Lesson Five

1. Lesson Five Love is a Fallacy

2. Ⅰ. Additional background knowledge Ⅱ. Introduction to the passage Ⅲ. Detailed study of the text Ⅳ. Effective writing skills Ⅴ. Logical fallacy Ⅵ. Questions for discussion

3. Ⅰ. Additional background knowledge • The author: Max Shulman (1919~1988)  20th century American writer  best known as his television, short story and best-selling novels.  His writing often focused on  young people,  particularly in a collegiate setting. 

4. Carlyle: Thomas Carlyle(1795-1881), British historian and essayist. He developed a peculiar style of his own which was called “Carlylese” which is a compound of biblical phrases, colloquialisms, and his own coinges, arranged in unexpected sequences.

5. 3. Ruskin: John Ruskin(1819-1900), British writer, art critic and social theorist. His works : Modern Painters (1843- 1860), The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849),Sesame and Lilies (1865), The Crown of Wild Olive (1866), Time and Tide (1867), Fors Clavigera (8 vols,1871-1884).

6. 4.Charles Lamb 4.Charles Lamb English essayist and poet, famous for his collection: The Essay of Elia (1823,1833) Tales from Shakespeare (1807) his critical comments: Specimens of English Dramatic poets (1808)

7. Ⅱ Introduction to the passage • This text is a piece of narrative writing. Narrative writing is a style of writing, which is based on personal experience and change of things development. • Narration is the main way of expression. • The essential element are: time, person, place and event

8. The author employs a whole variety of writing techniques to make his story vivid,dramatic and colorful. • 1, A large lexical spectrum; • 2,figurative language; • 3, inversion for special emphasis; • 4,many figures of speech like simile: • metaphor; hyperbole; • metonymy; antithesis

9. Detailed study of each part • Part 1:(para1-3) • 1. Main idea : • a brief introduction to, and a comment, on the story. • 2. Questions to think: • 1).What implication does the title contain? • 2).What does the writer say about his own essay? Is he serious?

10. 3. Words and phrases • 1) There follows…frontier(Para.1,line3): • The informal essay that follows here is freer than the one Charles Lamb wrote. (metaphor)Unfettered (Para.1): v. • to be free from fetters; • to be free restraint of any kind (除掉…的脚镣，解放)2) Vague though…an essay(Para.2): • Though its category is vague, it is certainly an essay. (Inversion and ellipsis)

11. 3) Could Carlyle…Could Ruskin? Carlyle could not write a better essay than this one. Neither could Ruskin (two rhetorical questions for emphasis)

12. Part 2 (Para 4-59) • 1. main idea: • It humorously depicts how the promises of exchanging a girlfriend for a racoon coat is made and fulfilled.

13. 2.Language points 1).My brain… a scalpel. My brain was like a forceful dynamo, accurate scales, and a fierce scalpel. (simile and hyperbole) calculating: shrewed or cunning,esp in a selfish way; Scalpel: a small, light,straight knife with a sharp blade used by surgeons 解剖刀,手术刀

14. scheming: 精明的,(尤指)专为自己打算的 perspicacious: a. having keen judgement or understanding 聪颖的，敏锐的 astute: a. showing a clever mind; crafty; wily 精明的，狡猾的dynamo：generator 发电机 2) Fads, I submit are the very negation of reason: fads in my opinion, shows a complete lack of reason.

