The wedding story

1. The wedding story

2. __________ __________________________________ Main idea Global Reading - Main idea1 At the beginning of this one-act play, the storyteller intends to tell a wedding story for children at , so he / she tells a fairy tale in which everything is , but far from life. In the process he / she is interrupted, or “corrected” by from time to time. Such corrections gradually unfold before us the real picture of their . At the couple’s persistent request, the storyteller then gives a second version of their wedding story, which is ture to life, but very . The absurdity emerges when the storyteller gives his / her wish “ .” A conventional and well- pleasant _________ bedtime _________ perfect and idealized real _______________________ ____ the bride and groom ______________________ relationship _____________ pathetic _________ I bid you a good night and sweet dreams

3. Main idea Structural analysis Global Reading - Main idea2 intentioned fairy tale is thus rejected by , and the story for children turns out to be a picture of a wedding that is not worth aspiring to at all. reality _______ gruesome bedtime ___________ _________

4. Structural analysis Structural analysis 3.1 Divide the play into parts by completing the table. The beginning provides basic information on characters, scene and time. The storyteller has just finished a story, but is requested to tell another one. The storyteller introduces the other two characters, the bride and the groom, describes their appearances, and adds some details to their perfectness.

5. Main idea Structural analysis It tells the first clash between what the storyteller intends to say and what the young couple have actually experienced, and the reason why the story sounds far-fetched. The first bickering between the young man and the young woman concerns their romance in the past. It tells both the clash (between the storyteller’s account and the young couple’s true experience) and the bickering (between the bride and the groom).

6. Main idea Structural analysis The storyteller insists that every detail should proceed in accordance with the typical fairy tale, while the couple again raises objection about their ages. Besides, it seems that the bride still suspects that the young man has concealed something from her. It shows the incongruence between what the storyteller says and the couple’s own experience, and the clue of the couple’s lack of knowledge and understanding about each other.

7. Main idea Structural analysis The conflict between the storyteller and the couple, and between the groom and the bride) reaches its climax in this part. At the persistent request of the couple, the storyteller gives the second version of the wedding story which reflects the harsh and pathetic reality.

9. Detailed reading Detailed reading– pushover pushover n. sb. who is easy to persuade or influence e.g. They aren’t the best team in the league, but they’re no pushover, either. I think he will agree — he’s a pushover. Collocation: be a pushover for e.g. Tony is a pushover for blondes.

10. ad-lib, ablibvi/vt.即兴演出(或演奏、演唱)；临时插入(剧本中没有的台词等)： • e.g. The actress forgot some of her lines and had to adlib. to adlib a poem • adj. improvisational

11. Detailed reading Detailed reading– pretty as a … pretty as a day in June Explanation: a common expression. June has the reputation of having the best weather in the Northeast of the U.S. Translation: 如同六月的日子一样美妙

12. Detailed reading Detailed reading– handsome as a … as smart as a whip 如马车夫般聪明灵活 handsome as a polo horse Explanation: Polo horses are renowned for having majestic, strong bodies.

13. Detailed reading Detailed reading– won the young … … won the young woman’s hand in marriage. Explanation: The word “hand” here means a promise or pledge of marriage by a woman. And this kind of figure of speech is called “synecdoche” which substitutes a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one. e.g. The gray beard is an old professor. In order to rebuild the school, we advertised for recruiting more hands.

14. Detailed reading Detailed reading-- compatible compatible a. likely to have a good relationship because of being similar e.g. The couple separated because they were not compatible. They are very compatible as a couple. Collocation: compatible with Derivation: compatibility n. Synonym: harmonious, well-matched Antonym: incompatible

15. Detailed reading Detailed reading– set in set in enter a particular state e.g. Winter seems to be setting in early this year. Further economic decline set in during the 1930s.

16. Detailed reading Detailed reading--Quesion 56-79.1 How does the storyteller’s account clash with the young couple’s experience about the venue of the marriage? According to the storyteller’s account, the marriage took place in a beautiful church, and there was an elegant reception at an old inn in Vermont; while according to the young couple, it took place in a drive-through chapel and the reception was in the back room at the Star Dust Lounge. Usually, a church is a formal religious building, while a drive-through chapel is a small subordinate place for new couples to rush through the marriage ceremony. In addition, the Star Dust hotel is a casino, so a back room at its lounge is not an appropriate place for marriage receptions.

17. Detailed reading Detailed reading– put sb. To shame put sb. to shame make sb. feel ashamed of themselves by outdoing them His cooking puts mine to shame. They are so efficient that they put us to shame. e.g. Martha Steward (1941– ) is an American business magnate, television host, author and magazine publisher. She is also the publisher of two award-winning magazines Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Wedding.

