LUNCHEON, William Somerset Maugham
WORD MEANING:
1. Interval – short break between events
2. Luncheon – lunch
3. Tiny – very small
4. Modest – humble, polite
5. Inclined – interested
6. Startled – surprised, sudden shock
7. Afford – being able to, ability to buy
8. Waved – gesture, shaking hand
9. Gesture – behaviour, manner
10. Horribly – terribly, very unpleasant
11. Expensive – costly, valuable
12. Splendid – superb, excellent
13. Tender – soft
14. Marvel – surprised, wondered
15. Sighed – deep breath
16. Panic – too much of fear, afraid
17. Seized – occupy, take control of
18. Terrible – horrible, frightened
19. Obliged – compelled to do something
20. Nostrils – part of body
21. Bearing – tolerating, adjusting
22. Inadequate – not enough
23. Tip – gift left
24. Humorist – funny
25. Revenge – hit back
26. Weighs – load
A.3 ANSWER THESE
QUESTIONS.
a. Why do you think the narrator never
thought of going to Foyot’s?
Foyot’s is a restaurant, which was too expensive
beyond the ability of the narrator. Very rich like the French senators are
usually seen there. So the narrator never thought of going to Foyot’s.
b. My heart sank a little. Why did the
narrator feel like this?
At first the lady had ordered salmon and then she
ordered for caviar. This made the narrator’s heart sank a little. He knew they
were very expensive and could not afford them. However he did ordered them for
the lady.
c. “I see that you’re in the habit of eating
a heavy luncheon…” Did the narrator really have this habit?
Certainly the narrator did not have the habit of
eating a heavy luncheon. Although he sometimes fancied of having some wonderful
and expensive dish; he could not afford any.
A.4 FROM TEXT.
What does the expression keep body and
soul together mean?
The expression ‘keep body and soul together’
means to be alive. In this context it refers to ability of the narrator just to
earn enough for his survival.
Why did the narrator say that he never
ate asparagus? Was he being truthful? Why/Why not? Explain.
The narrator knew the asparagus were horribly
expensive and with his limited budget eighty francs a month, he would not be
able to have them. So, he said he never ate asparagus.
Yes, he was truthful. He knew he could never afford to
have them. So he honestly said he never ate asparagus.
Why do you think the narrator uses the
expression ‘at last’? What emotion does this sentence
reveal?
After twenty years the narrator meets the gluttonous who
now weighs 133 kilograms. The massive increase in the weight of the lady was seen
by the narrator as having his revenge at last.
The narrator reveals an inner satisfaction at seeing
this gluttonous lady turned into something overweight and bulky.
Can you spot the humour when the
narrator says, “Are you still hungry?” Explain.
The lady just had salmon, caviar, asparagus, coffee
and ice-cream; and then she makes the comment, “One should always get up from a
meal feeling one could eat a little more.” Here lies the humour when she said
to feel one could eat a little more. Thus the narrator thinks she is still
hungry.
Ex. A.7 Arranging the sentences. (Page: 08)
• The woman orders fresh peaches. ❻
• The woman and the narrator order
coffee. ❺
• The woman orders salmon. ❷
• The woman orders asparagus. ❹
• The woman orders caviar. ❸
• The woman meets the narrator at ta
play. ❶
Ex. A.8 Choose the correct options.
(Page: 08)
“I
never eat anything for luncheon”
a. The narrator writes this
to
ii. set the stage for the ironical
development of events that follow.
b. The speaker of the
quoted sentence is
iii. the narrator’s reader and
admirer of his writing.
c. The setting of this
conversation is at
iv. an expensive French restaurant
called the Foyot’s
d. The narrator agreed to
the luncheon because
ii. He was flattered by the lady’s
praise and couldn’t refuse her.
e. Which of the following statements
best iterates the message the speaker convers in this extract?
iv. I have a cup of coffee in the
morning and then dinner but I never eat more than one thing for
luncheon.
Ex. A.9 Choose the correct options. (Page:
09)
“You see, you’ve filled your stomach with a lot of meat, and you can’t
eat any more. But I’ve just had a snack and I shall enjoy a peach.”
a. Select the option that
most appropriately describes the speaker in the given context.
i. self-deluded
b. Which of the following
literary techniques best describe the narrative in the story?
iv.
ironical humour
c. Which of the following epithets
best describes the narrator?
i. self-conscious
A.10 ANSWER THESE
QUESTIONS.
a. Why did the author not recognise his
guest when he met her at the play?
The author has last seen her twenty years ago and now she
weighs twenty-one stone. Hence the author was not able to recognise her at the
play.
b. The narrator is brutally honest about his
own follies. Would you agree? Explain briefly.
Yes, the narrator is brutally honest about his own
follies. He admits that as he was young and could not say no to the invitation
of the lady. Visiting Foyot was beyond his budget line. Driven by flattery, the
author made all possible calculations and decided to go along with the lady to
Foyot and treats her in best way he could.
c. Why did the narrator say, “I’ll eat
nothing for dinner tonight?” What does this response tell us about the mood of
the narrator at that point of time?
The narrator said so because having no money left with
him, he would not be able to buy anything to eat.
The narrator is saddened and regretting for his own
stupid actions.
d. Would you agree with the lady when she
calls the narrator a humorist? Explain.
No I would not agree. The narrator with his limited money,
gave a luncheon to the lady and in the process spent all his money. Remaining
three francs left for the waiter. So, he would have to sacrifice his dinner
that night. That lady thought about it as humour.
e. What was the narrator’s ‘revenge’ on the
lady like? Would you agree that it was indeed a revenge?
After twenty years the narrator meets the gluttonous lady
who now weighs twenty-one stones (133 kilograms). The massive increase in the
weight of the lady was seen by the narrator as having his revenge at last.
Yes, the narrator reveals an inner satisfaction at
seeing this gluttonous lady turned into someone overweight and bulky. Twenty
years later, he can see that she has paid the price for her greed.
A.11 ANSWER IN
DETAIL.
a. Complete the graphic organizers with
evidence from the text to suggest the character traits of the lady and the
narrator.
Lack of self-awareness
Lack of self-control
Lack of sensitivity
Having excess of greed
Excessively selfish
b. How did the narrator’s disappointment
with his guest begin? Would you say that the disappointment ranged from the
physical to the psychological realms? Explain in detail.
The narrator was disappointed as the lady went on
ordering the expensive dishes one after another. He was overcome by anxiety and
wondered when the asparagus was ordered. It was not about how much money he
would have left; but if he had enough money to pay the bill. This tension led
to his psychological realms, supposing to be in a humiliating situation.
c. Why is the called The Luncheon and not
The Lunch? Explain in detail keeping in mind the following.
--
the setting of the story
--
the sequence of events as they are told by the narrator
Lunch refers to having a meal with a friend or a
family member. Hence lunch is more of an informal event. Luncheon is, having
the midday meal with a client or a business partner. It is associated with
formal situations. In this text, the lady was supposed to be client who had
read the narrator’s book and through chat eventually asked for a luncheon at
Foyot’s. So, the chapter is called Luncheon and not the Lunch.
d. How would you describe the humour in the
story? Would you call it dry and dark, or would you call it light-hearted and
entertaining? Explain with reference to the text in the story.
Humour is that which arouses laughter. At the beginning of the story the author brings out a humorous situation when the lady asked him for a little luncheon at Foyot’s. Taken by her flattery the narrator plans a budget of his expense and meets her at Foyot’s. Then what happens is a panic for him. The lady goes on ordering the expensive dishes and so called a little luncheon, became not an entertainment but a dry and dark anxiety, a serious panic for him. Eventually he had no money left with him.
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