Unit 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980

Sob, heavy world, Sob as you spin, Mantled in mist, remote from the happy. Wystan Hugh Auden. The Age of Anxiety

The Age of Anxiety

The early years of the 1930s started a red turbulent decade for English Modernism. That “low, dishonest decade,” according to W. H. Auden (1907-1973), started with the Great Depression of the early 1930s. The civil war of 1936 in Spain, the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Hitler’s pact with the Soviet Union in August of 1939, and the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, fell heavily not only on the British political and literary elite, but also on people worldwide. Despite winning the war, Great Britain completely lost its dominions; the jewel of the Empire Crown, India, gained its independence in 1947, together with the newly formed Muslim state of Pakistan. The Irish Republic withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1949, as did the Republic of South Africa in 1961. In 1982, however, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher managed to keep the remnants of the empire, the Falkland Islands, from Argentina’s takeover. The inside of Britain, beginning from the reign of George V (1910- 1936), on to George VI (1936-1952) and into the time of Elizabeth II, who came to the throne in 1952,

80 in theirpoetry, suchasEdmundCharlesBlunden’s (1896-1974) grew upinthewaratmosphereandGreatDepression, andtheseexperiencesresurrected Farm extreme inGeorgeOrwell’s (1903-1950) novels as thethreatofCommunism,wereexposedtotheir and World War II. Yet, itspossibleconsequencesaswell regeneration ofBritishsocietyafterthehorror1930s railroads andmines.Itwasaperiodofremarkablepolitical unemployment, andthenation’s infrastructure,suchas undertook itsresponsibilityforpublichousing,pensions, from theformeridealofindividualfreedomtonewformsocialsecurity. This government music, paintingandplasticartsfromLondon,redirectedmuchofitsgrantstoregionalcouncils. were heardontheair. The Arts Council,whichhadlongfinancedthenation’s drama,literature, Corporation, ortheBBC.But,beginningin1960s,regionaldialectsandlaterevenforeignaccents English withthesouthernintonationsofitsradioannouncersBritishBroadcasting and theeconomyofUnitedKingdom.LondonusedtobroadcastforBritaininperfectQueen’s and inspiringprimeminister, Winston Churchill,wholedthecountrythroughWorld War II. queen totheprimeminister. To suchpositiveimageofnon-royalleadershipaddedthecourageous changed too;theprimaryroleshiftedfromroyaliststocommonersandrebels, could berepresentedinfiction:lowandhigh-brow topics, dignifiedorcontemptible,familiarexotic. feel moreliberatedtowardsthetreatmentoftheirartandchoicesubjectmatter. Anything in sciences,telecommunicationandspaceexploration,greatersocialfreedom,madetheliterati most subltespiritualandintellectualvalues. novel, boldlyexperimentingwithcontentandform,restlesspoetryattemptingtocoverthe genres asshortstory, thenewshort-shortstory, dramaworthyoftheShakespearean tradition, India, South Africa, werealsoproductive inEnglishliteraryoutput.Inthisperiodflourishedsuch fresh flowofliteraturefromIreland,Scotland,Wales. Britain’s formercolonies,like Australia, and form,causedbyanewwayofseeingtheworld;italsospreadgeographically, due toa of theperiod,especiallyinitspoetry. Englishliteraturewideneditsscopenotonlyincontent World their technologicalculturetoitsextremes,asshownin obey it.Similarlylifemaybecomeawfulunderthosewhoexercise state controlseveryaspectofhumanlifeandtheindividuals Siegfried Sassoon and When GreatBritainelecteditsfirstsocialistgovernmentin1945,thecountrywasonway London, asthecapitalofformerempire,hadlongbeenincontroloverculture,politics Memoirs of an Infantry Most oftheBritishpoets1930swereborn atthebeginningof20 The themeswriterschosechangedtoo. The stressofthewar, theimmensetechnologicaladvances Political tensionswithinGreatBritainandontheContinentfoundtheirreflectioninliterature (1946) and Officer, first edition (1932)by Aldous Huxley(1894-1963). Nineteen Eighty-Four Literary Moods (1949),wherethe (1460-1529) toWilfred Owen (1893-1918). ideal underthevarious influencesfromJohnSkelton Isherwood, andStephen Spender, wroteandsoughttheir versa. Suchpoetsas W. H. Auden, Christopher meaning shoulddictatethe choiceofrhythmandnotvice possibilities offreeverse,guidedbytheidea that forms andmetres;poetssearchedfornewrhythms, new (1930). Sassoon’s (1886-1967) Robert Graves’ In poetryanotabletrendwasabandoningtraditional Animal Goodbye to All That Brave New Memoirs ofanInfantryOfficer Undertones ofWar (1929), Siegfried th centuryand (1928),

Aldous Huxley and Brave New World, first edition 81 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 Ezra Pound (1885-1972) and Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965), both expatriate Americans, had an enormous influence on the whole European culture. Pound was fond of Browning and various Italian and French poets of the Middle Ages; Eliot, satirizing the puritanical world of New England,

produced a highly complex and masterful poem The Waste Land (1922). Ezra Pound The great poet who emerged before the War was Dylan Thomas (1914- 1953), a Welshman with a keen musical expressiveness and a technique that borrowed much from Hopkins, Joyce, and the Bible. His poetry celebrates the unity of life and the innocence of childhood. He curiously mixes the erotic and the biblical images, and presents them in very concise romantic language. Subsequent English poetry rejected the bard-like romanticism of Thomas but he still stands out alone in 20th century English poetry. With the exception of C. P. Snow (1905-1980), most British writers concentrated on artistic and social rather than political or economic issues; among the novelists were Henry Green (1905-1973), Ivy Compton-Burnett (1884-1969), Joyce Cary (1888-1957), and Lawrence Durrell (1912-1990); among the poets — Robert Graves (1895-1985), Edwin Muir (1887-1959), Louis MacNeice (1907-1963), Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973), Cecil Day Lewis (1904-72), Stephen Spender (1909-1995), and Edith Sitwell (1887-1964). In addition, novelists and playwrights of the 1950s, often referred to as the Angry Young Men, voiced their discontent with contemporary British society. Yet, every author tended to nurture their own unique voices against the general background of anxiety and search. Later, after the 1950s, a new generation of poets, such as Donald Davie (1922-1995), Thom Gunn (1929-2004) and Philip Larkin (1922-1985), reacted against the verbal tricks of the Welsh language lover Dylan Thomas, and others. This new group came to be called “The Movement” and promoted a neutral tone and a clear diction. Its most ardent exponent, Philip Larkin, was opposing the imported modernism of Ezra Pound (1885-1972) and T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) in favour of a native tradition represented in the 20th century by Thomas Hardy. This tradition still flourishes in the work of Tony Harrison (b. 1937) and Seamus Heaney (b. 1939). As Standard English was giving way to regional and non-canonical dialects in literature, on the BBC, and the Houses of Parliament, so the writers tried to find their simple accessible speech for truthful representation of reality. The long Cold War between the former superpowers, the USA and the USSR, had its influence on literary output in such playwrights as Harold Pinter (1930-2008), in his

Harold Pinter highly innovative plays like The Caretaker (1960), which ranked in the popular Theatre of the Absurd, as well as in The Homecoming (1965), Silence (1969), No Man’s Land (1975) and Betrayal (1978). The novelists set out to build their own set of values. They mostly departed from a chronological narrative, instead they followed the flow of human mind, both conscious and subconscious. Part of the spirit lay in the pioneer explorations by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and Carl Jung (1875-1961). The outstanding novelists include Kingsley Amis (1922- 1995), Anthony Burgess (1917-1993), William Golding (1911-1993), Iris Murdoch (1919-1999), Muriel Spark (1918-2006) and others. Anthony Powell (1905-2000) and Richard Hughes (1900- 1976) continued the generous 19th century tradition and wrote realistic novels describing life in England in the 20th century. Arthur Koestler (1905-1983), who wrote in Hungarian and German before he turned to English, is famous for historical novels, among others The Gladiators (1939), about the revolt against Rome led by the gladiator Spartacus, and Arrival and Departure (1943), dealing with morality and political responsibility. This period is rich in anti-utopian or dystopian fiction, including Leslie Poles Hartley (1895-1972) with Facial Justice (1960), where citizens are forbidden to be either beautiful or ugly, only something in between. Here belongs the most frightening social forecast in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). William Somerset Maugham (1864-1965) told good stories about the paradoxes in human behaviour.

82 short storywasalateinnovationtoBritain,partlybecausethegreatnovelistsof19 (1809-1849), whodefinedthisgenreasfictionofasingleeffect to bereadinonesitting. The back astoChaucer. This genrewaswelldevelopedin America, mostlyduetoEdgar Allan Poe short storyhashadabriefhistory, thoughitsoriginsgoasfar (1933; film1974)and Prosecution theatre. Manyofherworkswereadaptedfortelevision,like (1952), whichhastheworldrecordforlongestuninterruptedruninone where, in reappeared inabout25novelsandmanyshortstoriesbeforereturningtoStyles, legendary eccentricandegotisticBelgiandetective,HerculePoirot;he 1976). Herfirstnovel, his novels political settings.EvelynWaugh (1903-1966)showedhimselfoneofthebestmodernhumoristsin (1956) dealswiththeIndo-ChinaWar andexaminesamoralthemeinthecontextofcontemporary Comedians like Dickensand Thackeray, gatheredmuchpublicapprovalwithlongerfiction.Inthe20 naturalism andsymbolism,indepictingcomplex psychological states. and Under theNet and Compton-Burnett (1884-1969)withhernovels 1942). 1932),andSusanHill(b. O’Brien (b. 1919),Edna they flourishedwithsuchwritersasSeanO’Faolain(1900-1991),DorisLessing(b. 1923)buildtheirliteraryfamealmostthankstoshortstories.Later, later NadineGordimer(b. however, someauthors,likeE.M. language, andexposedpsychological andsocialproblems. Arnold Wesker (b. Anger in thelate1940sandearly 1950sgladlyacceptedtheverseplaysofChristopher Fry(1907-2005). verse radioplays,written byLouisMacNeiceandotherpoets,helpedprepare theaudiencewho Cathedral rely oncolloquialspeech,popularsongidiom,and variousotherdevices. T. S.Eliot’s like Christopher IsherwoodandW. H. Auden. Auden andIsherwoodproducedsome propagandistplays reality. Someofhisnovelsare was preoccupiedwiththeproblemofgoodandevil,hisbooksareamixturetheology Mary Renault Many novelistsalsowroteshortstories. The genre ofthe The unsurpassedmasterofthedetectivestorywas Agatha Christie(1890- In the1950s,Englishdrama hadanewrebirthwithJohnOsborne’s (1929-1994) English dramainthe1930s,featuredarevival theuseofverse,contributedby T. S.Eliot, The Englishnovelist,short-storywriter, playwright,andjournalistGrahamGreene(1904-1991), The DogBeneaththeSkin Two WorldsandTheirWays The MessagetothePlanet produced attheRoyalCourt Theatre in1956.Itbroughtonstagecolloquial dialogue,violent (1935)tellsthestoryoflastdays Archbishop Thomas àBecket(1118-1170). Wartime Curtain Vile Bodies (1966), (1953;film1957), (1954), The LittleGirls The DeathoftheHeart Elizabeth Bowen(1899-1972),whoaddedfreshvigourwithher with immenslypopularlightromancesofGeorgianEnglishlife;and Renault (1905-1983)withhernovels name of Annie WinfredEllerman(1894-1983)visualizinglifeinearlyBritain;Mary (1970), and (1975),hefictionallydied.Herplaysinclude Among womennovelists,whoexploredhistoryandmythology, wereBryher, pen The HumanFactor Henry andCato (1930), Death ontheNile The Mysterious Affair atStyles Funeral Games A HandfulofDust (1935), (1989),showedhercapacityforcombining (1964). To thisgroupmaybeaddedIvy (1949).IrisMurdochwho,insuchnovelsas The HeartoftheMatter Murder ontheOrientExpress Modernist Drama Forster (1879-1970),KatherineMansfield(1888-1923)and (1976), The Ascent ofF 6 (1938), (1978),and (1937;film1978). (1981);GeorgetteHeyer(1902-1974) The Philosopher’s Pupil The Philosopher’s A HouseandItsHead The HeatoftheDay (1934), The LastoftheWine The Tenth Man (1920),introducedthe Scoop (1936), and (1948) (1938)and Witness forthe The Mousetrap OurManinHavana (1949)and (1985). On theFrontier (1983) (1935) (1956), The LovedOne 1932) inatrilogythat The Quiet American Fire fromHeaven (1938),which Murder inthe Look Backin (1958), th th century, century, (1948)

