Penguin Readers Factsheets l e v e l E T e a c h e r’s n o t e s 1 2 3 The Edge 4 5 by Dick Francis 6 S U M M A R Y ADVANCED he Edge, published in 1988, is a thriller with a spending six months on research and six months on the T difference. The story takes place on a ‘Race Train’ writing. Most of his novels have been translated into more containing some valuable racehorses and their than 30 languages. He has said that 10lb Penalty extremely rich owners. The luxury train travels across the (published 1997), will be his last book. North American continent from Toronto on the east side to He and his wife live in the Caribbean, returning to Britain Vancouver on the west, stopping now and then so that its every year to attend the Grand National Steeplechase. passengers can take part in horse races on the way. As one might imagine, this setting offers plenty of opportunity for crime and mischief. B A C K G R O U N D A N D T H E M E S The narrator of the story, Tor Kelsey, is a kind of amateur Dick Francis is well known for his ability to keep the reader spy working for the British Jockey Club. He is sent over to guessing, and his plots are always well constructed. As Canada to keep an eye on a particularly unpleasant we read, we constantly wonder what will happen next. Or member of the British racing community. This man, Julius who will do what and why. Part of the fun of this kind of Filmer, likes to use threats, blackmail and murder, and has story is to try to solve the mystery ahead of the writer! sworn revenge on the racing world. Can Kelsey prevent The setting of the story on a train helps to increase the disaster as the Race Train crosses the huge and beautiful tension in the narrative: the characters are trapped in a Canadian landscape? claustrophobic atmosphere as the train, like time, rushes onwards towards the inevitable conclusion. ABOUT DICK FRANCIS In The Edge, Francis uses his portrayal of the racehorse Dick Francis, an award-winning author, is one of the most owners as a way of exploring the theme of wealth. The popular British crime writers of all time. He specializes in Lorrimores are one of the richest families in Canada and writing about the world of horse-racing. yet it seems their money cannot buy them happiness. The chief villain, Julius Filmer, is wealthy enough to purchase He has had an extraordinary life, which has been just as the horses he wants, but he prefers to make the sellers daring and courageous as the heroes in his books. Born suffer through his threats of blackmail. He seems to in 1920, the son of a jockey, he dropped out of school at personify an irrational kind of evil. 15 and started to substitute for his father in riding competitions. During the Second World War he Meanwhile, beside the rich world of the owners, there is volunteered for the Royal Air Force, where he flew fighter the more ‘normal’ world of the people who organize and and bomber aircraft. look after them: the train staff, the tour organizer Nell Richmond and, of course, the narrator, Tor Kelsey, whose After the war he returned to horse racing. He became a task is to ensure the safe passage of the train, its professional jockey and won more than 350 races during passengers and the horses. his racing career. In 1953/4 he was Champion Jockey and, as a result of this, rode for Queen Elizabeth the Tor Kelsey is a typical Dick Francis hero: he is in his Queen Mother. In 1956 a highly dramatic event took twenties, clever, likeable, reliable and a thoro u g h place: he was about to win one of the most famous and gentleman. He does not have to work for money, but d a n g e rous of all horse races, the Grand National instead he does the job for the challenge and enjoyment. Steeplechase in Britain, when his horse, the Queen He is a tough amateur who relies on quick wits and his Mother’s ‘Devon Loch’, suddenly collapsed and fell. knowledge of horses and racing, rather than using weapons. This event was the start of his writing career: he was asked to write his autobiography, published the following The racing world is a rich source for mystery and year as The Sport of Queens. Then a riding accident suspense stories. Many different people are involved in meant that he had to retire from horse racing and he horse racing, from the richest and aristocratic in society to began to work for the Sunday Express newspaper, which the humblest and poorest. It is a highly commercialized he did for 16 years. sport and in Great Britain and North America it is carefully s u p e rvised by the Jockey Club. The racehorses His first novel, Dead Cert, appeared in 1962. He has themselves are extremely valuable creatures. One of the written approximately one book per year ever since, © Pearson Education 2000 l e v e l Penguin Readers Factsheets 6 T e a c h e r’s n o t e s highest prices ever paid for a racehorse was about US$30 you’re richer, you’re richer because you’re better.’ What million in 1981 for a European horse called ‘Storm Bird’. does it mean? Do the students agree with it? On the race track, racegoers – ordinary people from all Chapters 16–20 walks of life – go to race meetings not only to watch but, Write the following proverb on the board: ‘Don’t count more importantly, to bet on a race. Gambling on horses is your chickens before they’re hatched.’ Explain the word big business in the UK and elsewhere, and is also part of hatched. Ask students to say what they think the proverb the reason why horse racing attracts criminals. means. Now ask students to look on page 53 at the Mix the possibility of winning or losing large sums of sentence: ‘I should have remembered the saying about not counting chickens.’ Put students in pairs or groups to money with the many types of people who inhabit the discuss what this sentence means at this point in the world of racing, and you have the perfect formula for story. corruption and evil. In The Edge, on the whole, good triumphs: the good and the brave get the happy ending, Chapters 21–26 while the bad suffer. Put students in pairs or small groups to make a list of adjectives or phrases which describe Tor Kelsey. Write their adjectives on the board. Now ask the groups to Communicative activities choose five of the adjectives and to find parts of the story which show Tor behaving in ways described by the The following teacher-led activities cover the same adjectives. sections of text as the exercises at the back of the reader, ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK and supplement those exercises. For supplementary exercises covering shorter sections of the book see the There are several nasty characters in this story. Ask photocopiable Student’s Activities pages of this Factsheet. students to say who they are and write the names on the These are primarily for use with class readers but, with the board. Put students in pairs or small groups to decide exception of discussion and pair/groupwork questions, which character is the most unpleasant. can also be used by students working alone in a self- access centre. ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK G l o s s a r y Put students into small groups. Ask them to read the It will be useful for your students to know the following new words. cover of the book. Ask them who and what will be They are practised in the ‘Before You Read’sections of exercises at travelling on this train and what kinds of special carriage the back of the book. (Definitions are based on those in the Longman will be needed. Active Study Dictionary.) Tell them that there will be 11 carriages. They must decide Chapters 1–5 how the Race Train should be organized and where each bedridden (adj) unable to get out of bed, because you are too old of the following should go: or ill blackmail (n) when someone makes you pay them money or do what First-class dining car. Racegoers. Horses, grooms, they want by threatening to tell secrets about you luggage. Racehorse owners’ sleeping compartments. brochure (n) a thin book that tells you about something or advertises Train staff sleeping compartments. Horse owners’ sitting something car. champagne (n) a French white wine that has bubbles in it and is drunk on special occasions Have a vote on the best arrangement. compartment (n) an area of a train in which people sit or sleep glacier (n) a large mass of ice that moves slowly down a mountain ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION valley Chapters 1–5 groom (n) somebody whose job is to look after horses persecute (v) to treat someone cruelly and unfairly Put the students into pairs or small groups. Ask them to sulky (adj) behaving in a silent and unhappy way because you are look back at the chapter headings and to use these to annoyed about something make suggestions about how the story will develop for: transcontinental (adj) crossing a continent waistcoat (n) an item of clothing without sleeves, with buttons down Nell Richmond, Julius Filmer, the Lorrimore family, the the front, worn over a shirt horses, George Burley Chapters 6–10 briefcase (n) a flat case used for carrying papers and books for work Chapters 6–10 expel (v) to officially order somebody to leave a school, organization Put students into groups or pairs to discuss the following: or country sabotage (n) damage which is done secretly to spoil someone’s plans (a) What do you think Sheridan might have done at unhitch (v) to unfasten one thing from another Cambridge? Chapters 11–15 (b) What could be in Filmer’s briefcase? flare (n) a thing that produces a bright flame as a sign of danger Make a list of students’ ideas on the board.