The Challenge of Modernism

The Duchess and the Jeweller

RL 3 Determine the impact of the Short Story by Virginia Woolf
author’s choices regarding how
to develop and relate elements
of a story. RL 4 Determine the
meaning of words and phrases Meet the Author
as they are used in the text,
including connotative meanings;
analyze the impact of specific
word choices on meaning and Virginia Woolf 1882–1941
tone.
Virginia Woolf was fascinated by the friends. Later, she would credit him with
inner life: the interplay of memories, teaching her how to write “in the fewest
emotions, and sensations that occurs possible words, as clearly as possible,
within each individual. To capture the exactly what one meant.”
fluid, random quality of human thoughts,
The Bloomsbury Group After her father’s
Woolf began to experiment with stream
death in 1904, Woolf and her siblings
of consciousness and other narrative
moved to the Bloomsbury district of
did you know? techniques. Her groundbreaking novels,
London. There, they began to associate
including Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To
Virginia Woolf . . . with a circle of artists and thinkers that
the Lighthouse (1927), are considered
• wrote a comic biography became known as the Bloomsbury group.
masterpieces of modernist literature.
of a cocker spaniel. Gathering at Woolf ’s home, members
• was nicknamed “Goat” Early Influences Born Adeline Virginia debated current artistic, literary, and
by her family. Stephen, Woolf was raised in a cultured, social issues and expressed their ardent
• was an outspoken upper-middle-class family whose friends support for artistic experimentation.
pacifist during World included leading artists and thinkers of Stimulated by the company of these free-
War II. the day. Her vivacious mother died when thinking individuals, Woolf began work
Virginia was only 13, leaving her in the on her first novel, The Voyage Out (1912).
care of her remote, tyrannical father.
Pioneer of Modernism In 1912, Woolf
Her mother’s death, which Woolf called
married Bloomsbury member Leonard
“the greatest disaster that could happen,”
Woolf. In 1917, the couple established
also triggered the first of Woolf ’s several
the Hogarth Press, which was dedicated
mental breakdowns.
to publishing groundbreaking literature.
Although Woolf’s father encouraged her For the next 24 years, Woolf divided
literary pursuits, he refused
refus to send her her time between running the press and
to school. In keeping with
w Victorian writing a series of well-regarded novels.
custom, her brothers
brother were sent At the start of World War II, her despair
to private schools and college, over the bombing of her London home
while Woolf and her sister were worsened her already deteriorating mental
educated at home.
hom Although health. In 1941, deeply depressed and
she resented this injustice, she fearful that she was going insane, Woolf
benefitted from exposure
e to her drowned herself in the river Ouse at the
father’s vast library, brilliant age of 59.
mind, and cultured
Author Online
Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML12-1138

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 text analysis: psychological fiction
An offshoot of realism, psychological fiction largely ignores
dramatic action to focus on the inner life of its characters.
Psychological fiction emphasizes
What does it
• characters’ thoughts, feelings, and impressions mean to have
• the hidden motivations for characters’ actions
• the presence of internal conflict class?
A technique closely associated with this kind of fiction is Some people think being rich is the key
stream of consciousness, which presents the random flow of to having class. Others insist that class
thoughts and sensations in a character’s mind. As you read this is an instinctive personal grace that can
story, notice how Woolf uses these elements to portray neither be bought nor taught. What are
the main character. the essential qualities that determine
whether a person truly has class?
reading skill: analyze diction
DISCUSS Working with a partner,
When you describe the language used in a work as formal or
choose a fictional character or a real
conversational, you are referring to the writer’s diction, which
person whom you consider a model
includes word choice and syntax, or arrangement of words.
of class. Identify specific qualities and
Woolf chooses words that convey vivid impressions or strong
behaviors that make this person “classy.”
sensations. She often uses complex sentences that cluster
Based on the traits you identified, what
several strong words together in a series of short phrases,
relationship do you see between money
as in this example:
and class? Explain your answer.
Then she loomed up, filling the door, filling the room with the
aroma, the prestige, the arrogance, the pomp, the pride of all
the Dukes and Duchesses swollen in one wave.
Person or Character
As you read, note when Woolf alters her sentence structure
to heighten the impact of her carefully chosen words. Qualities and Behaviors

