LessonTwoWaitingforthePolice解读.docx

LessonTwoWaitingforthePolice解读.docx

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LessonTwoWaitingforthePolice解读

LessonTwoWaitingforthePolice

PartOneWarm-up

I.Joke

CanyouthinkasHolmesdoes?

SherlockHolmesandDr.Watsonwentonacampingtrip.Astheylaydownforthenight,Holmessaid:

“Watson,lookupintotheskyandtellmewhatyousee.”

Watsonsaid:

“Iseemillionsandmillionsofstars.”

Holmes:

“Andwhatdoesthattellyou?

”

Watson:

“Astronomically,ittellsmethattherearemillionsofgalaxiesandpotentiallybillionsofplanets.

TheologicallyittellsmethatGodisgreatandthatwearesmallandinsignificant.Meteorologicallyittellsmethatwewillhaveabeautifuldaytomorrow.

Whatdoesittellyou?

”

II.Quiz

Mysteryandcrimestoriesareamongthemostpopularformsoffictiontoday,andthepopularityofthegenreisnomysterytomillionsofreadersworldwide.

HerearesomeMysteryGreats.Trytomatchtheirnameswiththeirworkstotestyourknowledgeaboutmysteryfictionsormovies.

“TheMurdersintheRueMorgue”--EdgarAllanPoe

“AStudyinScarlet”--SherlockHolmes

“TheMurderattheVicarage”--AgathaChristie

“TheRomanHatMystery”--ElleryQueen

“The39Steps”--AlfredHitchcock

III.Quotations

1.Educationneverends,Watson.Itisaseriesoflessons,withthegreatestforthelast.

2.Allknowledgecomesusefultothedetective.

3.Itisnotsoimpossible,however,thatamanshouldpossessallknowledgewhichislikelytobeusefultohiminhiswork,andthis,Ihaveendeavoredinmycasetodo.

PartTwoBackgroundInformation

I.Author

Thestory“WaitingforthePolice”waswrittenbyJ.JeffersonFarjeon,aBritishwriter.Heisbestknownforhismysterystoriesandisoneofthefirstmodernauthorstomixromanceandhumorwithcrime.

FARJEON,JOSEPHJEFFERSON（June4,1883—June6,1955）

Englishnovelist,playwright,andjournalist,wasborninLondonintoliterarycircumstances.Hisfather,BenjaminFarjeon,wasawell-knownnovelistandhewasthebrotherofthechildren’swriterEleanorFarjeonandtheplaywrightHerbertFarjeon

⏹Althoughknownforhiskeenhumorandflashingwit,hewasnostrangertothesinisterandterrifying.ThecriticfortheSaturdayReviewofLiteraturepraisedDeathintheInkwell,oneofhislaterbooks,callingitan“amusing,satirical,andfrequentlyhair-raisingyarnofanauthorwhogotdangerouslymixedupwithhisimaginarycharacters.Tricky.”

⏹

detectivefictionthatentailstheoccurrenceofanunknowneventwhichrequirestheprotagonisttomakeknown（orsolve）.Itissimilartothewhodunitinthatthecluesmayoftenbegiventothereaderbysubtlemeans.Thoughitisoftenconfusedwithdetectivefiction,itdoesnotrequireacrimetohaveoccurredortheinvolvementoflawenforcement.

Itofteninvolvesasuspenseorasurprisingendingastheclimaxinordertodrawthereader’sattention.

ThegenrehasitsbeginningintheriddlestoldinAncientEgypt,Greece,andRome.SimilarstoriesweretoldintheMiddleAges,butthegenredidn’treallybegintodevelopuntilthedetectivestoriesofEdgarAllanPoe.ThefirsttruemysterynovelisconsideredtobeTheWomaninWhite（1860）byWilkieCollins.

PartThreeTextAppreciation

I.TextAnalysis

1.Setting

Thisstoryissetinaboardinghousewherelife,especiallyeveninglife,isnotoriouslydullfortheoddcollectionofpeoplewholivethere.

Butoneoftheguestsmanagestothinkofsomethingwhichdoesstirupquiteabitofinterest.

2.Characters

Mrs.Mayton/landlady/trytokeepeveryonetalking

Mr.MontySmith/aspoliteaspale/keepanyballrolling

MissWicks/oldest/knittingallthetime

Bella/younglovely/notparticularlysmart

Mr.Calthrop/middle-aged/walkinsleep,dozeallthetime

Mr.Penbury/eccentricintelligent/haveachillingeffectpossessabrain

3.Structure

PartI（Paras.1—11）:

anidlediscussionaboutwhereMr.Wainwrighthasgoneandservingtointroducethecharacterswholiveintheboarding-house

PartII（Paras.12—33）Mr.PenburyannouncesthatMr.Wainwrightisdead

PartIII（Paras.34—88）Mr.Penburydirectageneralrehearsaloftheiralibiswhilewaitingforthepolice

PartIV（Paras.89—91）asuspenseending

4.FurtherDiscussion

1）Howisthestorystarted?

ThestorystartswithaquestionfromthelandladyMrs.Mayton.

Thisasanappropriateanddirectbeginning.Thequestionimmediatelyarousestheattentionoftheboardersgatheredinthedrawingroom.Thisfirstbitofconversationisactuallythebeginningofanidleconversationconductedbyboredpeopletokilltime.Butthispartgivesusabriefintroductionofalltheboardersandpreparesusforanunexpectedturnofevents.

2）WhydidMrs.Maytonaskthisquestion?

Itdidn’tmattertoherintheleastwhereMr.Wainwrighthadgone.

