THINK 119 (Versión Digital).pdf

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19-PAGE DOSSIER on
8 4 1 4 09 0 2 53 3 6 9
0 0 1 1 9
 
11  Travel  – Desperately Seeking Stoker
(and Dracula) in Dublin
16  Society  – Victorian Female Servants
18  Great Theatre – Wilde’s The Ideal Husband 
20  Literature  – Anne Rice
  The Victorian Way of Death
24  Cinema – Vampire Movies
28  Save – In the Kitchen
29  Books – Deluxe Transitive Vampire
Language
32  Functional – The Wrong Way Round
33  Pronunciation – Ire of the Vampire
34  Translation – Error Detectives (2)
36 Phrasal Verbs – The Death of Phrasal Verbs?
38  Idioms – Blood Idioms
42 Miscellany
*Download a bigger illustrated   version of the tapescripts at:
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Hello again,
Think   119 is different from previous issues. For once we’ve focused almost the entire magazine on a specic theme: Bram Stoker, his Dracula   and vampires. To be perfectly honest, when we started planning this issue some months ago, I wasn’t especially interested in any of this. However, the deeper into it I got the more important it all seemed. Dracula  is the most lmed story in movie history and vampires are featured more and more in US TV culture. It is no great exaggeration to say that vampirism is one of the great myths of our 21st-century global village. This issue makes an attempt to begin to answer the obvious question: why?   We start on pp. 14-15 by looking at how Bram Stoker came to create the central vampire myth: Dracula . That investigation takes us – not to Transylvania as you might expect – but to Stoker’s Dublin  (pp. 11-13). One of the elements that helped to forge the Dracula myth was the series of pandemics in Britain throughout Stoker’s life: we look at these in The Victorian Way of Death  on pp. 22-23.
Most people know of Dracula – perhaps the most recognizable ctional character in the world – through movies; on pp. 24-25 we follow the evolution of vampire lms  from Nosferatu   to  Twilight . If Stoker created the archetypal vampire for much of the 20th Century, it was  Anne Rice who developed the myth of vampirism and carried it forward to its current culturally-dominant position. We look at her life and work on pp. 20-21. Finally, on the CD (tracks 1-6) we debate why vampirism has become such a central theme in modern popular culture.   Quite a lot of the rest of the magazine is written around the theme of vampires, though the articles are not directly relevant to the main theme. For example, the theatre article (pp. 18-19) looks at  An Ideal Husband   by Oscar Wilde, Stoker’s friend who was once going to marry Bram’s wife. The architecture article (pp. 26-27) looks at an incredible building, The Casino at Marino, which Stoker must have known because it is located just up the hill from his birthplace. Similarly, Word Building (p. 41) and Idioms  (pp. 38-39) take vampires as an excuse to talk about words and expressions, respectively, related to blood.
I hope you enjoy reading and listening to this issue as much as we have creating it.
See you next month, Nick Franklin
Editor [email protected]
 www.thinkinenglish.net  www.myspace.com/thinkinenglish  www.revistasprofesionales.com  [email protected]
 
   L    a    n    g    u    a    g    e    N    e   w    s
in English 
Teaching Teachers
Teachers in British schools have been provided with a manual in an effort to get  them to use3 the English language properly4. As part of the National Literacy Strategy teachers have been given a guidebook that explains basic grammar to them. In it they are told things like, “Verbs are very important. They are the words that tell you what is happening in the sentence.” As regards5   punctuation, the manual says it is “used to chunk text up6 into meaningful units7... In writing, we mark sentences by using a capital letter 8 at the beginning, and a full stop9  (or question mark10 or exclamation mark) at the end.” Incredible.
The Birth of an Idiom What Fox 5 anchorman11 Ernie Anastos meant to
say12 was “keep13 plucking that chicken14” mean-
ing “keep up15  the good work”. Unfortunately,
while chatting to the TV channel’s weatherman16 
what he actually17 said was, “keep fucking that
chicken”. Once upon a time18  this would have
simply been an innocent slip-of-the-tongue19;
heard by a few, laughed at and then forgotten.