1.•
vocabulary in context 2.•
Woolf used these boldfaced words to portray one man’s quest 3.•
for social status. Use context clues to determine the meaning 4.
of each word. Conclusion about Money
and Class
1. dismantle the tent to put it away
2. bowed in homage to the queen
3. the glow of burnished steel
4. groveled obsequiously
5. moved with lissome grace
6. a ceremony full of pomp

Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

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 The Duchess
and the
Jeweller
Virginia Woolf

Oliver Bacon lived at the top of a house overlooking the Green Park.1 He had Analyze Visuals
a flat;2 chairs jutted out at the right angles—chairs covered in hide. Sofas filled What can you infer about
the shop in this image?
the bays3 of the windows—sofas covered in tapestry. The windows, the three
long windows, had the proper allowance of discreet net and figured satin.4 The
mahogany sideboard bulged discreetly with the right brandies, whiskeys and
liqueurs. And from the middle window he looked down upon the glossy roofs of
fashionable cars packed in the narrow straits of Piccadilly. A more central position
could not be imagined. And at eight in the morning he would have his breakfast
brought in on a tray by a manservant; the manservant would unfold his crimson a DICTION
10 dressing gown; he would rip his letters open with his long pointed nails and would Reread the description of
extract thick white cards of invitation upon which the engraving stood up roughly Oliver’s home in lines 1–7.
Which of Woolf’s word
from duchesses, countesses, viscountesses5 and Honorable Ladies. Then he would choices suggest Oliver is
wash; then he would eat his toast; then he would read his paper by the bright preoccupied with how
burning fire of electric coals. a others see him?

1. Green Park: a large park in London’s fashionable West End, extending from just north of the royal
residence of Buckingham Palace to Piccadilly (pGkPdGlQC), a main London street.
2. flat: apartment.
3. bays: sections of wall that jut out from a building in which elegant windows are often placed.
4. discreet . . . satin: curtains made of lace that is not showy and satin with a woven design.
5. viscountesses (vFPkounQtGs-Gs): noblewomen ranking below duchesses and countesses but above
baronesses.

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 “Behold Oliver,” he would say, addressing himself. “You who began life in a
filthy little alley, you who . . .” and he would look down at his legs, so shapely
in their perfect trousers; at his boots; at his spats. They were all shapely, shining;
cut from the best cloth by the best scissors in Savile Row.6 But he dismantled dismantle (dGs-mBnPtl)
himself often and became again a little boy in a dark alley. He had once thought v. to take apart; to
disassemble
20 that7 the height of his ambition—selling stolen dogs to fashionable women in
Whitechapel.8 And once he had been done.9 “Oh, Oliver,” his mother had wailed.
“Oh, Oliver! When will you have sense, my son?” . . . Then he had gone behind
a counter; had sold cheap watches; then he had taken a wallet to Amsterdam.10
. . . At that memory he would chuckle—the old Oliver remembering the young.
Yes, he had done well with the three diamonds; also there was the commission
on the emerald. After that he went into the private room behind the shop in
Hatton Garden;11 the room with the scales, the safe, the thick magnifying glasses.
And then . . . and then . . . He chuckled. When he passed through the knots of
jewellers in the hot evening who were discussing prices, gold mines, diamonds,
30 reports from South Africa, one of them would lay a finger to the side of his nose
and murmur, “Hum–m–m,” as he passed. It was no more than a murmur; no
more than a nudge on the shoulder, a finger on the nose, a buzz that ran through
the cluster of jewellers in Hatton Garden on a hot afternoon—oh, many years ago b PSYCHOLOGICAL
now! But still Oliver felt it purring down his spine, the nudge, the murmur that FICTION
meant, “Look at him—young Oliver, the young jeweller—there he goes.” Young Reread lines 15–24.
he was then. And he dressed better and better; and had, first a hansom cab;12 then Describe the differences
between Oliver and his
a car; and first he went up to the dress circle, then down into the stalls.13 And younger self. What is
he had a villa at Richmond, overlooking the river, with trellises of red roses; and Oliver’s attitude toward
Mademoiselle used to pick one every morning and stick it in his buttonhole. b his past?
40 “So,” said Oliver Bacon, rising and stretching his legs. “So . . .”
And he stood beneath the picture of an old lady on the mantelpiece and raised
his hands. “I have kept my word,” he said, laying his hands together, palm to
palm, as if he were doing homage to her. “I have won my bet.” That was so; he homage (hJmPGj) n. an act
was the richest jeweller in England; but his nose, which was long and flexible, showing great respect;
tribute
like an elephant’s trunk, seemed to say by its curious quiver at the nostrils (but
it seemed as if the whole nose quivered, not only the nostrils) that he was not
satisfied yet; still smelt something under the ground a little further off. Imagine