Agatha The

Elizabeth Bowen Christie . 83 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 began with Chicken Soup with Barley (1958), explored similar social and psychological issues. Joan Littlewood’s (1914-2002) Theatre Workshop introduced another kind of theatricalism, a spontaneous-looking kind of play with many short scenes like Brendan Behan’s (1923-1964) The Quare Fellow (1956) and Shelagh Delaney’s (b. 1939) A Taste of Honey (1958). With his first play, Waiting for Godot (1953), written in French, Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) virtually changed the course of English drama, promoting the theatre of the absurd in his straightforward, difficult plays and novels, humorously depicting the alienated human condition. The concept of absurdity, coming from the writings of the French author Albert Camus (1913- 1960), presented man just as a lonely creature facing emptiness, in which he acts to prove his human identity. He had a strong influence on the younger playwrights like Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard. These playwrights could benefit from large and small stages, radio and television, which all together helped London regain its status as the theatrical capital of the world.

Expanding Personal Response THE AGE OF ANXIETY 1. Which world events had a heavy impact on British and world thinkers? What technological and social innovations did the British come in touch with? 2. What changes took place after the first social government? LITERARY MOODS 1. How did literature change at that period? Which new movements can be singled out? 2. What are the distinguishing features of the novel? Which popular genres emerged during this period? Who were their chief exponents? MODERNIST DRAMA 1. Which social issues were explored in modernist drama? Who promoted the theatre of the absurd? 2. What technical innovations could the playwrights rely on? WRITING FROM WITHIN Carry out some research on the social status of British literati as compared to the one in the 17th and 18th centuries. Compose a formal essay. CROSSWORD Who are the authors of these works? Across:

5. The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) 12 7. A divergence from the past in the arts and literature occurring esp. in the course of the 20th century and 3 taking form in any of various innovative movements 45 and styles 6 8. The Quiet American (1956), The Tenth Man (1985) 7 10. Lord of the Flies (1954) Down: 1. Brave New World (1932) 89 2. The Age of Anxiety (1947) 3. Waiting for Godot (1953) 4. Look Back in Anger (1956) 6. Hugh Selwyn Mauberly (1920), Cantos (begun in 10 1919) 9. The Waste Land (1922)

84 plays: writing too.Hewroteoutstandingliterarycriticism andpoeticdramas,amongwhicharehisbest and depictshisrisefromdespairtohope belief. Eliotwassuccessfulwithotherformsof — thepreciselyselected imagesthatwouldbringtomindtheseemotions inthereader. that hispoetrydoesnotexpress emotionsdirectly, butthroughfindingtheir“objective correlatives” can seesuddenshiftsfrom elevatedlanguagetoslangandcolloquialexpressions. Eliotexplained and manyreligious,historical, mythologicalandliteraryreferences.Besides, inhispoetrywe all touchinguponreligiousthemes.In1948,Eliot wasawardedtheNobelPrizeforLiterature. England in1927.Hispoem subsequently becameitsdirector. HewasgrantedBritishcitizenshipandjoinedtheChurchof and in1922,the and 1925, appeared Chicago saw printin1915,when popular quarterly as anassistanteditorforthe other periodicals,hewroteforthe he marriedValerie Fletcherandtheylivedhappilyforalltheirremainingyears. Eliot separatedfromhiswife,whoeventuallydiedinamentalhome1947. Ten yearslater way back,hestoppedatParistogiveEzraPoundthemanuscriptof worry hadcausedanervousbreakdown,andhewenttoSwisshospitalrecover. Onhis an Englishwriter, butthemarriagewasunhappyandtoldheavilyonEliot.By1921,excessive in London,andthenreceivedapostLloydsBank.In1915,hemarriedVivienne Haigh-Wood, War Iin1914hewent toEngland. At Oxford hestudiedGreekphilosophy, workedasateacher ideas oftheEnglishphilosopherF. H.Bradley(1846-1924),thethemeofhisHarvarddissertation. Italian Renaissance,aswelltheIndianmysticbeliefs.Hisphilosophicalinterestsincluded Santayana (1863-1952).HeearlyshowedhisfondnessforElizabethanandJacobeanliterature,the of theanti-RomanticismIrvingBabbitt(1865-1933)andphilosophicaloutlookGeorge though fondofboxing,EliotwenttoHarvardUniversityin1906,wherehefellundertheinfluence in hisnativeSt.Louis.Onthewhole,familywasstrict,religiousandintellectual.Shydelicate, was bornintoaNewEnglandfamilyofrichtraditions.HisgrandfatherfoundedWashington University the horrorandglory.” make senseofmodernlife,ashesaid,“toseebothbeautyandugliness,totheboredom, far beyondhisage,calledModernism.Withrichphilosophicalbackground,Eliottriedto time, aleaderamongthefirstmodernpoets,whoseinfluenceexpanded Eliot’s poemsarefamous fortheirpreciseimages,unevenrhythms,often changingmoods, Simultaneously, he waspublishinghiscriticalessaystoo,amongthem Soon aftersettlinginLondon,Eliotbeganwritingliteraryandphilosophicalarticles. Among Eliot studiedbothliteratureandphilosophyinEurope,shortlyaftertheoutbreakofWorld Thomas StearnsEliot Thomas StearnsEliotwasoneofthemostdominantwritershis Homage toJohnDryden Murder intheCathedral . His firstpoetrycollectionwaspublishedas Poems 1909-1925, Criterion, The dreamcrossedtwilightbetweenbirthanddying. In thisbrieftransitwherethedreamscross Wavering betweenthe profitandtheloss THOMAS STEARNSELIOT Criterion, (Sept.26,1888,St.Louis,Missouri,USA—Jan.4,1965,London,England) The LoveSongofJ. Alfred Prufrock Ash Wednesday which heediteduntilitstoppedfunctioningin1939.Hispoetryfirst (1924). In1925,hestartedworkingforaLondon publishingfirmand appearedhismostsubstantialwork (1935), Egoist Thomas Stearns Eliot Athenaeum comprising allhisearlierpoetry. The FamilyReunion from 1917to1919.In1922,hehimselfestablishedthe (1930)isdedicatedtohisnewreligiousconversion, and the . Ash Wednesday. Ash Prufrock andOtherObservations Times LiterarySupplement, (1939), and appeared in The Waste Land. The Waste Land. The CocktailParty The SacredWood Poetry magazine in and worked Finally, in In 1933, (1917), (1950), (1920) 85 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 The Journey of the Magi “A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, 5 The very dead of winter.” And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. There were times we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, 10 And the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling And running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly 15 And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying 20 That this was all folly. Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley, Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation; With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness, And three trees on the low sky, 25 And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.

But there was no information, and so we continued , 1894 30 And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory. James Tissot, All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again, but set down This set down 35 This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,

We had evidence and no doubt. The Journey of the Magi I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. 40 We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death. 1927 (5)