But not in this day and age. The incorrect phrase
is now an Internet phenomenon – appearing in
on-line dictionaries – and is featured20 on T-shirts
across the States. The exaltation has been
discussed on late-night TV shows and politician
Rev Al Sharpton has even developed a bowdler-
ized21 version – “Keep on doing that chicken!” to
be used as a shout of encouragement22.
The occasional slip-of-the-tongue19  is
mistake. That’s exactly what happened to Brit-
ain’s The Daily Express  in September. The paper
offered the headline “Can Dec anally match24 
Ant?” in reference to a comedy duo called Ant
and Dec. It should have said, “Can Dec finally
match24 Ant?”
 Expensive Words
ness. Recently, the British Government decided
to change the name of one of its bureaucratic
 bodies. The Department for Communities and
Local Government became Communities and
Local Government. The elimination of the
words ‘The Department for’ meant that a new
logo and new stationery25 had to be created, at
a cost of nearly26 €30,000. However, the Government seem
to think the change  was worth it27. A Minister explained in
the House of Commons that the rebranding28 was required
to “emphasize the mission of the department”.
Un Faux Ami
Tis summer a British tourist arrived in the town o Danne- marie in Alsace looking or a room or the night. Seeing a big building with Hôtel de Ville across the entrance she wandered in29. She decided to nip into30 the loo31 beore registering with the ‘hotel’. Unortunately, by the time she came out o the toilets, the town-hall staff 32 had  locked up33 and gone home.
1  just – (in this context ) only  2 saving  (countable) – reduction 3 to get s.o. to use (get-got-got) – make s.o. use 4 properly  – correctly, appropriately 5 as regards – in terms o, in relation to 6 to chunk sth. up – (inormal ) group sth.,
organize sth. 7 meaningul units – coherent phrases 8 capital letter – uppercase letter [ABC...] (as
opposed to a lowercase letter [abc...]) 9 ull stop (UK English) – period (US English) 10 question mark  – ‘?’ 11 anchorman – primary presenter 12 to mean to say  – want to say, intend to say
13 to keep (in this context ) – continue 14 to pluck a chicken – (literally ) eliminate
plumage rom a dead chicken (beore cooking it)
15 to keep sth. up (keep-kept-kept) – continue sth.
16 weatherman – meteorological presenter 17 actually  – ( alse riend ) in act, really  18 once upon a time – (in this context ) in the past 19 slip-o-the-tongue  – lapsus, error o speech 20 to eature – display, exhibit, include 21 bowdlerized – sanitized, censored 22 encouragement – endorsement, motivation 23 unavoidable – inevitable
24 to match s.o. – be s.o’s equal, rival s.o. 25 stationery  – pens, writing paper, etc. 26 nearly  – almost, just under 27 to be worth it – be worth the eort, merit the
expense 28 rebranding  – renaming 29 to wander in – enter in a relaxed way 30 to nip into – quickly enter 31 the loo – the toilet, the WC 32 town-hall sta   – employees o the municipal
government. Hôtel de Ville means ‘town hall’ in French
33 to lock sth. up – close sth. with lock and key, shut sth. securely 
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Subscribers’ exercise D
Te Briton proved that she had at least a little French and was reasonably resourceul34; she glued35 a sign in the window that said, “Je suis ermer ici. Est ce possible moi la porte ouvrir?” Unortunately, nobody saw the cry or help until 9 o’clock the ollowing morning.
Meanwhile36, an apparently dyslexic Swed- ish couple put a little too much aith in their GPS37. Te Scandinavian tourists wanted to go to the southern Italian resort38 island o Capri. Unortunately, they got the letters the wrong way round39 when they typed the name into their sat-nav system40 and ended up in41  the northern Italian industrial town o Carpi.  
Give a Sprog42 a Bad Name...