6. spats . . . Savile (sBvPCl) Row: cloth coverings for the top of the shoe and the ankle, worn by men
as formal attire. Savile Row is a London street known for its exclusive men’s clothing shops.
7. that: The word is used as a pronoun here, referring to the selling of stolen dogs mentioned later in
the sentence.
8. Whitechapel: a working-class, inner-city neighborhood in London’s East End, once notorious for its high
crime rates and the poverty of its residents.
9. done: British slang for “arrested and charged with a crime.”
10. had taken a wallet to Amsterdam: brought a package of uncut gems to the Dutch city of Amsterdam, a
center of the diamond trade.
11. Hatton Garden: the center of London’s jewelry trade.
12. hansom cab: a two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage.
13. dress circle . . . stalls: In British theaters or concert halls, the dress circle is the first balcony of seats,
expensive but available to all. The stalls are seats near the stage, usually reserved for those of high rank.

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 a giant hog in a pasture rich with truffles;14 after unearthing this truffle and that,
still it smells a bigger, a blacker truffle under the ground further off. So Oliver
50 snuffed always in the rich earth of Mayfair15 another truffle, a blacker, a bigger
further off.
Now then he straightened the pearl in his tie, cased himself in his smart blue
overcoat; took his yellow gloves and his cane; and swayed as he descended the
stairs and half snuffed, half sighed through his long sharp nose as he passed out
into Piccadilly. For was he not still a sad man, a dissatisfied man, a man who seeks
something that is hidden, though he had won his bet?
He swayed slightly as he walked, as the camel at the zoo sways from side to
side when it walks along the asphalt paths laden with grocers and their wives
eating from paper bags and throwing little bits of silver paper crumpled up on to
60 the path. The camel despises the grocers; the camel is dissatisfied with its lot; the
camel sees the blue lake and the fringe of palm trees in front of it. So the great
jeweller, the greatest jeweller in the whole world, swung down Piccadilly, perfectly
dressed, with his gloves, with his cane; but dissatisfied still, till he reached the dark
little shop, that was famous in France, in Germany, in Austria, in Italy, and all
over America—the dark little shop in the street off Bond Street.16
As usual he strode through the shop without speaking, though the four men,
the two old men, Marshall and Spencer, and the two young men, Hammond and

14. truffles: edible fungi that grow underground, considered a rare delicacy. Hogs are often used to sniff
them out.
15. Mayfair: a fashionable, mostly residential section of London’s West End.
16. Bond Street: a main business street in Mayfair, known for its fashionable shops.

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 Wicks, stood straight behind the counter as he passed and looked at him, envying
him. It was only with one finger of the amber-colored glove, waggling, that he
c PSYCHOLOGICAL
70 acknowledged their presence. And he went in and shut the door of his private FICTION
room behind him. How would you explain
Then he unlocked the grating that barred the window. The cries of Bond the reference to
Street came in; the purr of the distant traffic. The light from reflectors at the Mademoiselle in lines
74–76? Based on this
back of the shop struck upwards. One tree waved six green leaves, for it was June. reference, what might
But Mademoiselle had married Mr. Pedder of the local brewery—no one stuck be the cause of Oliver’s
roses in his buttonhole now. c dissatisfaction?
“So,” he half sighed, half snorted, “so . . .”
Then he touched a spring in the wall and slowly the paneling slid open, and
behind it were the steel safes, five, no, six of them, all of burnished steel. He burnished (bûrPnGsht)
80 twisted a key; unlocked one; then another. Each was lined with a pad of deep adj. polished until shiny
burnish v.
crimson velvet; in each lay jewels—bracelets, necklaces, rings, tiaras, ducal
coronets;17 loose stones in glass shells; rubies, emeralds, pearls, diamonds. All
safe, shining, cool, yet burning, eternally, with their own compressed light.
“Tears!” said Oliver, looking at the pearls.
“Heart’s blood!” he said, looking at the rubies.
“Gunpowder!” he continued, rattling the diamonds so that they flashed and
blazed.
“Gunpowder enough to blow up Mayfair—sky high, high, high!” He threw
his head back and made a sound like a horse neighing as he said it.
90 The telephone buzzed obsequiously in a low muted voice on his table. He obsequiously (Jb-sCPkwC-
shut the safe. Es-lC) adv. in an eagerly
submissive way
“In ten minutes,” he said. “Not before.” And he sat down at his desk and
looked at the heads of the Roman emperors that were graved18 on his sleeve
links. And again he dismantled himself and became once more the little boy
playing marbles in the alley where they sell stolen dogs on Sunday. He became
that wily astute little boy, with lips like wet cherries. He dabbled his fingers in
ropes of tripe;19 he dipped them in pans of frying fish; he dodged in and out
among the crowds. He was slim, lissome, with eyes like licked stones. And lissome (lGsPEm) adj.
now—now—the hands of the clock ticked on. One, two, three, four . . . The moving with graceful
ease; limber
100 Duchess of Lambourne waited his pleasure; the Duchess of Lambourne, daughter
of a hundred Earls. She would wait for ten minutes on a chair at the counter. She
would wait his pleasure. She would wait till he was ready to see her. He watched
the clock in its shagreen20 case. The hand moved on. With each tick the clock
handed him—so it seemed—pâté de foie gras;21 a glass of champagne; another of
fine brandy; a cigar costing one guinea.22 The clock laid them on the table beside