86 Ìè ï³ä³éøëèäîøèíêó, äåâ³êíîçàïëåòåíå âèíîãðàäîì, ² ñòàðèéá³ëèéê³íüì÷àâêóäèñü ëóãîì ó÷âàë. äåðåâà íàíèçüêîìó² òðè ðîñëî îáð³¿. г÷êà òåêëà,âîäÿíèé ìëèíìîëîâ ï³òüìó, âãîð³, àòóòÑí³ã çîñòàâñÿ áóëî âîãêî, çåëåííþïàõëî,— ßêîñü ìèíàòðàïèëè íàòåïë³øóäîëèíó, íàñâ³òàíí³ öå—áåçóìñòâî.Ùî âñå íàìóâóõàõ, ëóíàëè À ãîëîñè êîëèÑïàëè, ïðèâåäåòüñÿ, Çðåøòîþ ìèïî÷àëè ìàíäðóâàòè ïîíî÷³, Íåïåðåëèâêè íàìáóëî.  ñ³ëüñüêèõçà¿çäàõ áðóä, äîðîæíå÷à, — íàñíåâïóñêàëè, ì³ñòå÷êàÂåëèê³ ì³ñòà ñòð³÷àëè, íåãîñòèííî ² âàòðà ãàñëàñåðåä íî÷³, éíåçíàéòè ïðèòóëêó, Õòî âò³ê, õòî âèìàãàââèíàéæ³íîê; ïîãîíè÷³Äàë³ ðîçáóð÷àëèñÿ, — ðîçêðè÷àëèñü É çàøîâêîâèìè ä³â÷àòàìè, øåðáåò. ùîíîñÿòü íàñõèëàõ, çàòåðàñàìè, Çà ë³òí³ìèïàëàöàìè ×àñîì ìèøêîäóâàëè ñí³ã.Ëÿãàëè äîë³ âòàíó÷èé Âåðáëþäè â³äñ³äåë,ðîçáèò³íîãè,— çàâïèðàëèñÿ—ñàäíà Ñàì³ñ³íüêà ñåðåäèíà çèìè. Ðîçãðóçë³ äîðîãè,õîëîäíèé â³òåðñ³÷å, Äëÿ ìàíäð³â, îéäîâãèõìàíäð³â— óðøî¿ ïîðèéíåïðèäóìàºø Ó òàê³õîëîäè âòðàïèëè — ÌÀÍÄвÂÊÀ ÒÐÜÎÕ ÖÀв Ïåðåêëàâ Îëåêñàíäð Ìîêðîâîëüñüêèé ß áàæàâáèñîá³³íøî¿ñìåðò³. Ïîì³æ ëþäåé ÷óæèõ, ùîîá³éìàþòü ñâî¿õáîæê³â. Òà á³ëüø íåìຠíàìùàñòÿ îòóò,ñåðåä ñòàðîãî Ïðèçâîëó, Ìè ïîâåðíóëèñü äîñåáå äîäîìó, äîöèõÖàðñòâ, Áóëî ã³ðêîþ, òÿæêîþ àãîí³ºþ äëÿíàñ,ìîâÑìåðòü, íàøàñìåðòü. Àëå äóìàâ, òî öåÍàðîäæåííÿ ð³çí³ðå÷³; òà ³ïîâ³ðèëè.ßíàáà÷èâñüÌè ïåðåñâ³ä÷èëèñü íàðîäæåííÿ éñìåðò³, Íàðîäæåííÿ ÷èÑìåðò³? Çâ³ñíî,Íàðîäæåííÿ áóëî — Îöå: íàñâåäåíî âñþòó äîðîãóçàðàäè Îñü öåïèòàííÿ, ² çíîâïîìàíäðóâàâ áè, êîëè áíåïèòàííÿ, Äàâíî öåáóëî, ÿïàì’ÿòàþ, òà ̳ñöå ÿêì³ñöå. Îïèíèëèñü íàì³ñö³—áóëî âîíî(ìîæíà ñêàçàòè) É ïðèáóëè íàäâå÷³ð, â÷àñíî ñàìå Òà í³õòî òóò í³÷îãî íåçíàâ³ìèïîäàëèñÿ äàë³, Ñêð³çü ï³äíîãàìèáóëè âè÷àâêèâèíîãðàäí³. âêîñò³ á³ëÿâ³ä÷èíåíèõäâåðåé ãðàëè íàñð³áíÿêè, Øåñòåðî 87 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 Expanding Personal Response ELIOT’S LIFE 1. How important was Eliot’s family background? What were his other interests besides literature? 2. What was his contribution to the periodicals? When and how did he become a British citizen? THE JOURNEY OF THE MAGI 1. Explain the words and translate them into Ukrainian: a cold coming, the dead of winter, sleeping in snatches, smelling of vegetation, dicing for pieces of silver, not a moment too soon, no longer at ease, an alien people, set down, clutching their gods. 2. Complete the sentences with words from the text: a) Just the worst time of the year For a …, and such a long … . b) With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all … . c) this … was Hard and bitter agony for us d) We returned to our places, these… . 3. Match key words and their definitions: 1) sharp a) a dwelling place or home considered as a refuge from the natural elements 2) regret b) something that makes things or situation plain and clear 3) shelter c) to feel sorrow or remorse for 4) evidence d) unlike one’s own, strange 5) alien e) keenly cold 4. By what means does the author create the feeling of hardship? Which lines serve a contrast to “the very dead of winter”? 5. What peculiarities of syntax have you noticed? Which passages sound like prose? What effect does this matter-of-fact language produce and why? WRITING FROM WITHIN
Render this poem in prose. Is it possible to preserve some of its artistic value? Why or why not?
Find out other piece of devotional poetry and compare it to this one. Put down your ideas in a research paper. GEORGE ORWELL

Political language — and with variation this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists — is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. George Orwell. Politics and the English Language

The English novelist, essayist, and critic George Orwell (June 25, 1903, Motihari, Bengal, India — Jan. 21, 1950, London), pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair, was born into a family of a British civil servant. On the family’s return to England in 1911, he was sent to a boarding school, where he excelled academically but was not accepted because of his poverty. Such were the realia of Edwardian England that allowed for sharp contrasts to dwell side by side. He grew up a miserable and solitary boy, and he later told of those years in his posthumously published autobiographical essay, Such, Such Were the Joys (1953).

88 Winston Smithworks. Winston The Minitrueisconcerned withthetransmission of Truth (Minitrue),where theprotagonist,amemberofOuterParty, people —theInnerParty, theOuter Party, andtheProles. taught toinform,especially ontheirparents. There are three classesof and hugeslogansBIGBROTHERISWATCHING YOU. Childrenare microphones, anonymousinformerstospypotential thought-criminals, public andprivatelivesaredominatedbytwo-way telescreens,hidden constantly atwarwitheachother. Inthischiefcityofthefictional Oceania, world isdominatedbythreeintercontinentaltotalitarian super-powers, against The Party, and,finally, hisre-educationintheMinistry ofLove. the worldof1984throughWinston’s eyes,hisillegalromance withJuliaandhisintellectualrevolt danger ofNazismandStalinism. The storycouldbedividedintothreeparts:thedescription of Shooting anElephant feelings wouldlatersurfaceinananticolonialistnovel a sharpsenseofguiltaboutBritishcolonialism;hefeltpersonallyresponsibleforit. These Imperial PoliceinBurma,stillpartoftheBritishEmpire.Buthisfive-yearservicethereproduced the latterandstudiedtherefrom1917to1921. After leavingschoolheenlistedinto theIndian anger amongBritain’s left,fortheybelievedshouldfirmlysupporttheSoviet Unionand This novelseverelycriticizedtheCommunistpartyinSpainandelsewhere.Itcausedgreat Republicans intheSpanishCivilWar of1936,afterwhichhewrote never joinedaparty, thoughconsideredhimselfasaneutralleft.Hefoughtontheside of the unemployed inEngland.Itestablishedhischaracteristicindependencepoliticalmatters;Orwell the stillhaunting“imperial”guilt. him out,yetOrwellwantedtoknowlifefirsthand,justoutofhumancuriosity, andbecauseof This povertywaspartiallyself-inflictedsincehehadinfluentialfriendswhowouldhavehelped colourfully describedinhisfirstsemi-fictionalbook, with othervagrantsandjoinedintheannualharvestingKent. This unusualexperienceis End ofLondontoliveamonglabourersandbeggars.HetrampedalongtheroadsEngland followed byaperiodofvagabondinginEngland,wherehe,raggedclothes,wentintotheEast he notundertakensomemanualjobsinhotelsandrestaurants.Suchhardexperiencewas went toParisteachandtriedhishandatwriting,butwouldhardlyhavesurvivedthere,had and education,adoptedapennameOrwell,theofbeautifulriverinEast Anglia. He The currentgovernment, theParty, controlssocietyviathe Ministry The eventstakeplaceinLondon,animaginary futureinwhichthe Nineteen Eighty-Four He wonascholarshiptotwoofEngland’s leading schools,WinchesterandEton.Hechose His firstnovel, On hisreturntoEngland,EricBlairdecidedbecomeawriterand,escapefrombirth The RoadtoWigan Pier essay, degradation oflanguageandthewaystopreventitinhismostinfluential human spirit. Three yearsbeforewritingthisnovel,hehadinvestigatedthe language ofsocialismtocoveritsdictatorshipthatsystematicallydestroys novel aboutatotalitarianfutureofEnglandwherethegovernmentuses tuberculosis, Orwellwrote about thehorrorsofsuchatyrannicalsocialism.Disillusionedanddying was eviltyranny. In world wasnecessary, butstatedthattheso-calledsocialismofSovietRussia fascism. Orwellneverhesitatedsayingthatdeepsocialchangeinthecapitalist the Communistpartyasleadersinstruggleagainstinternational (1936). isanovel-warningwrittenafteryearsofcontemplating onthedouble Politics andtheEnglishLanguage Nineteen Eighty-Four Animal Farm (1937), showsOrwell’s sharedexperiencewiththe Nineteen Eighty-Four (1945), agravemodernallegory, hewarned Down andOutinParisLondon Burmese Days (1946). (1949). Itisafiercelypowerful Homage toCatalonia (1934), andessayslike (1933). (1938).

Nineteen Eighty-Four, first edition 89 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 of untruth, and the white walls of its headquarters proclaim in “Newspeak” (the new language) the three slogans of the party: “WAR IS PEACE / FREEDOM IS SLAVERY / IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” Winston’s job in Minitrue includes constant rewriting and changing history so that it shows the government in the right; this is achieved by destroying proofs, distorting facts, making corrections to newspaper articles and getting rid of people identified as un-persons. The other governmental structures are the “Ministry of Peace,” that actually deals with war and the “Ministry of Love” that tortures people. Winston is fed up with lies in which he participates and longs for truth, which leads him to rebellion. He falls in love with a like-minded woman, but later they are both arrested by the Thought Police. The resulting imprisonment and torture are meant not only to crush them physically but to eliminate their spiritual dignity so that they can love only the leader of the party, Big Brother. The book’s title and many of its new words and phrases, like Big Brother, newspeak, doublethink, became catchwords in modern political abuse. Although the novel was even banned in some countries, it is, along with Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, among the most famous literary dystopias. PART I. CHAPTER 2 Winston lives in a shabby one-room apartment, eats a survival diet of black bread and synthetic meals washed down with Victory-brand gin. He is dissatisfied, and keeps an illegal diary of rebellious thoughts and opinions about The Party, which in itself could result in torture and death by the Thought Police. As he put his hand to the door-knob Winston saw that he had left the diary open on the table. DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER was written all over it, in letters almost big enough to be legible across the room. It was an inconceivably stupid thing to have done. But, he realized, even in his panic he had not wanted to smudge the creamy paper by shutting the book while the ink was wet. He drew in his breath and opened the door. Instantly a warm wave of relief flowed through him. A colourless, crushed-looking woman, with wispy hair and a lined face, was standing outside. “Oh, comrade,” she began in a dreary, whining sort of voice, “I thought I heard you come in. Do you think you could come across and have a look at our kitchen sink? It’s got blocked up and —” It was Mrs Parsons, the wife of a neighbour on the same floor. (“Mrs” was a word somewhat discountenanced by the Party — you were supposed to call everyone “comrade” — but with some women one used it instinctively.) She was a woman of about thirty, but looking much older. One had the impression that there was dust in the creases of her face. Winston followed her down the passage. These amateur repair jobs were an almost daily irritation. Victory Mansions were old flats, built in 1930 or thereabouts, and were falling to pieces. The plaster flaked constantly from ceilings and walls, the pipes burst in every hard frost, the roof leaked whenever there was snow, the heating system was usually running at half steam when it was not closed down altogether from motives of economy. Repairs, except what you could do for yourself, had to be sanctioned by remote committees which were liable to hold up even the mending of a window-pane for two years. “Of course it’s only because Tom isn’t home,” said Mrs Parsons vaguely. The Parsons’ flat was bigger than Winston’s, and dingy in a different way. Everything had a battered, trampled-on look, as though the place had just been visited by some large violent animal. Games impedimenta — hockey-sticks, boxing-gloves, a burst football, a pair of sweaty shorts turned inside out — lay all over the floor, and on the table there was a litter of dirty dishes and dog-eared exercise-books. On the walls were scarlet banners of the Youth League and the Spies, and a full-sized poster of Big Brother. There was the usual boiled-cabbage smell, common to the

