LessonFiveLoveIsaFallacy

1、Lesson 5 Love Is A Fallacy1LessonLesson FiveFive LoveLove IsIs a a FallacyFallacyMaxMax ShulmanShulmanTeachingTeaching aimsaimsTo fully un dersta nd the article;To app reciate the devel opment of the stories;To app reciate the humor embedded in this story and the writ ing tech niq ues;To know some f

2、eatures of America n colloquial and sla ngy exp ressi ons.EmpEmp hasishasis andand difficultiesdifficultiesHumor embedded in this story and the writi ng tech niq ues;America n colloquial and sla ngy exp ressi ons;Logical fallacies concerned in the essay.1.1. AboutAbout thethe author:author: MaxMax S

3、hulmanShulmanMax Shulman (March 14, 1919-ugust 28, 1988) is a 20th century American writer best known for his televisi on and short story character Dobie Gillis, as well as for best-sell ing no vels. His writ ing ofte n focused on young peop le, p articularly in a collegiate sett ing.He is one of Am

4、erica -snoesn humorists. He is a writer of many talents-he has written no vels, stories, Broadway pl ays, movie sce narios/scree np lay (电视剧),and televisi on scri pts. This text is taken from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1951). Dobie Gillis, the narrator, is a typ ical America n tee n who freque

5、ntly suffers from roma ntic an gst (worry, an xiety). The character app eared on a popu lar televisi on sitcom (situati on comedyi 续剧)duri ng the 1950s and was in a feature film(长片，相对于短篇而言)in 1953.2.2. IntroductionIntroduction1)1) Theme:Theme: Love is fallacyit is incon siste nt with logic.fallacy:

6、A stateme nt or an argume nt based on a false or an in valid inferenc醪论(建立在错误 或无效推论上的声明或论据 );Incorrectness of reasoning错误推理Here the title has two meanin gs: a, There is an delusive/illusive (false) quality of love; b, love can not be deduced from a set of give n p remises.2)2) Discussion:Discussion:

7、a, What is your opinion about love? What does love mean accord ing to you?(love is sth. you n eed to work hard at. a kind of jobsolitude/l on eli ness , reach ing to each other Ion ely person , frien dsh ipmate , in timate, close nessflame in my heart emoti onal attitude)b. What does the n ame Espy

8、mean?Espy: to catch sight of ( esp. faults, shortco min gs, etc.) To catch sight of (someth ing dista nt, partially hidden, or obscure)窥见(尤指远处模糊或掩蔽之物)；the author might havedeliberately chose n this n ame, which may allude to her amaz ing p hysical attracti on.3)3) IntroductionIntroduction toto theth

9、e essay:essay:This essay is an in teresti ng and humorous story .In this story the n arrator tells his failure to win the heart of a young woma n with the force of logic, which pro vesLesson 5 Love Is A Fallacy2a)The authorb)The authorPara.Para. 1 1The author to him that Love is fallac is inlonsiste

10、nt with logic. II There are many examples in logic.There are three characters in the story: Dobie Gillis, the n arrator, a freshma n in a law school who is proud of his logical reas oning and gen eral in tellectual cap ability, the p rotag onist of the story; P etey Burch, his roommate whose girlfri

11、e nd he plans to get; P oily Espy, the girl whom he intends to marry after suitable re-educati on. The n arrator is quite sure of his final successbecausehe thinks that he is much smarter and it is only logical that the girl will choose him. However, the result is a great surprise to him because the

12、 girl turns down his proposal (for marriage) and choosesPetey Burch, all because of what Dobie Gillis regards as a silly reasonII , thusthat love is a fallacy II.Max Shulma n has a good style. The story goes forward at a fast p ace with racy dialogues full of America n colloquialism and sla ng. He e

13、mploys a whole variety of writ ing tech niq ues to make his story vivid. He uses ultra lear ned terms to reveal the con ceit of the n arrator and cli pped vulgar forms to illustrate Poily Espys limited intellectual capacity. He also uses figurative Ian guage pro fusely and inv ersi on for emp hasis.