15. 3)To swept…of mindlessness(Para5): It is the greatest of lack of intelligence for me to follow enthusiastically every current fashion that appears, or to indulge yourself to stupid action just because everyone else is doing it. Fad: n. passing fashion; craze 一度时髦的风尚，一时的狂热

16. 4) Nothing upstairs (slang): empty-headed; 5) Acme：n. the highest point 极点，顶点 6) Mumble: v. speak or say indistinctly and in a low voice; mutter 喃喃地说，含糊地说 7).Flight: n. the act of escaping from a dangerous situation 逃跑，逃避 e.g seek safety in flight 溜之大吉 8) Temple: either of the flat surface alongside the forehead in front of each ear太阳穴，鬓角

17. 9) incredulous: a. unwilling or unable to believe; skeptical e.g: be incredulous of 10) shed: v. cast off or lose hair (毛发等)脱落 11) Unsightly: not sightly; not pleasant to look at ;ugly 不美观的，难看的 12) in the swim: conforming to the current fashion 赶时髦 e.g She is always involved in the swim. 她总是追求时髦。

18. 13). Making: the material or qualities needed for the making or developed of something. 素质,内在因素 e.g: She has the making of a fine teacher 14) Carriage: conduct, behavior, gesture 行为，举止，姿态。 15) Bearing: way of carrying and conducting oneself, manner举止 16) Breeding: good upbringing or training 良好的教育 17) Specialty: 特产, 特制品。

19. 18).My brain…high gear(para20): My brain worked like a precision instrument as well as a machine which began to work at high speed or efficiency. （Mixed-metaphor) 19).He didn’t have…on it(para22):注意此处”it”指人Polly Espy,足可见“我”对她的感情并不是发至内心的，而是出于理智上的考虑。 20).I wanted Polly…cerebral reason(para23): I wanted Polly for a cleverly thought out and an entirely intellectual reason.

20. 21).She was not…lack(para25): She was not as beautiful as a pin-up girl but I felt sure she would become beautiful enough after some time. 22).In fact…opposite direction(para27): In fact, she went in the opposite direction. euphemism. She was not intelligent and she was rather stupid.

21. 23).It is, after all…girl beautiful(para27): It is easier to make a pretty stupid girl clever than to make an ugly clever girl pretty. (contrast) “beautiful, dumb and smart” to contrast“ ugly, smart and beautiful”.

22. Covet: long for with envy垂涎。e.g:It is a sin to covet.贪得无厌是一种罪恶。 Cerebral: appealing to the intellect rather than emotion, intellectual.理智的，凭理智行事的。 Pin-up: desinating a girl whose sexual attractiveness makes her a object for the kind of pictures often pinned up on walls. 女子其照片可供倾慕者钉在墙上的。 Proportion: lines,shape of body线条，身材

23. 25) .In other words....would be open(Para 34 ): metaphor. If you're no longer involved with her( if you stop dating her ) others would be free to compete for her firendship. . out of the picture: not considered as involved in a situation出局,与某事无关 field: an area where games or athletic events are held open : free to take part or compete in (games being held in the field）

24. 26).I said ... wink. (Para 40 ) : • a transferred epithet. • He said mysteriously with a wink (the wink was not mysterious). • wink:v./n. • V. (1) to close one eye and open it again quickly,especially as a private signal to sb,or to show sth is a joke.眨一只眼,眨眼示意(尤指使眼色或表示开玩笑) • eg:He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was • 他冲她眨了眨眼,她便知道他的想法和她一样 • blink:shut and open your eyes quickly. 眨眼睛

25. He blinked in the bright sunlight. • 他在强烈的阳光下直眨眼睛 • eg:I 'll be back before you can blink(=very quickly) • 我眨眼的功夫就回来. • (2).to shine with an unsteady light;to flash on and off 闪烁,明灭. • eg:We could see the lights of the ship winking in the distance • 我们看见船在远方忽明忽暗地闪着灯光. • PHR V:wink at sth.(尤指对坏事)视而不见,睁一只眼闭一只眼. • N. an act of winking,especially as a signal to sb.眨一只眼,眨眼示意,眼色.

26. 27).He plunged his hands into the raccoon coat and then his face. (para.42) • First he threw both his hands into the raccoon coat,then he threw his head into the raccoon coat too.他先是将双手猛地插入浣皮大衣,接着把脸也扑到里面. • plunge into:to throw sb or sth into sth else.跳进,闯进 • eg:The van broke through the parapet(矮墙,护墙) and plunged into twenty feet of water • 这辆装运车撞毁栏杆,冲进20英尺深的水里.