90 a savagevoice. the otherroom. from thetapandwentbackinto as besthecouldinthecoldwater the pipe.Hecleanedhisfingers human hairthathadblockedup disgustedly removedtheclotof Winston letoutthewaterand Parsons broughtthespanner. into theliving-room.Mrs comb asthechildrencharged boots andanotherblastonthe — ” sure. Perhapsthechildren invertebrate. “Idon’t know, I’m Parsons, immediatelybecoming nut ontheangle-joint. said Winston, fiddlingwiththe and evenremainedbehindhimafterhehadgone. unconscious testimonytothestrenuousnessofhislife,followedhimaboutwhereverhewent, Centre everyeveningforthepastfouryears. An overpowering smell ofsweat,asort quiet pride,betweenwhiffs ofhispipe,thathehadputinanappearanceattheCommunity demonstrations, savingscampaigns,andvoluntaryactivitiesgenerally. Hewouldinformyouwith Committee andalltheothercommitteesengagedinorganizing communityhikes,spontaneous intelligence wasnotrequired,butontheotherhandhealeadingfigureSports beyond thestatutoryage. At theMinistryhewasemployedinsomesubordinatepostforwhich and beforegraduatingintothe Youth LeaguehehadmanagedtostayonintheSpies forayear of thePartydepended. At thirty-fivehehadjustbeenunwillinglyevictedfromthe Youth League, unquestioning, devoteddrudgesonwhom,moreeventhanthe Thought Police,thestability man ofparalysingstupidity,— oneofthosecompletely amassofimbecileenthusiasms that. He’s eversogoodwithhishands, Tom is.” down, whichwasalwaysliabletostarthimcoughing.MrsParsonslookedonhelplessly. down andexaminedtheangle-jointofpipe.Hehatedusinghishands,hebending to thebrimwithfilthygreenishwaterwhichsmeltworsethaneverofcabbage. Winston knelt haven’t beenouttoday. And ofcourse—” keep tunewiththemilitarymusicwhichwasstillissuingfromtelescreen. the moment.Inanotherroomsomeonewithacombandpieceoftoiletpaperwastryingto the firstsniff, thoughitwashardtosayhow—thesweatofsomepersonnotpresentat whole building,butitwasshotthroughbyasharperreekofsweat,which—oneknewthisat “Up withyourhands!”yelled There wasatramplingof “A spanner,” saidMrs “Have yougotaspanner?” Parsons was Winston’s fellow-employeeattheMinistryof Truth. Hewasafattishbutactive “Of courseif Tom washomehe’dputitrightinamoment,”shesaid.“Helovesanythinglike She hadahabitofbreakingoff hersentencesinthemiddle. The kitchensinkwasfullnearly “It’s thechildren,”saidMrsParsons,castingahalf-apprehensiveglanceatdoor. “They 91 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 A handsome, tough-looking boy of nine had popped up from behind the table and was menacing him with a toy automatic pistol, while his small sister, about two years younger, made the same gesture with a fragment of wood. Both of them were dressed in the blue shorts, grey shirts, and red neckerchiefs which were the uniform of the Spies. Winston raised his hands above his head, but with an uneasy feeling, so vicious was the boy’s demeanour, that it was not altogether a game. “You’re a traitor!” yelled the boy. “You’re a thought-criminal! You’re a Eurasian spy! I’ll shoot you, I’ll vaporize you, I’ll send you to the salt mines!” Suddenly they were both leaping round him, shouting “Traitor!” and “Thought-criminal!” the little girl imitating her brother in every movement. It was somehow slightly frightening, like the gambolling of tiger cubs which will soon grow up into man-eaters. There was a sort of calculating ferocity in the boy’s eye, a quite evident desire to hit or kick Winston and a consciousness of being very nearly big enough to do so. It was a good job it was not a real pistol he was holding, Winston thought. Mrs Parsons’ eyes flitted nervously from Winston to the children, and back again. In the better light of the living-room he noticed with interest that there actually was dust in the creases of her face. “They do get so noisy,” she said. “They’re disappointed because they couldn’t go to see the hanging, that’s what it is. I’m too busy to take them. and Tom won’t be back from work in time.” “Why can’t we go and see the hanging?” roared the boy in his huge voice. “Want to see the hanging! Want to see the hanging!” chanted the little girl, still capering round. Some Eurasian prisoners, guilty of war crimes, were to be hanged in the Park that evening, Winston remembered. This happened about once a month, and was a popular spectacle. He took his leave of Mrs Parsons and made for the door. But he had not gone six steps down the passage when something hit the back of his neck an agonizingly painful blow. It was as though a red- hot wire had been jabbed into him. He spun round just in time to see Mrs Parsons dragging her son back into the doorway while the boy pocketed a catapult. [...] “Oceania, ’tis for thee” gave way to lighter music. Winston walked over to the window, keeping his back to the telescreen. The day was still cold and clear. Somewhere far away a rocket bomb exploded with a dull, reverberating roar. About twenty or thirty of them a week were falling on London at present. Down in the street the wind flapped the torn poster to and fro, and the word INGSOC fitfully appeared and vanished. Ingsoc. The sacred principles of Ingsoc. Newspeak, doublethink, the mutability of the past. He felt as though he were wandering in the forests of the sea bottom, lost in a monstrous world where he himself was the monster. He was alone. The past was dead, the future was unimaginable. What certainty had he that a single human creature now living was on his side? And what way of knowing that the dominion of the Party would not endure FOR EVER? Like an answer, the three slogans on the white face of the Ministry of Truth came back to him: WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH He took a twenty-five cent piece out of his pocket. There, too, in tiny clear lettering, the same slogans were inscribed, and on the other face of the coin the head of Big Brother. Even from the coin the eyes pursued you. On coins, on stamps, on the covers of books, on banners, on posters, and on the wrappings of a cigarette packet — everywhere. Always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, working or eating, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or in bed — no escape. Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull. 1949 (22)

92 1. PickoutthewordcombinationsincludinghyphenatedwordsandtranslatethemintoUkrainian, 3. Whatthemeswashepreoccupiedwith?werehisotherfieldsofinvestigation? 2. Whatwashistasteoflowlifelike?Howdidhecometowriting? 1. WhatdoesOrwell’s pen-namemean?Whywasn’theacceptedintheboardingschool? 6. Findthemeaningsofwordsbytheiretymology, devidingtheminto theirconstituentparts: 5. Finddefinitionsofthefollowingintheircontextsandtrytoexplainsameyourown 4. Whosewordsarethese?WhatdotheysuggestabouttheirspeakersandthewayoflifeinOceania? 3. Chooseandfillin: 2. Completethesentenceswithawordderivative: 11. GivereasonsforMrsParsons’ children’s behaviour. Discusstheimportanceofchildren’s 10. Identifythewords describing MrsParson.Whatkindofhousewife isshe?Interpretthe 9. Infact,thenovelisa 8. Whatisthetimeandplaceofnarrative? istheworldlikethen?Whatironicabout 7. Groupallthe e.g.: did hefeelguiltyaboutBritishcolonialism? from? (e.g. prefixes, roots,suffixes, endings.Whatlanguage weresomeoftheseword-partsborrowed words: lead toinfuturegenerations? WhydoesMrsParsonshaveahabit ofnotfinishingher utterances. Whydoyou thinkthechildrenweresocruel?Whatwould the everpresentfear symbolic diary? What featureofcharactershowsinWinston’s actionwhenhetakestheriskofkeepinga Smith.Ifthisgrimrealityistreated byhiminthisway,Winston whatkindofpersonishe? “Newspeak”? gerund; d)verbalnoun. as partofthepredicateinaContinuous Tense; b)presentparticipleasanadjective;c) — They’re disappointedbecausetheycouldn’tgotoseethehanging,that’s whatitis. — You’re athought-criminal! You’re aEurasianspy!I’llshootyou,vaporizesend — He’s eversogoodwithhishands, Tom is. 5) Always theeyes…youandvoiceenvelopingyou. 4) Shehadahabitof…hersentencesinthemiddle. 3) Repairshadtobe…byremotecommittees. 2) Victory Mansionswereoldflats,builtin1930or…,andfallingtopieces. 1) Winstonfollowedherdownthe…. f) Thepastwasdead,thefuturewas…. e) Hefeltasthoughhewerelostina…world. d) Somewherefarawayarocketbombexplodedwithdull,…roar. c) Somethinghitthebackofhisneckan…painfulblow. b) MrsParsons’ eyesflitted…fromWinston tothechildren. a) You weresupposedtostand…. eigBwthn Cbeholding you tothesaltmines! Cbreakingoff Bwatching Csanctioned Bmodifying A seeing Cafter Binitiated A finishing Ccorridor Bbefore A supervised Bpassage A thereabouts A aisle a battered, trampled-on look, casting a half-apprehensive glance, a thought-criminal, a battered,trampled-onlook,castinghalf-apprehensiveglance, smudge, flake,spanner, neckerchief,demeanour, pocketed,catapult importanceofthedust inthecreasesofMrsParsonsfacefornarrative. inconceivably -ing -form wordsfromthetextbytheirgrammaticalfunctions: a)presentparticiple Expanding PersonalResponse third-person narrative =in(L)+ NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR ORWELL’S LIFE conceive (attend) (imagine) (L)+ withastrongpresenceofnarrator, i.e. (monster) able (L)+ (agony) (nerve) ly (E)) (reverberate) . etc . 93 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 sentences? What was Mrs. Parsons’ explanation of the children’s rudeness? What does that mean on a larger social scale? 12. How significant is the description of the repair committee and the flats? What kind of society do they live in? 13. What are the problems raised in the novel? How important are the slogans in the novel? 14. Comment on the slogans in this chapter. 15. Imagine you are going to interview Winston. Prepare some questions. WRITING FROM WITHIN
Carry out an investigation on the totalitarian regimes of the past. How did they treat the individual? What was common between them and the Oceania of Nineteen Eighty-Four?
Investigate this chapter’s sensory imagery, and, using it, describe the general picture they create, in a small essay. ROBERT GRAVES