14、 The sp eed of the n arratio n is maintained by the use of short senten ces, elli ptical senten ces and dashes throughout the story. The comb in atio n of all these help to make the story realistic, as one would expect a freshma n to talk like that.3.3. SomeSome OtherOther BackgroundBackground Infor

15、mationInformation? PygmalionPygmalion n. (Greek mythology) A king of Cyp rus, and a scu Ip tor, who carved and the n fell in love with his own statue of Galatea., later brought to life by the goddess of love Ap hrodite at his prayer.【希神】塞浦路斯国王(热恋自己雕的少女像)，他雕刻了一个妇女的塑像,然后 陷入对她的爱恋中，爱神阿芙罗荻特赋予了她生命。? Frank

16、enstein:Frankenstein: the Swiss medical student Frankenstein (whose name serves as the title of Mary Shelley novel, published in 1818) created from parts of corpses a monster that destroyed himself later. People have p ersisted in calli ng the mon ster Franken ste in; the word has gone on to refer t

17、o 1) monster II having the appearanee of a man; 2) and a creation or an agency that slips from the con trol of and ultimately destroys its creator.瑞士学生弗兰肯斯泰因 (此名成为 1818 年出版的玛丽 雪莱小说的书名)用部分死尸器官造了一个怪物，后来被这个具备了自己的 生命力的怪物所杀害，从某种意义上说，弗兰肯斯泰因创造的怪物已经毁灭了他本人。人 们坚持将那个怪物称作弗兰肯斯泰因； 此词后来演变为指形怪物 和脱离创造者的控制并最终毁灭其创造者的媒

18、介I4.4. DetailedDetailed StudyStudy ofof thethe EssayEssayPartPart 1(Paras.1(Paras. 1-3):1-3): thethe authorauthor note.note.s idea about this story s idea about the purpose of this story.s remark or attitude towards writi ng the story : spongy(not firm) and flaccid(lack ing firm ness/e nergy) and li

19、mp.1. Charles Lamb, as merry and enterprising a fellow and Dream Childre n.in a mon th of Sun day :(colloquial) in a long time 很久，成年累月P Charles Lamb is the ki nd of merry and enterprising person you rarely encoun ter. He wrote the essaysOld Chi na and Dream Childre n, which set free the in formal es

20、say.Lesson 5 Love Is A Fallacy3s(infT-像查尔斯兰姆这样快乐和富有创新精神的人物并不常见，他写了古瓷和梦中 的孩子两篇文章，这两篇文章可以说解放了散文。2. Charles Lamb (17751834): English essayist. He, in collaboration with his sister Mary, Published Tales from Shakes peardn 1867. His dramatic essays,印ecime ns of En glish Dramatic Poets (1808), established

21、 his reputation as a critic and did much in reviving the popularity of Elizabethe n drama. Old Ch ina and Dreams Childre n are from his collecti on The Essays of Elia (18231833).3. Q: Why is Charles Lamb men ti oned here?To make a comp aris on betwee n his writ in g(s pongy or limb or flaccid) and L

22、amb4. There follows an in formal essay that ven tures eve n bey ond Lamb . s fron tierP Here is an in formal essay which is eve n freer tha n the ones Lamb wrote.5. mp II -flaccid llor -spongy IIare perhaps more appropriate.Limp: dropping, lacking firmness 柔软的flaccid : lacking firmness, soft and wee

23、k 松弛的，不结实的 spon gy: soft and porous多空隙而有弹性的The author is being humorous with his self-mock ing tone. This essay of his, of course, is anything but limp II , flaccid II and spongy |.Para.Para. 2 21. Vague though its category, it is without doubt an essay.P Although it is difficult to say which catego

24、ry it bel ongs to, it is un doubtedly an essay.2. three eleme nts in the essay: argume nt , evide nce/i nsta nee , con clusi on3. Carlyle: Thomas Carlyle(17951881), English author, is considered as one of the mostimportant social critics of his day. Carlyle s style, called Carlylese II , is a compou