27. 28)."You girl,"I said,mincing no words.(para 45) • I said directly and forcefully,"i want your girl". • mince:to lessen the force of;weaken,as by euphemism. • V.(1) to cut food,especially meat,into very small pieces using a special machine(=call a mincer)用绞肉机绞(食物,尤指肉) • eg:minced beef 绞碎的牛肉 • (2) (v+adv./prep)(disapproving)to walk with quick short steps,in a way that is not natural 装腔作势的用小步走.

28. eg:He minced over to serve us • 他迈着碎步过来招待我们. • not mince(your)words:to say sth in direct way even though it might offend other people. 毫不言讳,直言不讳. • N.(BrE)绞碎的肉,肉末(尤指牛肉) • eg:a pound of mince 一磅碎肉

29. 29.He flung the coat from him."Never."he said stoutly.(para 48) • stout:adj. (1)(of a person人)rather fat 肥胖的,肥壮的 (2) (usually before n)strong and thick 粗壮结实的,厚实牢固的 eg: a stout pair of shoes 一双厚而耐穿的鞋 (3)(usually before noun)(formal)brave and determined 顽强的, eg:He put up a stout defence in court. 他在法庭上进行了顽强的辩护 eg:This requires a stout heart. 这需要有毅力的人来做

30. adv.stoutly • n. stoutness • eg:He was tall and stoutly built • 他长得五大三粗的 • eg:"I disagree,"said Polly stoutly • "我不同意".Polly拒不妥协的说. • n. strong dark beer.烈性黑啤酒

31. 30)."if you don't want to be in the swim".(para. 49) • in the swim(of things):(informal) involved in things that are happening in society or in a particular situation. • 积极参与社会生活(或者活动),合潮流. 31) "......a torn man."(para. 50) • torn man: • He was agitated and tormented,not knowing what was the right thing to do. • tear:to divide with doubt,uncertainty,etc

32. 32).First he looked..a bakery window."(para.50) • simile:comparing his torn expression with the expression of a hungry homeless child looking longingly at the bread at a bakery window. 33) Set his jaw (para 50): he put his jaw in a fined or rigid position. This action shows fixed,unyielding determination.

33. 34) .Back and forth... waning (para 50) : antithesis. " Desire waxing" is balanced against " resolution waning". His head turned back and forth (look at the coat then looking away from the coat) .Every time he look his desire for the coat grew strong and his resolution not to give away Polly became weaker.

34. 35).he just stood ... at the coat (para 50): hyperbole. It's an exaggeration to describle his great longing for the coat as "mad lust" . He just stood there , looking with great longing at the coat. • mad lust : frantic, insane, overmastering desire.

35. Part 3 • Part 3(para 60-125) 1.Main idea: It vividly describes the incredibly tough project of making dumb Polly smart ,and the seeming success.

36. Part 3 2. Language points 1).Gee, that was delish dinner (para 60): the writer deliberately makes Polly Espy use a lot of exclamatory words like:"Gee, Oo, wowdow" and clipped vulgar forms like:"delish, marvy, sensaysh, ect." to create the impression of a simple and rather stupid girl. This contrasts strongly with the boasting of the narrator and thus helps to increase the force of satire and irony.

37. gee : an exclamation of surprise, wonder, etc. • delish: clipped vulgar form for "delicious" • Gee... movie (para60): • Oh! That was a marvelous movie • Gee... a sensaysh time (para60): • Oh! I had a sensational time.