17. ducal (dLPkEl) coronets: small crowns worn by dukes and duchesses.
18. graved: engraved.
19. tripe: the stomach lining of a cow or calf, used as food.
20. shagreen (shE-grCnP): untanned leather, often dyed green.
21. pâté de foie gras (pä-tAP dE fwä gräP): a rich paste made from goose liver.
22. guinea (gGnPC): a unit of British money equal to one pound and one shilling, used mainly for pricing
luxury items.

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 him, as the ten minutes passed. Then he heard soft slow footsteps approaching; a
rustle in the corridor. The door opened. Mr. Hammond flattened himself against
the wall. d d PSYCHOLOGICAL
“Her Grace!”23 he announced. FICTION
Reread lines 96–108. Note
110 And he waited there, flattened against the wall.
how Woolf uses stream of
And Oliver, rising, could hear the rustle of the dress of the Duchess as she consciousness to convey
came down the passage. Then she loomed up, filling the door, filling the room Oliver’s thoughts. What
with the aroma, the prestige, the arrogance, the pomp, the pride of all the Dukes does this technique reveal
and Duchesses swollen in one wave. And as a wave breaks, she broke, as she sat about his motivation for
making the Duchess wait?
down, spreading and splashing and falling over Oliver Bacon the great jeweller,
covering him with sparkling bright colors, green, rose, violet; and odors; and pomp (pJmp) n. vain
iridescences; and rays shooting from fingers, nodding from plumes, flashing from display

silk; for she was very large, very fat, tightly girt24 in pink taffeta, and past her
prime. As a parasol with many flounces,25 as a peacock with many feathers, shuts
120 its flounces, folds its feathers, so she subsided and shut herself as she sank down
in the leather armchair. e e DICTION
“Good morning, Mr. Bacon,” said the Duchess. And she held out her hand What is unusual about
the arrangement of
which came through the slit of her white glove. And Oliver bent low as he shook
phrases in lines 119–121?
it. And as their hands touched the link was forged between them once more. They
were friends, yet enemies; he was master, she was mistress; each cheated the other,
each needed the other, each feared the other, each felt this and knew this every
time they touched hands thus in the little back room with the white light outside,
and the tree with its six leaves, and the sound of the street in the distance and
behind them the safes. f f GRAMMAR AND STYLE
130 “And today, Duchess—what can I do for you today?” said Oliver, very softly. Note how Woolf uses long
sentences layered with
The Duchess opened; her heart, her private heart, gaped wide. And with a sigh,
several phrases to imitate
but no words, she took from her bag a long wash-leather pouch—it looked like the flow of Oliver’s
a lean yellow ferret.26 And from a slit in the ferret’s belly she dropped pearls—ten thoughts.
pearls. They rolled from the slit in the ferret’s belly—one, two, three, four—like
the eggs of some heavenly bird.
“All that’s left me, dear Mr. Bacon,” she moaned. Five, six, seven—down they
rolled, down the slopes of the vast mountainsides that fell between her knees into
one narrow valley—the eighth, the ninth, and the tenth. There they lay in the
glow of the peach-blossom taffeta. Ten pearls.
140 “From the Appleby cincture,”27 she mourned. “The last . . . the last of them all.”
Oliver stretched out and took one of the pearls between finger and thumb.
It was round, it was lustrous. But real was it, or false? Was she lying again? Did
she dare?