If I were a young man And young was my Lily, A smart girl, a bold young man, Both of us silly. And though from time before I knew She’d stab me with pain, Though well I knew she’d not be true, I’d love her again. Robert Graves. Brittle Bones

Robert Graves was one of the most productive authors in the 20th century. His literary output amounts to over one hundred books of poetry and prose, translations, literary criticism, and studies of anthropology and psychology. In his autobiography Goodbye to All That (1929), Robert Graves (July 24, 1895, Wimbledon — Dec. 7, 1985, Deia, Majorca, Spain) recollects his unhappy years at school, where he started writing and editing poetry. He was also fond of boxing and mountain climbing. In August 1914, when World War I was declared, Graves enlisted into the army and, serving in France from 1915 to 1917, was raised to a captain. In the Battle of the Somme, 20 July 1916, Graves was wounded by a shell fragment, seriously injuring his right lung. He was taken to a field-hospital, and next morning was reported dead. Later, however, The Times corrected this error. But he seriously damaged his nervous system and general health, and he spent the rest of the war in various military posts in England and Ireland. It was during the war, when he became engaged in writing poetry. Encouraged by his friends, Graves published his first volumes Over the Brazier (1916), and Fairies and Fusiliers (1917). After the war Graves married, resumed his education at Oxford, and developed his interests in writing, scholarship, and teaching. In 1926 he met Laura Riding, who over the next fifteen years was to be his mistress, muse, mentor, and some say, tormentor. They collaborated in various projects, including the influential critical work A Survey of Modernist Poetry (1927). But for Graves modernism was not represented by the later Yeats, Pound or Eliot; it had more in common with the work of the American poets John Crowe Ransom, e. e. cummings, and William Carlos Williams. In his own later poetry Graves became more and more the poet of personal relationship, especially of love between the sexes. In 1929, when his marriage broke up, Graves settled in a mountain village in Majorca, Spain. Here Graves published his commercially successful novels Goodbye to All That (1929), I Claudius (1934), and another bestseller Claudius the God (1935).

94 clarity, andmythicwisdom. of patriarchalinfavormatriarchalsocietycanhelpmodernpoetrytorecoveritslostforce, principle thathecalledtheWhiteGoddess.Onlyareturntogoddessworshipandanabandonment view ofpoetry. Itpreservesthewisdomofapeopleandderivesfromgreatfemaleinspirational a historyofmyth,developsintoanattackonfashionablekindspoetry, andendswithhisown coming backtoMajorca.In1948Gravespublished to Pennsylvania,USA. After returningtoEnglandin1939,GravesbrieflylivedDevonbefore represented mostofwhathewantedtopreserve. sense.” Hepublishedmorethanseventeenvolumesofpoetry, ofwhich “My minimumrequirementofapoemisthatitshouldmakeprosesenseaswellpoetic combine ironyandsensitivitywithasmoothlylyricalstyle. As hesaysofhisownpoeticstandards, subject matterchangedfromphilosophytopersonalandromanticrelationships.Hisbestpoems When theSpanishCivilWar brokeoutin1936,GravesreturnedtoLondon,andlatermoved Graves’s workisacombinationofthetraditionalandmodern. Throughout hislifetime, From 1961to1965GravesworkedasProfessorofPoetryatOxford. theirheadsoneday inslowheartbeats, in slowheartbeats, nowandhere, Owherethenshallwebe 24 20 16 12 8 4 Yet thehugestormwillburstupon Night, andacloudlessday; Cloudless day, Wakeful theylie. The bleedingtodeathoftime Counting theslowheartbeats, Counting thebeats, What careyouorI? And ifnomorethanonlyyouandI (He whispers)youandI, You, love,andI, Wakeful theylie.(23) The bleedingtodeathof time Counting theslowheartbeats, Counting thebeats, Always youandI, As weare,here,together, (He whispers)onlyhere, Not therebuthere, Who wereyouandI? When deathstrikeshome, (She whispers)whereshallwebe, Where shallwebe, From abittersky. The GreekMyths Counting theBeats appearedin1955. ï³ä ñòóê ñåðäåöü; óäâîõ, îòóò, — äåáóäåìî ÿ³òè, ãðîçà,³äåíü, ï³äñòóê ñåðäåöü; The WhiteGoddess 24 20 16 12 8 4 Ðàíîê ñ³ÿ. Ñò³êຠêðîâ’þ÷àñ Ðîçì³ðåíèé ñòóê ñåðäåöü. ñåðäåöü, ² ñòóê Ëèø òè³ÿ, Ïëå÷å äîïëå÷à, îòàê, Çàâæäè ³ò³ëüêèòóò, Áóäåìî òóò,  ÿêèõêðàÿõ?  ãðîçó ³í³÷— Êîõàíèé, àÿ³òè? À ÿ,àòè? óñëüîçàõ. Âåñü À ïîò³ì —í³÷³ãð³ì, Ùå îäèí ÿñíèéäåíü. Çà ðàíêîì —äåíü. Ðàíîê âî÷àõ. Ñò³êຠêðîâ’þ÷àñ Ðîçì³ðåíèé ñòóê ñåðäåöü ϳä ñòóê ñåðäåöü, Íàâ³ùî ñòðàõ? ßêùî ëèøäâîºíàñ—òè³ÿ,— Êîõàíà, òè³ÿ, Ëèø òè³ÿ, Ïeðåêëàëà Ìàð³ÿ Ãàáëåâè÷Ïeðåêëàëà Collected Poems1975 . This bookbeginsas 95 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 Expanding Personal Response GRAVES’ LIFE 1. How did Graves mature as a poet? Who did he collaborate with? 2. What is characteristic for his poetry? What themes prevail with him? COUNTING THE BEATS 1. What is the connection between the theme and its poetic form here? What features help to shape the content of the poem? Speak about rhythm, rhyme pattern, punctuation, pauses, repetition. 2. The two underlying emotions here are love and fear. How are they expressed? 3. Find examples of alliteration. How important is it for the poem’s imagery? 4. What is the metaphorical meaning of lines 7 and 23? Are there any other lines with the metaphorical meaning? 5. Does the translator deviate from the original? Analyse the deviations you can see. 6. In his poem A Slice of Wedding Cake Robert Graves wrote: Has God’s supply of tolerable husbands Fallen, in fact, so low? Or do I always over-value woman At the expense of man? Do I? It might be so… How do these lines contrast to the previous poem? What gender problems are raised here? WRITING FROM WITHIN
Write about the most memorable love story you know. What is unusual about it? Try to give reason why it could be instructive to others. WILLIAM GOLDING

… His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart. William Golding. Lord of the Flies

For his creative allegories about the darker motives of human inner self, the English novelist, essayist and poet, William Golding (Sept. 19, 1911, St. Columb Minor, near Newquay, Cornwall — June 19, 1993, Perranarworthal, near Falmouth, Cornwall) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983. Since the publication of his first novel Lord of the Flies (1954) he has been attracting many admirers and followers, mostly among the post-World War II youth. Golding’s father was a teacher at Marlborough, young William attended the same school. In 1935, he graduated from Brasenose College, Oxford. After working in small theatre companies, he received a position as a schoolmaster at Bishop Wordsworth’s School, Salisbury. He enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1940, fought against the German battleships, and was in command of a rocket-launching craft during the invasion of France in 1944. After the war he went on to teach at Bishop Wordsworth’s until 1961.

96 bombardment duringWorld War II.Hisother works include produces honey.” humanity’s brutality, andhealsoexaminestheproblemsofhumansurvival,existencefreedom. Christian symbolism.Hisleadingthemeistheevilasfoundinextremecircumstancesand Target book ofverse (1989). Besideshisnumerousnovels,Goldingpublishedaplay, the BookerMcConnellPrize,anditssequels, (1959) and Ralph, escapingtothebeach,suddenlyrunsinto aNavalofficer whotakesthemalltothecruiser. the waningsenseofdemocracyandgoodness. Furtheron,JackhuntsRalphlikeananimal. of civilization.SamandErictakenunderJack’s savagecontrol,Ralphistheonlyoneleftwith of Simonisthencarriedouttotheseaby current. Piggy whowerecaughtupinthefrenzy, fulfils theLordofFlies’ prediction. The deadbody would ratherhavefunthanworryaboutanything else. Flies basicallyprovestoSimonthattheBeastreallyisinsideeveryone,butsayseveryone partly hisimagination,andsomekindofmessagefromtheunknown. The Lordofthe Flies.” Simon’s imaginaryconversationwithitis thebasisofthemenovel,andis the Beast. The blackcloudoffliesiscoveringthe headfromnowtobecalled“TheLordofthe Ralph’s andJack’s withhismoresavageways. of evilorsavageryinsideallthem. The boyssplitintotwofactions, only onetorealizethattherereallyisn’tany building sheltersanddealingwiththeislandbeasts.Simonis Simon, SamandErichuntforpigs.ButJack’s firsthuntfailed. age. Rulesareestablished,withRalphtheleader. Jackand his“choir” rest oftheboys,includinglittleonesaboutsixorsevenyears to escapeonanuninhabitedisland.RalphandPiggygatherallthe the shootingdownofplanefromwhichseveralchildrenaretrying childlike solidaritytotyrannousbloodshed. The novel beginswith survival, theygraduallyallowtheirrelationshipstodegeneratefrom on aPacificislandduringwar. Although firstpreoccupied with officer, whofacesdeath,arethesubjectof Neanderthal man,thematicallyparallelsthepreviousnovel. The guiltythoughtsofamarine of allhumancivilityarousedawideinterest. 1990), thestoryofchildishsavagery. The inventiveandfiercedescriptionoftherapidending Golding’s fictionisoften In anotherconfrontationPiggyiskilled,andthe conch shattered,symbolisingthelastremnant A violentstormisragingonthe island. The beatingofSimonbyalltheboys, evenRalphand Amid growingdisagreement,Jackkillsapig,cutsoff itsheadandsacrificesitonastickto Gradually theboysdisagreeaboutkeepingsignalfire,hunting, In thisnovelagroupofschoolboysaretheonlysurvivorsaway Golding’s firstpublishedandmostpopularnovelwas (1982). Hewasraisedtoknighthoodin1988. Really sure,Imean?” “D’you thinkwe’resafedown here?” “I toldyouadozentimes now,” saidRalph,“wesawit.” Piggy lookedupmiserably fromthedawn-palebeachtodarkmountain.“Are yousure? The Spire Poems Darkness Visible Lord oftheFlies (1934), andthecollectionsofessays (1964),alsodisplayGolding’s beliefthat“manproducesevilasabee allegorical GIFT FOR THE DARKNESS withbroad (1979)tellsofaboyterriblyburnedintheLondon CHAPTER EIGHT. beast Pincher Martin The Inheritors Close Quarters allusions , butjustaforce Lord oftheFlies toclassicalliterature,mythology, and The HotGates (1956).Suchnovelsas Rites ofPassage (1955),setinthelastdaysof (1987)and The BrassButterfly (1965) and (1954;filmed1963, Fire DownBelow (1980),winning A Moving (1958), a Free Fall