 A  survey43  of 3000 teachers in Brit- ain has found that 49% of them make assumptions44  about their pupils before they’ve even seen them, simply based on their names. Teachers assumed that boys named Callum, Connor, Jack, Daniel, Brandon, Charlie, Kyle and Liam would be troublesome45 , as would girls named Chelsea, Courtney, Chardonnay, Aleisha, Casey, Crystal, Jessica and Brooke.
 Apparently, judging pupils by their names is nothing new; one teacher commented that 40 years ago her colleagues believed that “Waynes and Shanes are always pains46”.
Gaol 47
  Jargon According to prison officers a modified version of Eliza-
bethan thieves’ cant48  is enjoying a revival in Britain’s
prisons. However, it is more the idea of thieves’ cant
than the terms used when Shakespeare was alive that
has been revived. New terms like ‘grade’ for money,
‘warbs’ for the police and ‘cawbe’ for crack cocaine have
been introduced. Thieves’ cant gave Standard English
words such as ‘moniker49’ and ‘to beef 50’.
34 resourceul – ingenious, imaginative 35 to glue sth. – stick sth., ix sth. with adhesive 36 meanwhile – at the same time 37 GPS – global positioning system 38 resort – centre or tourism 39 the wrong way round – (in this context ) write sth. in an incorrect order 40 sta-nav system – satellite navigating system, GPS37  41 to end up in – arrive in the end in 42 sprog  – child, kid. he original expression is “Give a dog a bad name
(and hang  [= execute] him)”, which means that it is very diicult to lose a bad reputation even i it is unjustiied
43 survey  – study, questionnaire 44 assumptions – suppositions 45 troublesome – problematic, diicult, disobedient 46 to be a pain – be troublesome45
47 gaol /eil/ (UK English) – jail (US English), prison 48 thieves’ cant – robbers’ slang, criminals’ argot 49 moniker – name, nickname 50 to bee  – (inormal ) complain, protest 51 to crack down on – become strict about 52 orename – irst name, Christian name (old ashioned ) 53 to be allowed to – be permitted to 54 ruling  – judicial decision 55 surname – amily name 56 double-barrelled  – (o names) compound, consisting o two parts 57 chagrin – vexation, annoyance, irritation 58 to take root (take-took-taken) – become established 59 disgust – (semi-alse riend ) repulsion 60 though ‘guy’ usually is
Germans Crack Down on51 Names
The German authorities are getting increasingly strict
as regards5  long names. Back in 2004 a law was intro-
duced that limited the number of
forenames52  that parents  were
five. Now a new ruling54  limits the
number of surnames55 one can have
to two. Frieda Rosemarie Thalheim
from Munich wanted to incorporate
her husband’s double-barrelled 56 
surname into her own to become
Frieda Rosemarie Thalheim-Kunz-
 to53. Germany’s economics minister
 – Karl-Theodor Maria Niklaus Johann
refused to comment on the decision.
British English Gets a Second-Person Plural
Judging by the chagrin57 expressed in the newspapers, the US English second-person plural ‘you guys’ has now firmly taken root58 in Britain. o the disgust59 o many older people, waiters now reer to their customers as ‘you guys’. As a result, the (collo- quial) English pronoun system can now be listed as:
subject object
I me you you she/he/it her/him/it we us you two you two you guys you guys they them
‘You guys’ tends to reer to three or more people. In this context, ‘guys’ is not a masculine orm.60
 
   N    e   w    s    &    A    n    e   c    d    o    t    e   s
in English 
 The Wages of Sin
Many US Evangelical Christians believe in an event called ‘the Rapture’. This term refers to the idea that just before the seven-year reign of the Antichrist, all pious Christians will be suddenly 1 carried off 2 to heaven. This is good news for the pious Christians but potentially disastrous for their pets3 . That’s where Eternal Earthbound Pets (EEP) comes in 4. EEP is an atheist service that offers certified sinners5 and blasphemers who, in return for a small fee6, promise to take care of cats and dogs that are left behind during the Antichrist’s reign!
Battling Cattle?