23. Her Grace: the appropriate way of referring to or directly addressing a duchess. A lower-ranking
noblewoman (such as a countess or a baroness) would be referred to as her ladyship and directly
addressed as my lady.
24. girt: wrapped; encircled.
25. parasol (pBrPE-sôlQ) . . . flounces: a light umbrella with many ruffles.
26. ferret: a small animal similar to a weasel.
27. cincture (sGngkPchEr): an ornamental belt.

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 She laid her plump padded finger across her lips. “If the Duke knew . . .” she
whispered. “Dear Mr. Bacon, a bit of bad luck . . .”
Been gambling again, had she?
“That villain! That sharper!”28 she hissed.
The man with the chipped cheek bone? A bad ’un. And the Duke was straight
as a poker; with side whiskers; would cut her off, shut her up down there if he
150 knew—what I know, thought Oliver, and glanced at the safe.
“Araminta, Daphne, Diana,” she moaned. “It’s for them.”
The Ladies Araminta, Daphne, Diana—her daughters. He knew them; adored
RL 4
them. But it was Diana he loved.
“You have all my secrets,” she leered. Tears slid; tears fell; tears, like diamonds, Language Coach
collecting powder in the ruts of her cherry-blossom cheeks. Denotations/Connotations
“Old friend,” she murmured, “old friend.” A word’s connotations
“Old friend,” he repeated, “old friend,” as if he licked the words. are its associated
feelings and images. A
“How much?” he queried. rut, related to the word
She covered the pearls with her hand. route, is a track worn in a
160 “Twenty thousand,” she whispered. dirt road. In lines 154–155,
But was it real or false, the one he held in his hand? The Appleby cincture— what is the effect of
contrasting the duchess’s
hadn’t she sold it already? He would ring for Spencer or Hammond. “Take it and
rutted face with the
test it,” he would say. He stretched to the bell. images of diamonds and
cherry blossoms?
28. sharper: a gambler who cheats.

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 “You will come down tomorrow?” she urged, she interrupted. “The Prime
Minister—His Royal Highness . . .” She stopped. “And Diana,” she added.
Oliver took his hand off the bell.
He looked past her, at the backs of the houses in Bond Street. But he saw, not
the houses in Bond Street, but a dimpling river; and trout rising and salmon; and
the Prime Minister; and himself too; in white waistcoats; and then, Diana. He
170 looked down at the pearl in his hand. But how could he test it, in the light of the
river, in the light of the eyes of Diana? But the eyes of the Duchess were on him. g g PSYCHOLOGICAL
“Twenty thousand,” she moaned. “My honor!” FICTION
Reread lines 166–171.
The honor of the mother of Diana! He drew his checkbook towards him; he
What was Oliver about
took out his pen. to do? What internal
“Twenty,” he wrote. Then he stopped writing. The eyes of the old woman in conflict causes him to
the picture were on him—of the old woman, his mother. hesitate?
“Oliver!” she warned him. “Have sense! Don’t be a fool!”
“Oliver!” the Duchess entreated—it was “Oliver” now, not “Mr. Bacon.”
“You’ll come for a long weekend?”
180 Alone in the woods with Diana! Riding alone in the woods with Diana!
“Thousand,” he wrote, and signed it.
“Here you are,” he said.
And there opened all the flounces of the parasol, all the plumes of the peacock,
the radiance of the wave, the swords and spears of Agincourt,29 as she rose from
her chair. And the two old men and the two young men, Spencer and Marshall,
Wicks and Hammond, flattened themselves behind the counter envying him as
he led her through the shop to the door. And he waggled his yellow glove in their
faces, and she held her honor—a check for twenty thousand pounds with his
signature—quite firmly in her hands.

190 “Are they false or are they real?” asked Oliver, shutting his private door. There
they were, ten pearls on the blotting paper on the table. He took them to the
window. He held them under his lens to the light. . . . This, then, was the truffle
he had routed out of the earth! Rotten at the center—rotten at the core!
“Forgive me, oh my mother!” he sighed, raising his hands as if he asked pardon
of the old woman in the picture. And again he was a little boy in the alley where
they sold dogs on Sunday.
“For,” he murmured, laying the palms of his hands together, “it is to be a long
weekend.” 

