Cranford

Оглавление

Elizabeth Gaskell. Cranford

CRANFORD

1. Our society

2. The captain

3. A love-affair of long ago

4. Poor Peter

5 ‘Your ladyship’

6. Signor Brunoni

7. Sudden news

8. True friends

9. A happy return

GLOSSARY

ACTIVITIES. Before Reading

ACTIVITIES. While Reading

ACTIVITIES. After Reading

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY

Отрывок из книги

The first thing to say is that Cranford is held by the ladies. They rent all the best houses. If a married couple comes to live in the town, the gentleman soon disappears from sight. He is either frightened away by being the only man at the Cranford evening parties or he is at his business all week in Drumble, twenty miles away by train.

Anyway, what is there for a gentleman to do in Cranford? The town already has a doctor, and the ladies manage everything else perfectly well themselves. They keep the gardens tidy and their maid-servants busy. They have opinions on every important matter without troubling themselves with unnecessary reasons or arguments. They know exactly what everyone in the town is doing. They are kind to the poor and, usually, very kind and friendly to each other.

.....

Then, after the friends had called: ‘Always return a call within three days, my dear. And never stay longer than a quarter of an hour.’

The result of this rule, of course, was that nothing interesting was ever discussed. We talked about things like the weather, and left at the right time.

.....