25、iphrases, colloquialisms, Teutonic (adj.日耳曼人的，日耳曼语的)twists, and his own coinings,arran ged in unexp ected seque nces.4. Joh n Rusk in (1819-1900): British writer and art critic and social theorist who con sidered agreat pain ti ng to be one that conv eys great ideas to the viewer. He put forward the

26、 princip les that art was based on n atio nal and in dividual in tegrity and morality and that art was a uni versal Ian guage I Later his art criticism became more broadly social and p olitical. In his works he attacked bourgeois England and charged the modern art reflected the ugliness and waste of

27、 modern industry. He also advocated social reform. His works include Modern Painters (1843-1860).罗斯金，约翰.英国作家和艺术评论家，他认为伟大的图画应是能够能观者 以伟大的思想。他的作品包括近代画家(1843-1860年)P P ara.ara. 3 3Read, the n, the followi ng essay which un dertake to- full of beauty, p assi on, and trauma.pedantic：书呆子气的，卖弄学问的，迂腐的，乏味的T那么

28、就读读下面这篇文章吧，它将向我们展示逻辑并不是一门枯燥乏味，迂腐不堪 的学科，恰恰相反，逻辑是一个活生生的事物，充满美丽激情和心灵的创伤。Logic is a liv ing, breath ing thi ng: meta phorfull of beauty , passion, and trauma hyperbolePartPart 2 2 (Paras.(Paras. 4-59):4-59): a a dealdeal betweenbetween thethe narratornarrator andand PeteyPetey BurchBurchPara.4Para.4: :

29、description of the narrator.Lesson 5 Love Is A Fallacy41.2.3.4.kee n: activate, sen sitive, quick 敏捷的，敏锐的Calculat ing :shrewd or cunning ; in a selfish way 精明的，有私心的Perspi rati on : quick to judge and un dersta nd 敏于判断了解的，有洞察力的 astute -shrewd ,quick at seeing how to gain an advantage精明的，狡黠的5. Q: How

30、did the n arrator think of himself? What does it show?6. Q: What effect does the boast ing of the n arrator create?f The author is satirizing a smug, self-conceited freshman in a law school, who keeps boasti ng at every opportun ity. He hea ps upon him all the beautiful words of p raise he can think

31、 of. This exaggerated self- praise and the pro fuse use of similes and meta phors hel p make the satire humorous.Para.Para. 5 5: : descri ptio n of P eter Burch1. im pressio nable: easily in flue need 易受影响的imp ressio nable young peop le.易受影响的年轻人imp ressive: Maki ng a stro ng or vivid imp ressi on; s

32、trik ing or remarkable: 给人以深刻生动 的印象的2. faddist: n. a person who follows fads趋于时尚者,好新奇的人faddish: having the nature of a fad具有追求时尚的天性的；Given to fads.赶时髦的 fad : n. stresses the impu Isive en thusiasm with which a fashi on is take n up for a short time (一时流行的)风尚；狂热一时的爱好；癖好，嗜好(craze) fashi on: The p reva

33、ili ng style or custom, as in dress or behavior:风格，时尚 out of fashi on. 过时3. Fads, I submit, are the very n egati on of reas on.Pf I believe follow ing p ass ing crazes shows a comp lete lack of sound judgme nt.4. craze n. a short-lived popu lar fashi on; a fad短暂的时尚：流行一时的狂热5. acme: The highest point,

34、 as of p erfect ion.Summit 最高点，顶点，极点；the acme of perfection完美无缺the acme of good behavior 最崇高的行为 acme of scie nee 科学尖端 the acme of one s最:高的愿望 be/reach the acme of perfectior十全十美 /尽善尽美6. Not, however, to Petey: Ellipsis. This was not the acme of mindlessness to Petey. Petey did not con sider such beh

35、avior as the acme of min dless ness.Paras.Paras. 4-54-5: : a sketch of /comparison between the two characters, the narrator and Petey Burch. Para.Para. 6 6One after noon I found P etey lying on his beddiag no sed appen dicitis.Pf One after noon, whe n I went back to my dorm, P etey was lyi ng on his