29. Agincourt (BjPGn-kôrtQ): a French village where, in 1415, Henry V’s English forces defeated a much larger
French army in what is considered one of England’s most glorious victories.

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 Reading for Information
ESSAY E. M. Forster was, like Virginia Woolf, a member of the Bloomsbury group. He
built his fame as a novelist and a writer of literary criticism. Shortly after Woolf died,
Forster wrote a critical review of her work. In this excerpt he describes her process
of writing.

from

 irginia  oolf
complex and intellectual, although it might
be large and heavy with facts, it was akin to
the very simple things which had started it
off, to the sights, sounds, tastes. It could be
best described as we describe them. For it was
not about something. It was something. . . .
She liked writing with an intensity which
few writers have attained, or even desired.
Most of them write with half an eye on their
royalties, half an eye on their critics, and
a third half eye on improving the world,
which leaves them with only half an eye
for the task on which she concentrated her
by E. M. Forster entire vision. She would not look elsewhere,
and her circumstances combined with her
She liked receiving sensations—sights, temperament to focus her. Money she
sounds, tastes—passing them through her had not to consider, because she possessed
mind, where they encountered theories a private income, and though financial
and memories, and then bringing them independence is not always a safeguard
out again, through a pen, on to a bit of against commercialism, it was in her case.
paper. Now began the higher delights of Critics she never considered while she was
authorship. For these pen-marks on paper writing, although she could be attentive to
were only the prelude to writing, little them and even humble afterwards. Improving
more than marks on a wall. They had to the world she would not consider, on the
be combined, arranged, emphasized here, ground that the world is man-made, and that
eliminated there, new relationships had to she, a woman, had no responsibility for the
be generated, new pen-marks born, until mess. . . . Neither the desire for money nor
out of the interactions, something, one the desire for reputation nor philanthropy
thing, one, arose. This one thing, whether could influence her. She had a singleness of
it was a novel or an essay or a short story purpose which will not recur in this country
or a biography or a private paper to be read for many years, and writers who have liked
to her friends, was, if it was successful, itself writing as she liked it have not indeed been
analogous to a sensation. Although it was so common in any age.

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 After Reading

Comprehension
1. Recall What was Oliver’s childhood like? RL 1 Cite evidence to support
inferences drawn from
2. Clarify Who is the old woman in the picture? the text. RL 3 Analyze the
impact of the author’s choices
3. Clarify Why does Oliver buy the pearls without having them tested? regarding how to develop and
relate elements of a story.
RL 4 Determine the meaning
4. Recall What does he discover about the pearls? of words and phrases as they
are used in the text, including

Text Analysis connotative meanings; analyze

the impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone.
5. Examine Character In what ways does Oliver’s past life influence his present self? L 3a Apply an understanding of
syntax to the study of complex
Identify specific experiences or memories that affect his behavior in the story. texts when reading.

6. Analyze Poetic Language Although Woolf wrote prose, she often chose words to
create poetic effects. Reread the description of the Duchess in lines 112–121. Identify
at least two examples of each of the following poetic devices from this description:
• simile • alliteration
• repetition • consonance
7. Analyze Diction Restate each of the following passages, using a more
conventional sentence structure. What impressions or feelings are
emphasized by Woolf’s unique diction?
• “He had a flat . . . in tapestry.” (lines 1–3)
• “And now—now . . . Earls.” (lines 98–101)
• “And from a slit . . . bird.” (lines 133–135)
• “And there opened . . . her chair.” (lines 183–185)
8. Draw Conclusions Reread lines 124–129, which describe Oliver’s relationship
with the Duchess. Explain why the two characters need each other. What
does their relationship suggest about the hypocrisy of class distinctions?
9. Evaluate Psychological Fiction In your opinion, does Woolf effectively capture
the quality of a person’s inner thoughts? What are some disadvantages of
Woolf’s experimental style? Support your answer with details from the story.

Text Criticism
10. Social Context Consider whether wealth and social status are as important
now as they were in the Britain of Woolf’s time. What observations from
Woolf’s story, if any, still seem relevant today? Explain your answer.

What does it mean to have class?