Lord of the Flies, first edition 97 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 “How the hell should I know?” Ralph jerked away from him and walked a few paces along the beach. Jack was kneeling and drawing a circular pattern in the sand with his forefinger. Piggy’s voice came to them, hushed. “Are you sure? Really?” “Go up and see,” said Jack contemptuously, “and good riddance.” “No fear.” “The beast had teeth,” said Ralph, “and big black eyes.” He shuddered violently. Piggy took off his one round of glass and polished the surface. “What we going to do?” Ralph turned toward the platform. The conch glimmered among the trees, a white blob against the place where the sun would rise. He pushed back his mop. “I don’t know.” He remembered the panic flight down the mountainside. “I don’t think we’d ever fight a thing that size, honestly, you know. We’d talk but we wouldn’t fight a tiger. We’d hide. Even Jack ’ud hide.” Jack still looked at the sand. “What about my hunters?” Simon came stealing out of the shadows by the shelters. Ralph ignored Jack’s question. He pointed to the touch of yellow above the sea. “As long as there’s light we’re brave enough. But then? And now that thing squats by the fire as though it didn’t want us to be rescued —” He was twisting his hands now, unconsciously. His voice rose. “So we can’t have a signal fire. … We’re beaten.” A point of gold appeared above the sea and at once all the sky lightened. “What about my hunters?” “Boys armed with sticks.” Jack got to his feet. His face was red as he marched away. Piggy put on his one glass and looked at Ralph. “Now you done it. You been rude about his hunters.” “Oh shut up!” The sound of the inexpertly blown conch interrupted them. As though he were serenading the rising sun, Jack went on blowing till the shelters were astir and the hunters crept to the platform and the littluns whimpered as now they so frequently did. Ralph rose obediently, and Piggy, and they went to the platform. “Talk,” said Ralph bitterly, “talk, talk, talk.” He took the conch from Jack. “This meeting —” Jack interrupted him. “I called it.” “If you hadn’t called it I should have. You just blew the conch.” “Well, isn’t that calling it?” “Oh, take it! Go on — talk!” Ralph thrust the conch into Jack’s arms and sat down on the trunk. “I’ve called an assembly,” said Jack, “because of a lot of things. First, you know now, we’ve seen the beast. We crawled up. We were only a few feet away. The beast sat up and looked at us. I don’t know what it does. We don’t even know what it is —”

98 hung inspacebeforehim. don’t you? And Piggy, andJack?” think you’rebatty. You don’t wantRalphtothinkyou’rebatty, doyou? You likeRalphalot, deadly silence. went on,tremulousyetdetermined,pushingagainsttheuncooperativesilence. And that’s notall.” Ralph saidmyhuntersarenogood.” hunter. Only—shutup! The nextthingisthatwecouldn’t killit. And thenextthingisthat “Pig’s head Simon’s mouthlaboured,broughtforth audiblewords. “There isn’t anyonetohelpyou.Onlyme. And I’mtheBeast.” Simon shook. “What areyoudoingouthereallalone? Aren’t you afraid ofme?” Simon’s headwastiltedslightlyup.Hiseyescouldnot breakawayandtheLordofFlies “Well then,”saidtheLordofFlies,“you’dbetterrunoff andplaywiththeothers. They Simon answeredhiminthesamesilentvoice. “Don’t youagree?”saidtheLordof Simon movedhisswollentonguebutsaidnothing. “You areasillylittleboy,” saidtheLordofFlies,“justanignorant,sillylittleboy.” … “Hands up,”saidJackstrongly, “whoeverwantsRalphnottobechief?” He lookedexpectantlyattheboysrangedround,whohadfrozen.Underpalmstherewas “Who thinksRalphoughtn’t tobechief?” He heldtheconchagainsthischestwithonehandandstabbedairindexfinger. “All rightthen,”hesaidintonesofdeepmeaning,andmenace,“allright.” Jack turned,redintheface,hischinsunkback.Hegloweredupundereyebrows. “I wentontoo,”saidRalph,“thenIranaway. Sodidyou.”… The twoboysglaredateachotherthroughscreensofhair. “After.” “I wenttoo!” “On top,whenRogerandmewenton—hestayedback.” For amomenthepausedandthenwenton. “He’s acowardhimself.” Jack clutchedtheconchtohim. “He’s likePiggy. HesaysthingslikePiggy. Heisn’t aproperchief.” There wasakindofsighontheplatformasifeveryoneknewwhatcoming.Jack’s voice “I’ve gottheconch.Ralphthinksyou’recowards,runningawayfromboarandbeast. “I neversaidthat!” “Hunting,” saidJack.Herememberedhisage-oldtremorsintheforest.“Yes. The beastisa “Yes, hunting.” “Hunting —” “Perhaps it’s waiting—” “Quiet!” shoutedJack.“You, listen. The beastissittingupthere,whateverit—” “Trees —” “Out ofthedark—” “The beastcomesoutofthesea—” on astick.” Flies. “Aren’t youjustasillylittleboy?” 99 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” said the head. For a moment or two the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?” The laughter shivered again. “Come now,” said the Lord of the Flies. “Get back to the others and we’ll forget the whole thing.” Simon’s head wobbled. His eyes were half closed as though he were imitating the obscene thing on the stick. He knew that one of his times was coming on. The Lord of the Flies was expanding like a balloon. “This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you’ll only meet me down there — so don’t try to escape!” Simon’s body was arched and stiff. The Lord of the Flies spoke in the voice of a schoolmaster. “This has gone quite far enough. My poor, misguided child, do you think you know better than I do?” There was a pause. “I’m warning you. I’m going to get angry. D’you see? You’re not wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else —” Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was blackness within, a blackness that spread. “— Or else,” said the Lord of the Flies, “we shall do you. See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?” Simon was inside the mouth. He fell down and lost consciousness. 1954 (24)

Expanding Personal Response GOLDING’S LIFE 1. What accomplishments was Golding knighted for? What was his most popular novel? What are his other novels about? 2. What did Golding choose for his leading literary theme? Could there be any connection between his teaching school children and the knowledge of children’s brutality? LORD OF THE FLIES 1. Find the contextual meanings of the following list of colloquial idioms and give their contextual Ukrainian equivalents: go up and see, good riddance, no fear; we are beaten; now you have done it; oh shut up; oh take it; go on — talk; on top; all right then; hands up; well then; you’re batty; it’s no good. 2. Find several examples of non-grammatical English and write them correctly. Why does the author break grammar rules? 3. Make up semantic clusters of words and word-combinations associated with: a) fear; b) sounds. 4. Match key words and their definitions: 1) kneel a) a person who hunts game or other wild animals 2) platform b) the main stem of a tree 3) hunter c) to go down or rest on the knees 4) shelter d) to give notice, advice, or intimation to 5) trunk e) any nonhuman animal 6) beast f) a building serving as a temporary refuge 7) warn g) a horizontal surface or structure

100 though hisknowledgeof poetry wasenormous.Forawhileheworking asanewspaperreporter, as family,farmer’s theboycouldspendhisvacationsincountry, whichis described insuchpoems educated atSwanseaGrammar School.Sincehismothercamefroma Swansea, Glamorgan,Wales —Nov. 9,1953,New York, N.Y., USA)was

choiceof 6. Commentontheauthor’s 5. Findtwocasesofpersonificationinsentencesandanalysethemeansbywhichitis 12. Morethanacenturyago,theEnglishpoetWilliamBlake(1757-1827)wrote: 11. The decisiveroleinthenarrationisgiventodialogue.Whatareitsliterarycharacteristics 10. The finalarrivaloftheNavalofficer thusseemslikeahappyandironicending,butifone 9. Initslargerassessment,thisnovelalludestoman’s fallfromGod’s blessing.Whatisthe 8. Crueltygoessidebywithchildishfears.Whatdoestheauthorachievesuchsharp 7. IdentifythewordsdescribingSimon.Simon,mostimaginativeboy, wastalkingtothe Translate thelastepisodeofthischapterintoUkrainian. Try torenderthetensionof Think ofthewayscrueltyatschoolcanbestopped.Considertechnicalinnovations,children’s circumstances SimonwasunderwhentalkingtotheLordofFlies. clothes andotheraspectsofyouthlifewritea The Welsh poetandprosewriter Ralph. Whatcouldsuchmoveleadupto?isthe achieved. Translate thesentences. here? Isitdifferent fromthepreviousliteraryworks? allow crueltyandsavagerytobestoppedbytheboysthemselves? world. Nevertheless,helpdidcome,thoughfromoutside.WhydoyouthinkGoldingnot thinks deeperitisjustacontinuationfromonewartoanothertakingplaceintheoutside episode? basic contrast? Where doyouthinkthebeastreallyis? carry anysymbolicload?WhatdoesSimon’s conversationwiththeLordofFliessignify? Lord oftheFlies.Couldtherebeanyreasonwhyheshouldgetkilledfirst?Doesthistragedy for thenarrative?GivereasonsJack’s behaviour. How topicalarethesewordsnowadays?Hasanythingchangedwithinhumannature? Fern Hill theme And Secrecythehumandress. Terror thehumanformdivine, And Jealousyahumanface; Cruelty hasahumanheart, (1946).Hedidbadlyatschool, beingintellectuallylazyineverythingoutof hisinterest, My youngisbentbythesamewintryfever. And Iamdumbtotellthecrookedrose Is mydestroyer. Drives mygreenage;thatblaststherootsoftrees The forcethatthroughthegreenfusedrives flower ofthenovel?Whatnegativesideshumannaturearebroughtupinfirst DYLAN THOMAS Dylan Thomas. WRITING FROMWITHIN the Green FuseDrivestheFlower Dylan Thomas similes The Force ThatThrough . Jackisgoingtobuildhisreputationonblaming (Oct.27,1914, personal essay symbolic importanceoftheconch . 101 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 and emerged as a poet in 1933 due to a newspaper poetry contest. The next year, his collection Eighteen Poems was welcomed with great enthusiasm because of the strange imagery and power of expression. With them, Thomas brought back a revived romantic beauty after the deliberately subdued tones of T. S. Eliot and his followers.