Tere have been a surprising number o deaths caused by cows recently in Brit- ain. Indeed7, a spokesperson or the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) was orced to comment, “We would hope that this is an unortunate coincidence.” An interesting choice o words8; was the NFU implying that they haven’t ruled out9  the possibility that there is a concerted homi- cidal campaign by Britain’s bovine population?
 When Not To Be Ill
 You can’t always choose when you’re sick but if you can,
try not to be seriously ill on holiday in Britain in the
summer. Every August in Britain 50,000 junior doctors
start work or change to new jobs as part of their training
rotation. In the weeks that follow, deaths in the National
Health System increase by 6%. And if you do have to10 
see a British doctor, choose a woman. A report by the
National Patient Safety Agency concludes that male
doctors are two-thirds more likely to be11 reported 12 and
investigated for poor work or drug and alcohol misuse13.
Lame14 Excuses
through a licence fee15 so that the BBC
doesn’t have to survive from advertis-
ing. The TV Licensing Authority roams16 
the country’s streets trying to iden-
tify homes where people have a TV but
haven’t paid the fee. To demonstrate that
they have a sense of humour the organi-
zation recently published a list of real
lame14  excuses that people have given
for not paying the licence. These include:
 “My 11-year-old son must have
 bought the TV during the night.”
 “It wasn’t there when I went to bed.”
 “I have not been making payments
 because a baby magpie17 flew into
the house and I have had to stay
in to feed 18 it.”
 “The subtitles on my TV are set to
French so I’m not paying a UK tax
for something I can’t read.”
 “I couldn’t make my last payment
as my baby was sick on my shoul-
der and I didn’t want to go to the
shop smelling of sick because the guy I fancy19 works there.”
 Googling for Fools
This summer Britain convicted three men who had planned to blow up20 
passenger planes using adulter- ated mineral water. During the trial21 it was revealed that one of the men, Assad Sarwar, had only managed to22 hide23  the hydrogen peroxide he was going to use after googling 24, “how to dig 25  a hole”. This might be a reflection of the stupidity of Mr Sarwar but surely the fact that there are literally thousands of websites26 explaining how to dig a hole is a reflection of our society’s idiocy 27. Anyway, to save you having to spend extra time on the Web I’ll explain; first  you need a spade28... 
1 suddenly  – quickly, unexpectedly 2 to carry s.o. o  – transport s.o. 3 pet – domestic animal, animal that is
considered part o one’s amily 4 to come in (come-came-come) – play a role,
have a unction 5 sinner – s.o. who has sinned (= done immoral
things rom a religious perspective) 6 ee – (in this context ) payment or a service 7 indeed – (emphatic) in act 8 choice o words – way o expressing an idea in words 9 to rule sth. out – eliminate, reject, exclude 10 do have to – (emphatic) have to 11 to be two-thirds more likely to be – have a
66% greater probability o being 12 to be reported – be denounced 13 misuse – abuse, inappropriate use 14 lame – (in this context ) pathetic, ridiculous 15 ee – (in this context ) charge 16 to roam – wander around,
drive along 17 magpie – 18 to eed (eed-ed-ed) – nourish,
give ood to 19 to ancy s.o. – be sexually
attracted to s.o. 20 to blow sth. up (blow-blew-
blown) – cause sth. to explode
21 trial – judicial process 22 to manage to – be able to 23 to hide sth. (hide-hid-hidden) – place sth. out
o sight, conceal sth. (in this context ) in the ground
24 to google sth. – search or sth. on Google, do a search or (= try to ind) sth. using Google
25 to dig  – (dig-dug-dug) – excavate, make 26 Google suggests there are 1,730,000
pages or “how to dig a hole” but I reuse to believe that!
27 idiocy  /'idisi/ – stupidity 28 spade – shovel
Subscribers
Science & Technology
Shower Shock 
The shower scene from the film  Psycho  is one of the most famous in cinema
history but researchers from Colorado University have discovered that there
is a much more real danger when showering. They found that shower heads1 
harbour2 high levels of  Mycobacterium avium. These bacteria cause respira-
tory illness in those with  weak 3 immune systems. So, if you notice you have a
cough4, why not disinfect your shower head?