Whatsheisreallyinterestedinisthemoneypaidbytheboarders.Andsometimes,asalandlady,shefeltobligedtowhipupalittleinteresttostartanidleconversation.

3）WhatdidMr.Penburysaythatgoteverybody’sattention?

Whatwashispurposebydoingthis?

HeannouncedthatMr.Wainwrightisdead,whichshockedeveryoneexceptMissWicks.

Hemightfeeltooboredatsuchaneveninghourandtriedtostirupsomeinteresttokilltime,sohecanbedescribedasthedirectorofthislittlemelodrama.

4）WhatwasMr.Penbury’ssuggestion?

Whateffectdidhewanttocultivate?

Hetoldthemhehadphonedthepoliceandproposethattheyconsidertheiralibiswhilewaitingforthepolicetocome.

Bydirectingageneralrehearsaloftheiralibis,hetriedtoarouseeverybody’sattentionandcreatedanatmosphereoftensionandhorror,whichmightbebetterthanboredom.

5）WhatdideveryonerespondtoMr.Penbury?

Howdidtheytrytooffertheiralibis?

Mostofthemtriedhardtoclearupalittlegroundbyconsideringtheiralibis,thoughtheyarenervous,excited,anxious,impatient,angry,…

Beingtheonlypersontoknowtheinsidestory,MissWicksrespondedtoMr.Penbury’sconspiracyamusedlybymakingupavividplotofkilling“Mr.Annoyance”.

6）Whatwastheendofthestory?

Diditsurpriseyou?

ThestoryendswhentheyhearfootstepsenteringandhearMr.Wainwright’scough

ItreallyhasallthebasicqualitiesofalittlemysterystoryandkeepsusreadersguessingwhohaskilledMr.Wainwrightuntilwecometothissurpriseending.Wesuddenlyrealizethatthealmosteveryoneincludingwereadershavebeenfooled.

II.WritingDevice

Humor

Theauthorskillfullymixedhumorouselementsinhisstory,whichhelptomakethecharacterizationandtheplotmorevividandinteresting.

Readthefollowingexamplesfromthetextandtrytoanalyzethehumorouseffects

Hewasaspoliteashewaspale.（bepolitebecauseofbeingpale）

Shehadknittingforseventyyears,andlookedgoodforanotherseventy.（Hyperboleisusedtoachievehumor）

Bellawastheboarding-houselovely,butnoonetakenadvantageofthefact.（Nooneisinterestedinher）

Shehadpromisedtoknitatherfuneral.（Isitpossibletodosth.atone’sownfuneral?

）

“Onlyone?

”Ianswered“You’reluckierthanIam.”（self-mockerytoimplyalotpeoplehatehim）

“Butletmesuggestthatyougivethestatementtothepolicewithslightlylessemphasis.”（thesatiricaltonetoimplythathemightnobetellingthetruth.）

III.SentenceParaphrase

1）Butlife—andparticularlyeveninglife—wasnotoriouslydullinherboarding-house,andeverynowandagainonetriedtowhipupalittleinterest.（Para.2）

---Lifeintheboarding-housewasterriblyboringespeciallyintheevening.Tolivenuptheatmosphere,everynowandthensomeonetriedtostirupalittleinterest.

2）buthewasaspoliteashewaspaleandhealwaysdidhisbesttokeepanyballrolling.（Para.4）

---Hispolitenessandpalenesswereofthesamedegree,implying,humorously,thathewaspolitebecausehewaspale.

3）Bellawastheboarding-houselovely,butnoonehadtakenadvantageofthefact.（Para.7）

---Bellawasyoungandprettyandwasseenasthebeautyoftheboarding-house,butnoonehadshownanyparticularinterestinher.

Noticethehumoroustouchhere.

4）Hepossessedabrain,andsincenooneunderstooditwhenheusedit,itwasresented.（Para.13）

---Mr.Penburywasintelligent,butnooneintheboarding-houselikedhimforthat.Hewastoosmartforthem,andeverybodyfeltannoyed.

5）ButMrs.Maytonneverallowedmorethanthreeminutestogobywithoutawordandsowhenthesilencehadreacheditsallottedspan（thetimegivenforaparticularpurpose）,sheturnedtoPenburyandasked:

（Para.13）

---ButMrs.Maytonwouldnottolerateanysilenceformorethanthreeminutes.Sowhennoonebrokethesilencewithinthreeminutes,shelostherpatienceandturningtoPenbury,asked.

6）Theeffectwasinstantaneous.Bellagaveatinyshriek.Mrs.Mayton’seyesbecametwostartledglassmarbles.MontySmithopenedhismouthandkeptitopen.Mrs.Calthrop,inasplitsecond,lostallinclinationtodoze.（Para.21）

---Mr.Penbury’sannouncementbroughtaboutanimmediateeffect.Bellagaveasuddenshoutinaweakandfrightenedvoice.Mrs.Maytonbecamesoshockedthathereyesopenedwideandlookedliketwoglassmarbles.Mr.Calthrop,inaninstant,becamefullyawakeandhadnointentionofdozingoffagain.

Noticetheeffectofcharacterization.

7）“Butsohaveyou!

”exclaimedMonty,withnervousaggression.（inanervousandaggressivemanner,readytoquarrelorattack）（Para.40）

---ItwasobviousthatMr.Montydidn’tlikePenbury’sremark.Hethereforequicklyretorted,tryingtopickholesinwhatPenburyhadsaid.

8）“Wouldyouoblige（（fml）todosth.forsb.asafavororasmallservice）next,Mr.Calthrop?

Weallknowyouwalkinyoursleep.…”（Para.59）

---Wouldyoup