36、 bed. He wore such a dep ressed look that I came to the con clusi on at once that he was sufferi ng from appen dicitis.P P ara.11ara.11Charleston: n. a fast lively ballroom dance in 4/4 time, characterized by a twisting step and popular during the 1920 查尔斯顿舞，一种流行于20世纪20年代的快节奏的4/4拍舞厅舞 Para.16Para.16I

37、n the swim: follow the curre nt fashi on 合时髦，合朝流P etey, Why? Look at it ratio nally: P etey, why must you have a racco on coat?f it II is a vague pronoun, standingpe whole issue of owning and wearing a raccoon coat. Para.Para. 20201. My brain, that precision instrument, slipped into high gear: (a mi

38、xed metaphor, comparing at the same time the n arratobrain to a p recisi on in strume nt and also to a machi ne that has gears.)P My brain, which is as precise as a chemist s scales, began to work at high speed.2. anything? ellt psis.Would you really give anything for a racco on coat? Are you in dee

39、d willi ng to give any thi ng away for a racco on coat?Lesson 5 Love Is A Fallacy53. anything.II Hemaffl in ringing tones(他毫不含糊地大声说道):ellipsis.Yes, I m willing to give anything for a raccoon coat.Paras.Paras. 6-206-20 How is Petey fascinated with the idea of having a raccoon coat?1. He looks like th

40、at he is sick with appen dicitis2. He is so eager to have a racco on coat that he eve n cries with grief3. He is so regret that he spend his money on books that he ponds his temp les.4. He is up set with the racco on coat that hr lea ps from the bed and p aces the room.5. My p ersuasi on makes him i

41、mp atie nt.Para.Para. 22221. It so happened that I knew where to get my hands on a racco on coat: Luckily I happened to know where I could get hold of a racco on coat.2. He did not have it exactly, but at least he had first right on it:P He did not really own Poily Espy, or Po lly Espy didn t really

42、 belong to him. They were not married or going steady. But P etey got to know her before him, therefore he had the first claim.Paras.Paras. 23-2423-241. Q: Why was the n arrator in terested in P oily Espy? What ki nd of girl was she?According to the narrator, he was interested in Poily fora shrewdly

43、 calculated, entirely cerebral reas on II . He wan ted P oily to further his career as a lawyer. P oily was beautiful, gracious;only she was not intelligent. The narrator considered Poily |irb beautihul xdoiulbsmarte n up un der his guida nee to become a suitable wife for him.2. She was a girl who e

44、xcited the emoti ons. But I was not one to let my heart rule my head: She was beautiful and attractive eno ugh to arouse the desires and p assi ons of men, but I would not let feeli ngs and emoti ons get the upper hand of reas on or good sen se.3. I was well aware of the imp orta nee of the right ki

45、nd of wife in furtheri ng a lawyerknew very well how imp orta nt it was for a lawyer to have the right ki nd of wife. The right ki nd of wife would help promote a lawyer s career.1. She was not yet of pin-up proportions, but I felt sure that time would supply the lack:Pin-u p: (America n colloq. ) n

46、. a girl whose sexual attractive ness makes her a subject for the kind of pictures often pinned up on the wall.钉在墙上的漂亮照片;漂亮女人Not yet of pin-up prop orti ons: not yet as attractive as the pi cture pin up on the wall .Time would supply the lack: give n time, she would devel op in right direct ion. Tim

47、e will give her a p erfect figure.P She was not yet fully developed like pin-up girls but I felt sure that , given time, she would fill up and become just as glamorous.2. She already had the mak in gs:P She already had all the physical qualities needed for developing into a very beautiful woma n. Ma

48、king: The abilities or qualities n eeded for devel opment:素质发展所需的能力或 性格。She has the makings of a fine teache她具备做一个优秀教师的素质Para.Para. 26261. She had an erectness of carriage, an ease of bearingthe best of breeding.T她婷婷玉立 体态优雅，这一切都表明她出身高贵。，、ease: freedom from constraint or embarrassment; naturaIne不拘束/不