Candles & Cancer
A study rom South Carolina State University  has ound that extensive use o standard paraffin-oil candles5  can cause cancer. Burning such candles or five hours in a room leads to6 dangerous levels o the carcinogen benzene as well as high levels o toluene, which can cause dizziness7. Exposure or short periods or occasional exposure is unlikely to8 cause problems. However, i you need to lie9  regularly in a bathtub10 in a small bath- room bathing in candlelight, make sure you use beeswax 11 or soy 12 candles.
Healthy Marriages
A study of data from 3.8 million people found that being married significantly improves one’s chances of surviving cancer. Researchers from Indiana University  have found that 63% of those who were married survived cancer for five years or more, compared to 57% of those who had never married. However, the effect of marital break-up was strongly negative. Only 45% of those who were in the process of breaking up when they were diagnosed survived for five years or more.
Mid-Week Blues
Mathematicians rom the University of Vermont  have been analyzing the language o millions o tweets13 and blogs and have concluded that, contrary to popular legend, Monday is not the most depressing day o the week. Unsurprisingly, the happiest day o the week is Sunday. However, Monday is in act the second happiest, probably because we still retain many happy memories o Sunday. Te most depressing day o the week is in act Wednesday, probably because we have orgotten about the last weekend and the next is still a long way off.
No More Sleepless Nights
Researchers at  Brighton University  have developed a ‘sleep
system’ for babies that reduces the time it takes them to get to
sleep by up to 90%.  Easidream works by imitating conditions
 within14  the  womb15. Pads16  under the baby’s  blanket17  inflate
and deflate rhythmically to create a rocking18 motion19, while a
cuddly toy20 emits  white noise21, similar to what a foetus hears
in the  womb15.
1 shower head – 2 to harbour – be
home to, contain 3 weak  – ineective 4 cough /ko/ – 5 candle – 6 to lead to (lead-led-led) –
result in, cause 7 dizziness – disorientation 8 is unlikely to – will
probably not 9 to lie (lie-lay-lain) – relax,
be horizontal, recline 10 bathtub – 11 beeswax  – a yellow-
to-brown wax (= sot substance) made by bees (= black and yellow insects)
12 soy  (adj.) – made rom soyabean oil
13 tweet – (in this context ) a miniblog on witter
14 within – inside, in
15 womb /wu:m/ – uterus 16 pad – (in this context ) inlatable bag 17 blanket – 18 rocking  – seesawing,
oscillating 19 motion – movement 20 cuddly toy  – sot toy (e.g. a
teddy bear) 21 white noise – (in this
 
in English 
Beyond Petroleum
There was considerable scepticism in 2000 when BP branded itself5  as “Beyond6 Petroleum”, particularly from the environmentalist7 community. BP was the first of the world’s large oil companies to show its green credentials, but sceptical environmentalists asked the question, “Just8 how green can an oil company be?” Oil companies have made billions of dollars on the back of9  environmentally-harmful petroleum sales, so it was difficult to accept that  these companies were moving away from their cash cow10. Fossil fuels11 used for transport are responsible for 25% of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
Behind this shift12 is an understanding that the future of oil companies like BP will revolve around13 their ability to provide credible, green fuel11 alterna-  tives to oil. The world’s oil supplies14 are decreasing and oil is a finite commod-
ity 15. For oil companies to remain16  in business for another hundred years,  they will have to adapt to the needs of a changing world. The shift in focus by BP from petroleum to more environmentally-favourable fuel11 is based on self- preservation and pragmatism rather than17 altruism.
The Mysterious Origin of Oil
Te origin o petroleum remains18 a mystery, although scientists believe that this so called ‘ ossil uel11’ most likely 19 came rom the ossils o plants and small marine organisms. Te leading theory is that dead organic material accumulated20 at the bottom o oceans, riverbeds21 or swamps22 and mixed with mud23  or sand24. Over time sediment was deposited on top o the organic material and the resulting pressure – and thereore25  heat – transormed the organic layer26  into a dark wax-like27  substance called kerogen. Ultimately 28, kerogen turned into either petroleum or gas. Te process is thought to take hundreds o thousands o years to occur.