38. 2).I had ... following evening (para60): I had my first social engagement (outing) with Polly the next evening. 3).This was ... survey (para60) : The aim of this date was to find out how stupid (or intelligent）Polly was (so that he would have an idea of how much work he had to do to make her intelligent enough to be his wife)

39. 4) This loomed as a project of no small dimensions, and at first I was tempted to give her back to Petey. : This appears to me a great and hard task with little possibility of achievement, so at first I had the intention to give Polly back to her boyfriend Petey. • loom v.appear, or come in sight indistinctly. • 隐约出现 • e.g. A warship loomed up through the heavy fog.

40. 6). dimension (Para.61 line5) n. space; size and extent; scale. 体积，容积，面积，范围，规模。 • e.g. What are the dimensions of this language laboratory? • have… at one’s finger tips: to be completely familiar with.精通 • e.g. We have all the facts and figures at our fingers tips.

41. 7).(Para63 line2): You would go far…agreeable you would achieve much success if you could find another girl who was so agreeable. It isn’t easy to find a girl so agreeable. • go far: to accomplish much; achieve much success.成功，大有前途。 • e.g. Ginny’s a smart girl, and I’m sure she will go far. 8).Para.64 line1 We went to …old oak: We went to the Knoll, the campus meeting place, and sat down under an old oak.（引用了罗宾汉的典故。）

42. 9). wince v. (para69, line1) escape or draw back when having a feeling of pain or embarrassment. （ 因疼痛、窘迫等）畏缩，退缩。 • e.g. He winced at the insult. • 他因受到侮辱而躲开了。

43. 10).unqualified adj. not modified by conditions or reservations; absolute. 绝对的，没有被条件或保留意见所限定的。 • e.g. an unqualified refusal 斩钉截铁的拒绝。 11).Otherwise you have… Simpliciter: Otherwise you have committed a logical fallacy called “a dicto simpliciter ad dictum secundum quid” . (借代metonymy)

44. 12).tug (para.75 line1) v. to pull sth hard; drag; haul 用力拉，拖曳。 e.g. The child tugged at my hand to make me go with her. • desist v.(para75 line2) to stop doing; cease 停止。 • e.g. You had better desist.你最好打消念头。 13) Really ... Nobody: It is the truth that everybody at the University of Minnesota can’t speak French? 14). I hid my exasperation: I was greatly irritated and annoyed by Polly’s stupidity. I controlled myvoice and temper to hide my true feelings.

45. 15).exasperation n. the state of being exasperated; frustrated annoyance. 激怒。 • e.g. Constant interruption of his work made him full of exasperations. 16).I fought of a wave of despair. : I struggled to keep away the feeling of despair. 17).You are guilty of Post Hoc: you have committed the logical fallacy called Post Hoc.

46. 18).contrite adj. (para83,line1) feeling very sorry what you have done wrong.忏悔的，深感懊悔的。 • e.g. with a humble and contrite heart. 怀着谦恭并悔罪的心情。 19). premise n. (para86) an idea or a statement forming the bases of a reasonable argument.前提

47. 20).chirp v. (para87) to speak cheerfully and lively.嘁嘁喳喳地说。 • e.g. “Yes, all finished!” he chirped.

48. 21) .If there is an irresistibleforce, there can be no argument. If there is an immovable object, there can be no irresistible force. (p94)： An irresistible force and an immovable object cannot coexist. (如果存在不可抵抗的力量，就不存在搬不动的东西。如果存在搬不动的东西，也就不存在不可抵抗的力量。）

49. 22).I deposited her at the girl’s dormitory.(p97) • deposit vt. ① put down or lay down 放下，搁下 eg. Deposit the sand here. ② put sth. valuable or important in a place where it will be safe 寄放，寄存 eg. Guests may deposit their valuables in hotel safe. Deposit account 定期存款用户

50. 23).Maybe somewhere…into flame.(p98) : Perhaps there is still some intelligence left in her stupid and empty mind. Maybe I could develop the little intelligence still existing in Polly’s mind. 或许在她头脑的死火山口的某个地方，还有余烬尚存呢。没准我还可以煽风点火，使之成为万丈高焰呢。