City, South Wales. City, Thomas made London his home for about ten years from 1936. In 1937, he married the Irishwoman Caitlin Macnamara, and they had two sons and a daughter. He was already famous in literary circles, sociable, and, ironically, very poor, with a growing family to support. He tried to make money with the BBC and as a film scriptwriter though not Dylan Thomas Theatre, Swansea Dylan Thomas statue outside The very successfully. Unfortunately, he always fell behind with his income tax, and the money he made was taken from him by the British Exchequer. However, the London atmosphere became increasingly dangerous to Thomas. In 1946, he was thinking of emigrating to the United States. In 1947, after a nervous breakdown, he moved to Oxford, where he was given a cottage by A. J. P. Taylor, a distinguished historian. As more of his poetry was published, and he explained the complicated imagery of his early style in his later volumes, Twenty-Five Poems (1936), The Map of Love (1939), Deaths and Entrances (1946), Collected Poems (1953), it became obvious that he was a master craftsman. He arranged his images in the most ordered sequences and viewed this world as a magic revolving circle of the interconnected life and death; for him love was the beginning of new growth, birth was the beginning of death. He placed an important weight on sound, rhythm, and simple, almost primitive imagery. He could wonderfully recite his own and others’ poems, and many listeners were drawn to Thomas by the magic of his voice, by his comic cheerfulness, rhapsodic rhythm and sadness. Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; 3 Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they 6 Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, 9 Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, 12 Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, 15 Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. 18 Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. 1952 (19)

102 5. Think ofsituationswherethefollowingphrasescouldbepossible: 4. Guessthewordbyitsdefinition: 11. The EnglishpoetW. H. Auden (1907-1973)wrotetheselinesincommemorationoftheIrish 3. Explain,ifyoucan,thesepoeticalcollocations: 2. Scanthepoemforsynonymsfollowing: 6. Howdoestheauthorshowhisbitterregretoflossfather?Whyshouldhe 10 Findandidentifytheroleof 9. The titleisalsoa 8. HowimportantwasFatherfortheson?Whatthoughtsoverwhelmauthor? To whichkind 1. Singleoutthewordsusedintextandrecollecttheirimmediatelinecontext: 2. HowwelldidhedoinLondon?Giveageneralcharacteristicsof Thomas’ poetry. 1. Whatwas Thomas’ earlyschoolinglike?Whatwashispioneeringpoeticwork?Howit

7. Commentonthe Write abouttheroleofyourparentsinshapingoutlook.Would yougrowupadifferent Write astoryaboutdayoutwith yourparents.Includesomedialogueinto it. heights, fiercetears light, Ipray e) abrilliantelectricsparkdischargeintheatmosphere d) toburnbrightly c) ashootingstarorfireball b) kindly, amiable a) havingthepowerofdiscerningandjudgingproperly poet W. B. Yeats: in line14. of harbour, feelsorrowful harbour, fierce,meteor. about? Whyarethey“fierce”? What isthereferenceof use socontrastingnotionsatthebeginningofline17?Whosetearsarethosespoken here? poem aloud.Whatfeaturesmakeitsoundverymelodious?istheroleof of oldmendidhisfatherbelong? received? friend ortoyourparents. person hadtheytreated youotherwise?Expressyourideasinapersonal lettertoafamily in line16? Compare theimageryoftwopoems. epithets The dayofhisdeathwasadarkcoldday. What instrumentswehaveagree The mercurysankinthemouthofdyingday. And snowdisfiguredthepublicstatues; The brookswerefrozen,theairportsalmostdeserted, He disappearedinthedeadofwinter: . . Whatcolouringisachievedbecauseofthem?Speakontheuse refrain symbolic DO NOTGOGENTLEINTO THAT GOODNIGHT . Whatdoubleimagerydotheycarry? . Expanding PersonalResponse ortheleading interplayof parallel WRITING FROMWITHIN THOMAS’ LIFE constructionsinthepoem?Commentonuse motif dark and ofthepoem.Whatisitsrole? Try readingthis frail deeds,agreenbay, gravemen,thesad light roam, befurious,losetemper, branchoff, inthepoem. metaphor too late,thedyingof ofthe alliteration sad height rage, frail, simile 103 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 DORIS LESSING

Intelligence barred, too, quarrelling, sulking, anger, silences of withdrawal, accusations and tears. Above all, intelligence forbids tears. Doris Lessing. To Room Nineteen

Born in Persia of British parents, Doris Lessing (Oct. 22, 1919, Kermanshah, Iran), nee Tayler lived in southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, from 1924 to 1949 before coming to England. Her most substantial five-novel series under the general title Children of Violence (2 vols. 1964,1965) blends the elements of psychological autobiography with powerful examination of the relationship between black and white in southern

Africa. , Her first published book, The Grass Is Singing (1950), tells of a white farmer, his wife and their African servant in Rhodesia. The Memoirs of a Survivor (1975) is a prophetic fantasy. A master of the short story,

Lessing has published several collections, including The Story of a Non- first edition Marrying Man (1972); her African stories, collected in This Was the Old Chief’s Country and The Sun Between Their Feet (both 1973); and Stories (1978). Lessing’s writings exhibit a unique mixture of psychological

insight, political undercurrents, social documentary, and ever topical The Grass Is Singing feminism. Such is her novel The Golden Notebook (1962), which explores the personal problems of an independent woman in a man dominated world. In Pursuit of the English (1960) tells of her first months in England, and Going Home (1957) describes her impressions of Rhodesia on coming back. At the beginning of the 1970s, influenced by the new psychological writings and by the mystical sides of Islam, Lessing’s realistic investigations of social issues acquired a mythic colouring. In Briefing for a Descent into Hell (1971) and The Memoirs of a Survivor (1974) she pictures the possibilities of myth and fantasy. In a sequence of novels with the general title Canopus in Argos: Archives (1983), she relies on her knowledge of the Old and New Testaments, the Apocrypha, and the Koran and employs science fiction methods to describe the extraterrestrial race to lead human history. The novels describe human suffering in the 20th century with a convincing imaginative power. Having completed this sequence, Lessing undertook the unusual step of publishing two pseudonymous novels The Diaries of Jane Somers (1983-1984), in which she returned to the realistic writing for which she has been always praised. The Good Terrorist (1985) is also written as documentary realism, but a more recent novel, The Fifth Child (1988), blends the elements of realism and fantasy, exploring the destruction of a happy family by the birth of a monstrous child. In the 1990s, she was mainly writing short stories; some of them present racial, political and social issues, others are about loneliness, the problems of ageing, the generation gap, and a whole range of problems of alienation and solitude. For her remarkable depiction of female experience, her scepticism, fervour and artistic powers directed at deep analysis of a contemporary civilisation Doris Lessing was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007. A Sunrise on the Veld Every night that winter he said aloud into the dark of the pillow: Half-past four! Half-past four! Till he felt his brain had gripped the words and held them fast. Then he fell asleep at once, as if a shutter had fallen; and lay with his face turned to the clock so that he could see it first thing when he woke. …