49、感至U拘谨 /自然 beari ng: the manner in which Lesson 5 Love Is A Fallacy6one carries or con ducts on esell 止 / 风度 /(人的)行为方式 po ise: The beari ng of the head or body; mien.姿势 / 样子the po ise and beari ng of a cha mpio冠军泰然自若的风度breed ing: training in the proper forms of social and personal con duct.教养,指社交和个人

50、举止的礼仪表现出来的训练2.without eve n gett ing her fin gers moist:P Her fin gers did not eve n get slightly wet (show ing her dainty and refi ned table mann er). gravy: n. The juices that drip from cook ing meat.肉汁,烹肉时滴出的肉汁Para.Para. 27271. In fact, she veered in the opp osite directi on: In fact, she went in

51、 the oppo site direct ion.This is a sarcastic way of say ing that she was rather stupid2. It is, after all, easier to make a beautiful dumb girl smart，girl beautiful.an tithesis: a figure of sp eech in which shar ply con trast ing ideas are juxta posed/placed in a bala need or p arallel p hrase or g

52、rammatical structure,对偶，一种将强烈对立的想法并列于 对等的短语或语法结构中的修辞方法。Paras.Paras. 25252727: The n arrator elaborates the three qualities that he believes to be imp orta nt to a good wife 1) beautiful 2) gracious 3) intelligentP P ara.ara. 3030go steady America n colloq date some one of the opp osite sex regularly

53、; be sweethearts成为 关系相当确定的情侣，经常只和某一异性朋友约会出游Para.Para. 3434If you were out of the pi cture, the field would be open:P If you were no Ion ger invo Ived with her( if you stop dati ng her) others would be free to comp ete for her frie ndshi p.Out of the pi cture: not con sidered as invo Ived in a situat

54、io nOpen: free to take part in or comp ete in ( the games being held in the field)Paras.Paras. 4141 5959:1. Whatthe mai n idea of P aras. 41-59?The n arrator succeeded in p ersuad ing P etey Burch to excha nge his girl frie nd for a racco on coat with him.2. Q: How did he succeed in p ersuadi ng Pet

55、ey?Para.Para. 4545: I said, mincing no words.mi nee: to moderate or restrain (words) for the sake of po lite ness (由于礼貌或礼节而 )委婉 或限制使用(词语)；委婉地说Don t mi nee words: say what you mean不要忌讳,把你的意思直说出来P P ara.ara. 50501. He was a torn man.P He was torme nted, not knowing what was the right thing to do.2. He

56、 looked at the coat with the exp ressi on of a waif at a bakery win dow:a simile, comparing his longing for the raccoon coat with the expression of a hungry homeless child look ing longin gly at the bread at a bakery win dow.3. Back and forth his head swiveled, desire wax ing, resoluti on waning:P H

57、is head turned back and forth (looking at the coat then looking away from the coat). Every time he looked, his Lesson 5 Love Is A Fallacy7expdesire for the coat grew stro nger and his resoluti on not to give away P oily became weaker.PartPart 3 3 (Paras.(Paras. 60-154):60-154): thethe narratornarrat

58、or datingdating withwith PollyPollyPara.Para. 60601. How did the narrator s first date with Poily Espy go?The n arrator had his first date with P oily Espy to find out how dumb she really was. The result was dishearte ning. P oily was more ignorant tha n he had exp ected. The n arrator realized that

59、 he had to make a great effort to make P oily smart eno ugh to be his wife.2. How does the Ian guage used by P oily strike you? Fi nd some exa mp les in the text.The writer deliberately makes Poily Espy use a lot of exclamatory words like Gee, Oo, wow-dow lland clipped vulgar forms like -delish, mar

60、vy, sensaysHletc. to create the impression of a sim pie and rather stup id girl. This con trasts stro ngly with the Ian guage of the n arrator, thus in creas ing the force of satire and irony.Espy: delishdelicious; marvymarvelous; sensa sensitive. These words create the imp ressi on of a simple and