Review the list of character traits you made earlier that identify a person as
“classy.” After reading this story, what new traits would you add? Which of
these traits can be acquired and which are innate?

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 Vocabulary in Context
vocabulary practice word list
Test your knowledge of the vocabulary words by answering these questions. burnished

1. To dismantle an engine, would you build it or take it apart? dismantle

2. Who usually receives homage, a powerful king or a lowly servant? homage

lissome
3. Is a burnished surface dull or shiny?
obsequiously
4. If Jonas behaves obsequiously, does he bow humbly or strut?
pomp
5. Who is more lissome, an athlete or someone with arthritis?
6. Would a celebration full of pomp tend to be casual or formal?

academic vocabulary in writing

• approach • assume • environment • method • strategy

Does a person’s environment determine his or her future? What method of

upbringing is best for achieving high status? Using at least two of the Academic
Vocabulary words, write a brief description of an encounter between people of
high and low status.

vocabulary strategy: figurative language

Figurative language is not literal; it is used to create an image in a reader’s
L 5a Interpret figures of speech
mind. For example, the word dismantled literally means “took apart,” with in context and analyze their role
particular meaning (nuance) of “stripping something of its furnishings.” When in the text. L 6 Acquire and use
accurately general academic
Woolf says Oliver “dismantled himself,” she doesn’t mean that he literally words and phrases.
strips. Instead, he mentally removes his fine clothes—or what they stand for, his
accomplishments—to reveal the story of his life. You can tell what Woolf means
from context, the text surrounding the word. In the passage following “he
dismantled himself often,” Oliver fondly reminisces over his rise from a juvenile
dog thief to the owner of an exclusive London jewel shop.

PRACTICE Explain how the figurative use of each boldfaced word or phrase
differs from its literal meaning. Underline the context that points to the word’s
figurative meaning.
1. The wealthy residents stay on the west side of town; Holmes Avenue is a
strait which few of them will cross.
2. An excellent shopper, she can enter a store and sniff out a truffle where
no one else can find it.
3. As the angry crowd surged forward, a wave of contempt broke over the riot Interactive
police. Vocabulary
4. Making the honor roll was another plume in her cap. Go to thinkcentral.com.
KEYWORD: HML12-1150
5. He used his wily charm to snake his way into her confidence.

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 Language
grammar and style: Craft Effective Sentences L 2 Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English
Review the Grammar and Style note on page 1145. In this story, Woolf imitates punctuation when writing.
the flow of thoughts by using long sentences made up of several phrases and L 3 Apply knowledge of language
to make effective choices for
clauses. Instead of smooth transitions, she links seemingly unrelated phrases style. W 3a–b, d–e Introduce
with commas and semicolons, as in this example: characters; use narrative
techniques, such as description
But he saw, not the houses in Bond Street, but a dimpling river; and trout rising and reflection, to develop events
and characters; use precise words
and salmon; and the Prime Minister; and himself too; in white waistcoats; and and phrases and telling details
then, Diana. (lines 167–169) to convey a vivid picture of the
events, setting, and characters;
Notice how the layering of details in this sentence helps to evoke the random provide a conclusion that reflects
on what is experienced over the
movements of Oliver’s mind. course of the narrative.

PRACTICE Using the following quotation as a model, write your own paragraph
in the style of Woolf. Be sure your paragraph includes examples of Woolf’s
distinctive sentence structure.
And he dressed better and better; and had, first a hansom cab; then a car; and
first he went up to the dress circle, then down into the stalls. And he had a villa
at Richmond, overlooking the river, with trellises of red roses; and Mademoiselle
used to pick one every morning and stick it in his buttonhole.

reading-writing connection


YOUR Expand your understanding of Virginia Woolf’s story by responding to
this prompt. Then use the revising tips to improve your descriptive
TURN narrative.

writing prompt revising tips

WRITE A NARRATIVE What might have • Add precise descriptive
happened when Oliver visited the Duchess and details about the setting.
her daughter Diana in the country? Use what • Make sure your narrative
you know about the personalities of Oliver and includes clues to Oliver’s
the Duchess to write a three-to-five-paragraph personality.
descriptive narrative. Conclude the narrative
• Without using dialogue, try Interactive
with a reflection on Oliver’s experience.
to show Oliver’s emotional Revision
response to being with
Diana. Go to thinkcentral.com.
KEYWORD: HML12-1151

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