Best seller

Published on January 2017 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 32 | Comments: 0 | Views: 340
of 2
Download PDF   Embed   Report

Comments

Content

BEST SELLERS

(Q1.) What was John A. Pescud’s opinion about bestsellers?
(Ans) Pescud felt that the bestsellers were all alike. According to him,
thestories in the so-called bestsellers were a far-cry from reality.
(Q2.) What was Pescud’s first impression about his beloved? Was he badly
mistaken?
(Ans) Pescud initially thought that the girl he was chasing, hailed from a
humble background.
There is no doubt that he was badly mistaken. This is because Pescud soon
discovered that the girl belonged to an aristocratic family.
(Q3.) Pescud’s father-in-law had a unique habit. What was it and when did
Pescud come to know about it?
(Ans) Pescud’s father-in-law had the habit of telling stories. Pescuddiscovered
this in his very first meeting with the old man.
(Q4.) What happens when Pescud first meets his beloved’s father?
(Ans) When Pescud first meets his beloved’s father, he is rattled. Pescudsays
that he comes mighty close near getting cold feet and trying tosell some plateglass to the girl’s father.
(Q5.) What was John A. Pescud’s philosophy on behavior?
(Ans) John believed that one should always be decentand right in one’s home
town.
(Q6.) What was John A. Pescud’s opinion about bestsellers? Why?
(Ans) Pescud had an aversion for best-sellers. He felt that the stories in bestsellers were all alike. The stories often had a girl and a boy from two
completely different backgrounds which did not normally happen in real life. He
felt that in reality, a boy normally courted a girl who was somewhat familiar. He
wondered why people bought bestsellers so much despite the fact that they
never heard the same stories in real life.
(Q7.) John is a hypocrite. Do you agree with this statement? Substantiate your
answer.
(Ans) John’s behavior is definitely hypocritical. He openly denounces
bestsellers claiming that they are quite unrealistic. He believes that the stories
involving a boy and a girl in the so-called bestsellers are a far cry from reality.
He tells the narrator that in real life, a boy normally looks for a girl who is
somewhat familiar and wonders why people have an affinity for bestsellers.
However, when John narrates his love story to the narrator, we come to know
that his love story was akin to what was normally written in the best sellers.
John marries a girl who is not from her community or native place and who
hails from an aristocratic family. This shows that John did not practice what he
believed.
(Q8.) 1. Irony refers to the use of words to convey a meaning that is the
opposite of their literal meaning. Working in pairs, bring out the irony in the
following:
a) The title of the story, "The Bestseller".

1

b) Pescud’s claim, "When people in real life marry, they generally hunt up
somebody in their own station. A fellow usually picks out a girl who went to the
same high-school and belonged to the same singing-society that he did."
(Ans) a)The story’s title brings out its irony. The character John in the story
tells the narrator that in real life, a boy normally looks for a girl who is
somewhat familiar. A couple comprising a boy and a girl from two separate
communities is a rarity. Yet John says that people have a penchant for books
that have such fanciful stories. These books are read so much that they
become best- sellers. People read such books despite knowing very well that
the same never happens in real life which is really ironical.
b)These words said by Pescud sound really ironical once he narrates his own
love story. This is because similar to what is written in the so-called best
sellers, which Pescud denounces openly, Pescud sees a girl and stalks her right
to her house. He meets the girl’s father and later manages to win her hand.
The irony here lies in the fact that Pescud did something totally opposite to
what he believed.
(Q9.) Describe John A. Pescud with reference to his Physical appearance.
(Ans) John was not that good-looking. The narrator is sarcastic in describing
John’s appearance. He first tells us that John had a small, black and baldspotted head. Later, the narrator sarcastically says that John was of the stuff
that heroes are not often lucky enough to be made of. He further discloses that
John’s eyes were fixed in one direction.

2

Sponsor Documents

Or use your account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Forgot your password?

Or register your new account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Back to log-in

Close