104 trees, andthoughtsuddenly, Iamfifteen!Fifteen!… But hepoisedonarockandlookeddownatstretches ofwaterthatgleamedthroughstooping long dashthroughwaist-highgrowth,andhewasbreathing hoarselyandcouldnolongersing. at aplacewherethegroundfellabruptlyawaybelow himtotheriver. Ithadbeenatwo-mile- tangled grass.Heclearedbusheslikeaduiker, leapedoverrocks;andfinallycametoadeadstop that suchathingcouldhappentohim,he breakhisankleanymoment,inthisthick rise intothecrisprushingairandfallbacksurelyonto surefeet;andthoughbriefly, notbelieving world sangabouthim.Heraningreatleapingstrides, andshoutedasheran,feelinghisbody youth. Herusheddownthevleiunderatumultofcrimson andgold,whileallthebirdsof like awildthing.Hewascleancrazy, yellingmadwiththejoyoflivingandasuperfluity wild, unrecognizablenoises. Then hebegantorun,notcarefully, ashehadbefore,butmadly, of colour, waitingforthe suntopaintearthandgrassafresh.… small andwild-lookinginawildstrangelight,nowthatthebushstoodtremblingonverge long stalkbeforethefinalshots,andwentoff on theirownpleasure.Soonhecouldseethem, follow. They werenottrained,butfree-runningcompanionsofthehunt,whooftentired Sometimes hefeltacoldmuzzleonhislegbeforetheywereoff again,scoutingforatrailto dogs wereinvisiblyrangingthelowertravelwaysofbush,andheheardthempanting. dimming. … a tintofgreenstoodinthehollowleaf,andairsmelledmorningstarswere And forminuteshestoodthere, shoutingandsingingwaitingforthelovely eddyingsound Suddenly itallroseinhim:wasunbearable.Heleapedupintotheair, shoutingandyelling He waswalkingswiftlythroughthedarktunneloffoliagethatindaytimearoad. The sleepers, andforgot them. crouching thereunderatallandbrilliantsky. Then heturnedhisbackonit,andthefrowsting at thehousebeforehepassedawalloftreesthatshutitfromsight.Itlookedsolowandsmall, were draggedbackinsleep;andhesmiledscornfully. Healwayslookedbackoverhisshoulder The boyimaginedhisparentsturningintheirbedsandmuttering: Those dogsagain!beforethey silent tillthehousewasahundredyardsback:thentheyboltedoff intothebush,yelpingexcitedly. ears andswingingtailsgreetingthegunecstatically. Hiswarningundertonekeptthemsecretand to gobeforehim;buttheywerewaiting,theirhaunchescrouchedinreluctanceatthecold, he tiptoedtotheroomwheredogsslept,andwasfearfulthattheymighthavebeentempted numbed fingersslippedalongit,sothathehadtoholditinthecrookofhisarmforsafety. Then along thewall,wherehisgunhadbeensetinreadinessnightbefore. The steelwasicy, and know howearlyherose.… hold hisshoes. These hecouldnotputonforfearofwakinghisparents,whonevercameto hours later;butbythetimehehadonhisclotheshandswerenumbedandcouldscarcely bedfoot withhistoes commanded andrefused. day, refusingeventoadmitthathewastired;andnowsleepseemedhimaservantbe for hehadoncestayedawakethreenightsrunning,toprovethatcould,andthenworkedall word ofcommand!Joyknowingthattheprecioushoursweregiventosleepvoluntarily!— He alwaysdressedrapidly, soastotryandconservehisnightwarmthtillthesunrosetwo He wouldhavetohurry. Beforethelightgrewstronghemustbefourmilesaway Feeling forthegrass-edgeofpathwithhistoes,hereachedinsideanotherwindowfurther The boystretchedhisframefulllength,touchingthewallatheadwithhands,and Luxury ofwarmrestedbody, withthearmsandlegsfingerswaitinglikesoldiersfora ; thenhesprungout,likeafishleapingfromwater. And itwascold,cold. ; andalready 105 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 of the echo; so that his own new strong thoughts came back and washed round his head, as if someone were answering him and encouraging him; till the gorge was full of soft voices clashing back and forth from rock to rock over the river. And then it seemed as if there was a new voice. He listened, puzzled, for it was not his own. Soon he was leaning forward, all his nerves alert, quite still: somewhere close to him there was a noise that was no joyful bird, nor tinkle of falling water, nor ponderous movement of cattle. There it was again. In the deep morning hush that held his future and his past, was a sound of pain, and repeated over and over: it was a kind of shortened scream, as if someone, something, had no breath to scream. He came to himself, looked about him, and called for the dogs. They did not appear: they had gone off on their own business, and he was alone. Now he was clean sober, all the madness gone. His heart beating fast, because of that frightened screaming, he stepped carefully off the rock and went towards a belt of trees. He was moving cautiously, for not so long ago he had seen a leopard in just this spot. At the edge of the trees he stopped and peered, holding his gun ready; he advanced, looking steadily about him, his eyes narrowed. Then, all at once, in the middle of a step, he faltered, and his face was puzzled. He shook his head impatiently, as if he doubted his own sight. There, between two trees, against a background of gaunt black rocks, was a figure from a dream, a strange beast that was horned and drunken-legged, but like something he had never even imagined. It seemed to be ragged. It looked like a small buck that had black ragged tufts of fur standing up irregularly all over it, with patches of raw flesh beneath … but the patches of rawness were disappearing under moving black and came again elsewhere; and all the time the creature screamed, in small gasping screams, and leaped drunkenly from side to side, as if it were blind. Then the boy understood: it was a buck. He ran closer, and again stood still, stopped by a new fear. Around him the grass was whispering and alive. He looked wildly about, and then down. The ground was black with ants, great energetic ants that took no notice of him, but hurried and scurried towards the fighting shape, like glistening black water flowing through the grass. … He peered over at the writhing blackness that jerked convulsively with the jerking nerves. It grew quieter. There were small twitches from the mass that still looked vaguely like the shape of a small animal. It came into his mind that he should shoot it and end its pain; and he raised the gun. Then he lowered it again. The buck could no longer feel; its fighting was a mechanical protest of the nerves. But it was not that which made him put down the gun. It was a swelling feeling of rage and misery and protest that expressed itself in the thought; if I had not come it would have died like this: so why should I interfere? All over the bush things like this happen; they happen all the time; this is how life goes on, by living things dying in anguish. … The knowledge of fatality, of what has to be, had gripped him and for the first time in his life; and he was left unable to make any movement of brain or body, except to say: “Yes, yes. That is what living is.” It had entered his flesh and his bones and grown in to the furthest corners of his brain and would never leave him. And at that moment he could not have performed the smallest action of mercy, knowing as he did, having lived on it all his life, the vast unalterable, cruel veld, where at any moment one might stumble over a skull or crush the skeleton of some small creature. Suffering, sick, and angry, but also grimly satisfied with his new stoicism, he stood there leaning on his rifle, and watched the seething black mound grow smaller. At his feet, now, were ants trickling back with pink fragments in their mouths, and there was a fresh acid smell

106 4. 4. Analyse theimagesexpressedinfollowingsentences.Canyoucallthem 3. Matchthesewordsandtheirdefinitions: 2. Pickoutword-combinationsandphrasesbased upontheparadigmofwords:a)sleep; 1. Clusterwordcombinations,phrasesandevenfullsentencesexpressing:a)soundsnoises; 2. Whichotherthemesdidsheaddress? 1. WhatisDorisLessing’s mostsubstantialwork?Namesomeofhernovels.Whatarethey Who isthe“person”their subjectsrepresent? b) feel;c)know. Translate themintoUkrainian. b) silence.Makeatryattheirtranslation. about? c) Nowsleepseemedto himaservanttobecommandedandrefused. b) The armsandlegsfingerswaiting likesoldiersforawordofcommand. a) Hisbrainhadgripped thewordsandheldthemfast. 7) 6) 5) 4) 3) 2) 1) gorge duiker vlei twitch tuft buck muzzle about it. finished withit.Itlayatthebackofhisminduncomfortably. out. The death of thatsmallanimalwasathingconcernedhim,andhebynomeans within sightofhishomehestopped,knittingbrows. There wassomethinghehadtothink out roamingthebush. he wantedhisbreakfast.Hewastellinghimselfthatitgettingveryhot,muchtoohottobe cast snakeskin. ants disappearingintothegrass. The whisperingnoisewasfaintanddry, liketherustlingofa the angergoneoutofhim.Hismindwentquiteempty:allaroundhimhecouldseetrickles its slaking.… where eachbladeofgrassgrewforitalone,andtheriverranpuresparklingwater cold morningair. Walking likekingsandconquerorsithadmovedthroughthisfree-heldbush, Proudly steppingtheearth,tossingitshorns,friskingaprettywhitetail,ithadsniffed the through thebush,feelingchillonitshideevenashehimselfhaddone,exhilaratedbyit. pain. … streaming downhisface,andclothesweresoakedwiththesweatofthatothercreature’s and remindedhimself:theantsmusteattoo! At thesametimehefoundthattearswere in hisnostrils.Hesternlycontrolledtheuselesslyconvulsingmusclesofemptystomach, Soon, theverynextmorning,hewouldgetclearofeverybodyandgotobushthink Really, hewastired.Hewalkedheavily, notlookingwhere heputhisfeet. When hecame At lasthepickeduphisgunandwalkedhomewards.Hewastellinghimselfhalfdefiantlythat Then hestraightenedup,andlookeddownattheboneswithanoddexpressionofdismay, all That morning,perhapsanhourago,thissmallcreaturehadbeensteppingproudandfree g) theprojectingpartofheadananimal, itsjaws,mouth,andnose amaledeer, antelope,goat,rabbit,etc. f) e) asmall African antelope d) tomovespasmodicallyorconvulsively;jerk; jump c) anareaoflowmarshyground,esp.onethat feedsastream b) asmallclumpofbushes,grass,etc. a) asmallcanyon Expanding PersonalResponse A SUNRISEINTHEVELD DORIS LESSING’SLIFE personifications ?

107 UNIT (25) 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980 d) The bush stood trembling on the verge of colour, waiting for the sun to paint eath and grass afresh. e) His own new strong thoughts came back and washed round his head. f) The deep morning hush held his future and his past. g) It had entered his flesh and his bones and grown into the furthest corners of his brain and would never leave him. h) His clothes were soaked with the sweat of that other creature’s pain. i) It lay at the back of his mind uncomfortably. 5. Identify the passages describing the bush and its inhabitants. 6. What breaks up the boy’s joy of living? What changes take place in the mood-creating imagery of the story? How does the boy feel about the dying buck, “a figure from a dream”? Can his reaction change his entire outlook on life? What parallels between the buck and the boy are drawn in the story? 7. Identify contrasting imagery. Is the time described in the story that of the sunrise? What is the symbolism of the rifle? 8. Comment on the use of simile. What does it introduce? How does it agree with the general idea of the story? 9. Create a mind map of the protagonist. Why doesn't have a name? 10. This is a naturalistic story showing man as he exists in a beautiful, yet harsh, world. Can you say he is a victim of environmental forces beyond his control? 11. In this story the creatures of the veld act according to universal laws that apply to all life, including human life. What do the ants represent from the view of a natural philosophy of life? Which place does man assume in nature’s hierarchy? Is there a hierarchy in nature? 12. Comment on the title of the story. What connotations of the word sunrise come to the surface? Find out the etymology of the word “veld”. Is it of importance here? 13. In 1859 Charles Darwin wrote, “From the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows.” How do you view this “holy plan” of Nature? What difference is there between knowing such facts and witnessing them? WRITING FROM WITHIN
Write about a memorable experience that has considerably changed your understanding of life. Try to shape your composition like the story A Sunrise on the Veld.
Think on how much knowledge of nature Doris Lessing has put into this one sentence: “He always dressed rapidly, so as to try and conserve his night warmth till the sun rose two hours later”. Write down your thoughts.

Unit Summary OVERVIEW QUESTIONS 1. What atmosphere did most British literati of the 1930-50s grow up in? 2. What was a notable trend in contemporary poetry? 3. Which two authors had a great influence on British literary culture? 4. How are the novelists of the 1950s referred to? 5. Which literati did not accept Dylan Thomas? What group did they and their followers belong to? 6. Which playwright wrote about the Cold War? 7. Which author wrote in Hungarian and German before turning to English? 8. What were Graham Greene’s literary preoccupations? 9. Which fictional character did Agatha Christie create? 10. Which earlier author can the genre of short story be traced to? Where was it well developed? Why did short story come late to Britain?

108 There aretwelvewordsfromthisunithiddeninallpossibledirections. 26. WhichauthorworkedfortheBBC? 25. Whotriedtolivethelifeamonglowestclasses? 24. Whosenovelsdepictedthegrimtotalitarianfuture? 23. WhichauthorhadanimportantmeetingwithEzraPoundinParis? 22. WhowasawardedtheNobelPrizein1983?In2007? 21. WhosefatherfoundedWashington University? 20. Whichwriterwashauntedbythefeelingof“imperialguilt”? 19. Whowasdoingbadlyatschool? 18. Whichauthortookarivernameforpseudonym? 17. Whowroteaboutboys’cruelty? 18. WhichotherliteratihelpedLondontoregainitsstatusofthetheatricalcapital?Whenhad 15. WhatdidJohnOsborneintroduceontothestage? 14. Whocontributedtotherevivalofversedrama? 13. WhochangedthecourseofEnglishdrama? 12. Whichauthorcombinednaturalismandsymbolism? 11. WhichEnglishauthorsbecamepopularthankstotheshortstory? this statusbeenachieved? WORD SEARCH 109 UNIT 8 LITERATURE OF ENGLISH MODERNISM 1930-1980