19. Detailed reading Detailed reading--Quesion 56-79.2 What can be inferred from the bride’s utterances “You were a floral designer?” and “Brad, is there anything you want to tell me?” The implication is that the revelation makes the woman suspect he is homosexual, floral design being popularly thought of as an occupation that would attract this type of man.

20. Buster Brown • 布斯特布朗(美国连环画中的一个衣着华丽的儿童) • Buster/小鬼，小家伙, 破坏者

21. Detailed reading go for choose (sth.); favour (sth.) e.g. Children go for brightly colored pictures. Synonym: prefer, select

22. Detailed reading Detailed reading--Quesion 80-104 Why does the storyteller insist that the groom should be 27 years old and the bride 24? What can be inferred from the storyteller’s saying “This is a fairy tale. I’m going for prototypes”? Because the storyteller believes that the average American man and woman get married at 27 and 24 respectively. It can be inferred that the story is not based on reality, and that the storyteller intends to tell what marriage should be like rather than what it actually is.

23. Detailed reading Detailed reading– umpteenth umpteenth a. used when describing that sth. has happened many times e.g. I’ve told this story for the umpteenth times. “Stop worrying,” she told herself for the umpteenth time. fancy pants [美国俚语]装腔作势的人

24. Detailed reading Detailed reading– out of hand out of hand 1) without thought or consideration e.g. They rejected my plans out of hand, which drove me crazy. 2) out of control; uncontrollable e.g. Without discipline the children would get completely out of hand. When rates of inflation get out of hand, financial markets often break down. Collocation: get out of hand

25. Detailed reading Detailed reading– you have to … You have to fly through Logan or Lax. Explanation: Logan is an airport in Boston and Lax is an airport in Los Angeles.

26. 5-day business trip to ChicagoYour itinerary Transfer at London Flight information Return trip: direct/ non-stop flight

27. Detailed reading Detailed reading--Quesion 105-122 Which part in this section reinforces the audience’s impression about the couple’s relationship? The detailed knowledge of airports’ location the young woman talks about and the young man’s surprise at her majoring in geography reinforce the audience’s impression about their relationship: they do not seem to know each other very well.

28. Detailed reading What analogy is used by the woman? How is it related to that particular situation? The woman uses an analogy of Catholic women who are confused by the Bible, according to which Jesus Christ’s mother, i.e. the Blessed Virgin Mary, was a virgin. The analogy suggests that you cannot expect children to accept both pictures that are totally incongruous with each other.

29. Detailed reading Detailed reading– put that in … Put that in your fairy tale and smoke it. Explanation: The sentence is a twisted version of the idiom “Put that in your pipe and smoke it,” which is an informal expression used to indicate that someone should accept what one has said, even if it is unwelcome. enchilada [ ,entʃi'lɑ:də ] n. 1.tortilla with meat filling baked in tomato sauce seasoned with chili 玉米卷饼 2.整件事情, 全部细节

30. Detailed reading Detailed reading– hook line and … hook, line, and sinker Explanation: (inf.) entirely, completely. The phrase comes from angling, depicting a fish swallowing not only the baited hook, but also the line and sinker. Translation: 完全彻底，完全地，全部地

31. Detailed reading Detailed reading– well far be … Well far be it from me to give these little souls something to which to aspire. Explanation: Well, it is far from me (I would never do this) to tell these little children something about adult life so that they would have a strong desire to strive for it(ironically).

32. Detailed reading Detailed reading-- effeminate effeminate a. behaving like a woman e.g. The singer was a slender, graceful, rather effeminate young man. They found European males slightly effeminate. He spoke in an effeminate voice. 他讲起话来一副娘娘腔。 Derivation: effeminately ad. effeminacy n.

33. Detailed reading Detailed reading– who took it … … who took it up the ass once from a fellow Eagle Scout Explanation: … who once had sex with a fellow Eagle Scout. “Take it up the ass” is a vulgar slang expression referring to the sexual act between two homosexuals. An Eagle Scout is a boy scout who has achieved the highest ranking in U.S. scouting.

34. Detailed reading Detailed reading– to stay deep … To stay deep in the dark closet … Explanation: “The closet” refers to a state of secrecy or concealment, especially about one’s homosexuality. In the phrase, the writer uses “dark” and “deep” to imply that the man keeps his homosexuality a secret with his marriage. Translation: 隐瞒秘密

35. Detailed reading Detailed reading– because it was … … because it was a real ego boost to have snagged a hot stud eleven years younger than she … Explanation: … because it greatly heightened her self-esteem to have got a sexually attractive young man eleven years younger than she as her husband … Elvis impersonator / Elvis Presley 模仿猫王的演员