Unlike29  petroleum, bio-uels are made rom ‘recently-living’ organisms, which means that the only limiting actor to the
amount30 o bio-uel we can produce is the amount o land available or produc- tion. For example, the two most common bio-uels in use today are ethanol and bio-diesel. Ethanol is usually made rom corn31  or sugarcane32, while bio-diesel is usually made rom plant oils. 33  Bio- uels are ‘carbon neutral’: the CO
2  they
release34  into the air during combus- tion is no greater than the volume they remove35  rom the air in the process o growing.36 Te drive to increase produc- tion o bio-uels over the last decade has led to37  an acceleration in the destruc- tion o natural habitats; some environ- mentalists call bio-uels ‘deorestation diesel’.   Bio-uel is not new. Both Henry Ford and Rudol Diesel designed engines38  that ran on bio-uels; they didn’t use them commercially simply because Middle Eastern petroleum was cheaper.
1 pond – pool, expanse o resh water (bigger than a puddle and smaller than a lake)
2 CEO – chie executive oicer, managing director 3 to be willing to – be ready to, be prepared to 4 to put one’s money where one’s mouth is
(put-put-put) – spend money on sth. one believes in, invest money in sth. you support
5 to brand onesel  – call onesel, give onesel an epithet
6 beyond – (in this context ) more than just 7 environmentalist – eco-riendly, eco-campaigning 8  just – (in this context /emphatic) exactly 9 on the back o  – rom 10 cash cow  – part o a business that generates a
lot o income/revenue 11 uel /ju:l/ – combustible substance used to
generate energy 
12 shit – (in this context ) important change 13 to revolve around – be centred on, depend on 14 supplies – (in this context ) reserves 15 commodity  – ( alse riend ) product that is
bought and sold 16 to remain – stay, continue to be 17 rather than – as opposed to, instead o 18 remains – (in this context ) is still 19 likely  – (in this context ) probably 20 to accumulate – be deposited 21 riverbed – the bottom o a river below the water 22 swamp – marsh, area o land more or less
permanently covered in water 23 mud – earth/soil mixed with water 24 sand – particles o silicon (typically ound in a
dune or on a beach) 25 thereore – as a result
26 layer – stratum 27 wax-like – very v iscous 28 ultimately  – ( alse riend ) in the end 29 unlike – in contrast to 30 amount – quantity 31 corn – (in this context ) maize 32 sugarcane – the cane rom which sugar is
extracted 33 between 2000 and 2005 world production o
ethanol doubled (= x2), while bio-diesel quadrupled (= x4)
34 to release – (in this context ) emit 35 to remove – ( alse riend ) eliminate 36 unortunately, a lot o ossil uels go into
producing them (e.g. in ertilizers) 37 to lead to (lead-led-led) – result in, cause 38 engine – motor
Miracle Algae: The Next Generation Bio-fuel
At the heart of pond1 existence are humble algae. Most people know pond algae for their abundance and importance to pond ecosystems. Tony Hayward, CEO2  of British Petroleum (BP) intends to make algae an integral part of our lives and he is will-
ing to3 put his money where his mouth is4 to do this. BP has invested $10M in a joint venture to explore the use of algae as a new miracle, environmentally -friendly bio-fuel for our automobiles.  
World Energy Usage
Saab, Volvo, Ford and Cadillac all have
popular alternative-fuel11  cars available
 that they have cars under production for
release42  in the near future. Alternative-
fuel11 cars have recently moved from an
eclectic experiment to the mainstream43.
Algae are increasingly seen as a
future ‘miracle’ bio-fuel as it has some
amazing44  properties. The most impor-
 tant of these is that it can produce
over 30 times more energy per acre
 than other, second-generation bio-fuel
 that some of these crops45  were previ-
ously grown by or for poorer countries
for food but are now being used for bio-
fuel production instead. This is leaving
 the world with less food which, in turn46,
causes higher food prices. The world’s
poor are the worst affected by this proc-
ess. In 2008 a UN food expert described
bio-fuels as a “crime against humanity”.
