; deeply absorbed
—When a body is immersed in a fluid, it apparently loses weight.
—The entire family is immersed in scientific research.
—I walked into the study and found Mr. Johnson immersed in his writing, as usual.
29. …to involve me in this?…can’t she get to the point… L74 involve in: include (sb. /sth.) in or make them take part in or feel part of it
—It would be difficult not to involve the child’s father in the arrangements.
—She was so involved in the play that she cried in the final act.
get/come to the point: talk about the important thing; reach the central question or fact
—Lets stop discussing trivial details and come/get to the point.
—I’m in a hurry, so come/get to the point.
30. Had she not been in such an emotional state, I could have explained once again that stones do not bleed L80 As she was very excited and anxious, I didn't explain to her that my father had a heart of stone, a man who had no feelings. Note that in the novel, Oliver often refers to his father as Old Stony face.
31. She must be going out of her mind! L84 be/get/go out of one’s mind: be/become crazy or mad
—You must be out of your mind if you think I’m going to lend you my car!
—I’d go out of my mind if I had to do her job all day!
32. …in adamant refusal…with a kind of whispered fury… L96 refusal: an act of refusing
—Our request for permission to take photographs met with/received a flat refusal from the authorities.
—The government’s refusal to see that the maintenance of the environment must be our first priority today is a great tragedy.
fury: extreme auger
—In a fit of fury he thumped his fists down on the table.
—The minister made no attempt to contain his fury.
33. ..await the end of my alleged “message.” L103 allege: declare without proof or before finding proof; suppose
—The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.
—The alleged theft never happened.
—Union headquarters are investigating the latest case of alleged interference with voting in a recent election.
34. There is no rational explanation for my actions in the next split second. L106 rational: sensible; reasonable; able to think and reason clearly
—A rational woman won’t weep just because her husband has forgotten her birthday.
—The patient appeared perfectly rational.
—There is a rational explanation for thunder and lightning.
split second: a very brief moment of time; instant
—The fireball disappeared in a split second.
35. I ripped the phone from her hand…and hurled it across the room. L108 rip: cut roughly, tear apart; tear off
—I ripped my stocking on a nail.
—She ripped off her dress.
—He ripped the curtains into pieces.
hurl: throw with force
—The drunkard hurled a brick through the window.
—The last competitor in the field events hurled the discus 60 meters.
36. The pain of not knowing what to do was exceeded only by that of knowing what I had done. L116 I didn’t know what to do, and that hurt. But it hurt even more to realize just what I had done.
37. Then all through Harkness Commons, the lounge, the cafeteria. Then a wild sprint to look around Agassiz Hall at Radcliffe. Not there either. L124 Note the elliptical sentences here. Short phrases are used instead of complete sentences to bring out the quick succession of actions in Oliver’s attempt to find Jenny. Here the form of the language matches the idea it expresses, a rhetoric device often employed by writers.
38. Ironic goddamn name! L128 ironic: indicating that one means the opposite of what one is saying; using or expressing irony; happening in the opposite way to what is expected, and often causing amusement because of this
—It’s ironic that she became a teacher, because she used to hate school when she was a girl.
—How ironic that he should have been invited to play for the England team on the very day that he broke his leg.
39. Instinct made me stop at a door… L135 instinct: (an example of) the knowledge or ability which allows animals and people naturally to act in particular ways without having to think or be taught
—All his instincts told him to stay near the car and wait for help.
—Don’t ask me; follow your instincts and do what you think is right.
40. …more with fright than with the cold… L151 fright: a sudden unpleasant feeling of fear; an instance of this
—When the rescue team reached him, he was shaking with fright.
—You gave me (quite) a fright creeping up behind me like that.
41. This had to be my eyes playing tricks. L153 I was sure my eyes were playing tricks on me. (I couldn’t believe my eyes.)
42. Inwardly I hoped she had some blunt instrument with which to hit me. L157 Deep inside myself, I hoped she had a weapon of some sort to hit me with as I felt I deserved to be punished by her like that.
43. “Stop!” she cut off my apology, L167 cut off: interrupt or stop
—My explanation was cut off by loud protests.
—If you speak for too long, the chairman will cut you off.
apology: an act of saying sorry
—He is demanding a full apology from the newspaper for making untrue allegations about his personal life.
—She complained to the company about its awful service and they sent her a written apology.
44. “Love means not ever having to say you’re sorry.” L166 At the end of the novel when his father says, “I’m sorry,” Oliver repeats these words and cries in his father’s antis. This signifies the complete reconciliation between father and son. In effect, this sentence contains the message of the author to his readers, which has tugged at the heartstrings of millions.