The great thing about algae is that it
can be grown almost anywhere, including
both in salt and freshwater. It can even
be grown in contaminated water that
would be poisonous47 to many other living
organisms. Also, while algae produces oil
as part of the photosynthesis process, it
is biodegradable and so, unlike29  tradi-
 tional oil, if a ship carrying it has a spill-
age48 there will be much less environmen-
 tal harm to the ocean life.
BP and Exxon: Committed to Algae
In addition to BP’s $10M commitment to algae research, Exxon has announced that it is investing a massive $300M in a venture with research company Synthetic Genom- ics Incorporated (SGI) to research algae as a uel source49. A urther $300M has been committed, depending upon the results achieved by the first payment.
Tis is an about-ace50 or Exxon, whose chie executive Rex il lerson once humor- ously reerred to bio-uels as ‘moonshine51’. Oil companies desperately want bio-uel cars to be the uture rather than17 electric cars. Te reason is that an electric car doesn’t require any products rom an oil company because all you need to do is plug in52 your car and recharge, which is great or electricity companies but commercial death or an oil company. Bio-uels, on other hand, require companies to process the product (e.g. algae, corn or sugarcane) into uel11, to store53 and transport the product and to distribute it. Bio-uels will keep oil companies in business.
Te UK government has been concerned about54  the potential or bio- uels to have an adverse impact on their tax revenue55. Many cars that use bio- uels can also run on56  common, cheap  vegetable oil as uel11. Imagine that it is much cheaper to buy vegetable oil rom the supermarket to use as uel11  than to buy petroleum.57  I many people bought  vegetable oi l the government would miss out on58 its lucrative uel11 tax. Because o this, a law has been passed in the UK that makes it illegal or anyone to go into a store and buy vegetable oil or use as car uel11  unless an additional uel tax has been separately paid. However, i it is ever necessary to enorce59 this law, it will be very difficult to do so60.   On the other hand, bio-uels can be made rom used cooking oils, though produc- tion has so ar61 only been on a small scale.
The Cost of a Good Idea
Despite all of its many advantages, there is one economic problem with using algae as
fuel11. It is currently too expensive to produce and so not economical enough to replace
other commercially available fuels11. BP and Exxon’s investments are an attempt62 to
find a cheaper way of producing fuel11 from algae.
The American anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “Prayer 63 does not use up
artificial energy, doesn’t burn up any fossil fuel 11, doesn’t pollute. Neither does song,
neither does love, neither does the dance.” Neither does algae: the miracle bio-fuel. 
39 to uel – be a source o energy or 40 to skyrocket – increase dramatically 41 available or purchase – that can be bought 42 or release – (in this context ) that will go on
sale, that will be sold 43 the mainstream – the mass market 44 amazing  – incredible, antastic 45 crops – plants that are grown to be harvested 46 in turn – consequentially 47 poisonous – toxic 48 spillage – when oil accidentally escapes into
the sea 49 uel source – way to obtain uel11
50 about-ace – complete change o direction 51 moonshine – a. a stupid idea; b. illicitly
distilled alcohol (especially whiskey) 52 to plug sth. in – connect sth. to the electrical
network 53 to store – keep a reserve o, stockpile, deposit 54 to be concerned about – be worried about, be
preoccupied about 55 tax revenue – iscal income to the state 56 to run on sth. (run-ran-run) – unction using 57 not the situation now but a real possibility
in 2007 58 to miss out on – not receive/obtain 
59 to enorce – impose, prosecute, eectuate 60 to do so – (in this context ) to enorce it 61 so ar – until now
62 attempt – eort 63 prayer (uncountable) – ormal conversations
with God/the gods
Corn
Seaweed
 
 by Douglas Jasch [email protected] 1  is the generation that is most comfortable with technol-
ogy. They have grown up2 with a whole raft of3 wonderful new  technological advances which have improved our lives and made us better informed. For most of us technology has made the world a smaller place. We can communicate across the globe instantly and often for free. Computers allow4 us to write more correctly and air-conditioning means that our office environment is more comfortable. One of the aims5 of technology is to improve our work environment.
 Yet6, despite all of these improvements, technology has also had an adverse side-ef fect; many of us – especially Gen-Y workers – are risking burnout7 because we are  increasingly unable to8  separate ourselves from our work, even when on vacation or at the weekends. Those of us who are ‘technoholics’ are continually stay- ing connected through our love of Blackberries, laptops and the Internet. The ‘9-to-5’ workday is fast becoming a thing of the past.
A Healthy Lifestyle
can workers produced for the Centre
for Work-Life Policy   found that 21% of
respondents worked at least 60 hours a
week under highly stressful conditions.
Working longer hours can take its toll
on17  our health and even our relation-
ships or the quality of the work that we
produce. It is difficult to cook and eat
healthily when we are faced with18 60
hours a week committed to work.
The challenge19 for Gen-Y 1 workers
and all employees who have trouble20 
switching off21 after leaving the office
is to strive to22 find the optimum mix
where we are technologically-rich with-
out becoming leisure-poor23. Only at
 this point will we truly be enjoying the
fruits of our technological advances.
Having more leisure time is, after all,
what it is all about, isn’t it? However,
with higher levels of unemployment
and increased competition in the work-
place, finding the perfect balance is
more difficult than ever.
1 Gen-Y – Generation Y, Generation Next, Echo Boomers, those born between the late ’70s and the late ’90s
2 to grow up (grow-grew-grown) – mature, become an adult
3 a whole rat o  – a large number o 4 to allow  – permit, enable 5 aim – objective, goal 6  yet – (in this context ) however 7 to risk burnout – be in danger o suering rom constant exhaustion because you have been working too hard
8 to be unable to – not be capable o (+ -ing)
9 survey  – study, questionnaire 10 to come at a price (come-came-come) – have
signiicant disadvantages 11 actually  – ( alse riend ) in act 12 to go on strike (go-went-gone) – stop working
in protest 13 attempt – eort 14 to be more likely to work  – have a greater
probability o working 15 highly- – (in this context ) well 16 to be twice as likely to work  – have twice
(= x2) the probability o working 17 to take its toll on (take-took-taken) – have an
adverse eect on 18 to be aced with – (in this context ) have,
conront 19 challenge  – task, problem 20 trouble – diiculty 21 to switch o  – (in this context ) orget about
work 22 to strive to – try hard to 23 leisure-poor – poor in terms o ree time 24 topic – ( false friend ) theme, question,
matter 25 Sydney J. Harris 26 to discuss – ( alse riend ) debate, talk about 
“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it25”
Staying Connected
1000 people aged between 18 and 29 were interviewed or a survey 9 or the Chief Information Officer Association of Canada. 23% o these respondents said they spend at least an hour a day at home doing work on their home computer. Another 12% o respondents said they spend two to five hours a day doing work on their own computer. With 24-hour accessibility to work files via the Internet, being connected has come at a price10 or Gen-Y1.
Te official working week actually 11 hasn’t changed much over the past two decades, but what has changed is who in the workorce is working the longest hours. In 1771 Philadelphian carpenters rebelled, going on strike12 in an attempt13  to reduce their work to a 10-hour workday. Tey ailed. In 1983, it was the lowest
paid workers who were more likely to work 14  long hours. However, by 2002 highly 15-paid workers were twice as  likely to work 16  longer hours than lower-paid workers. Younger proessionals increasingly work longer hours with some o these hours worked at home.
Interactive Discussion  This month’s interactive email chat  topic24  is “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it25 – Discuss26”. Remember, to join this month’s interactive email chat  topic24, all you have to do is email your comments to me Douglas at [email protected].  Also if you have a  topic24 you want to discuss26 with others send your comments and I will circulate them. Everyone is welcome to join in. 
Having Trouble Switching Off Gen-Y
 
 e  r 
in Dublin
1 to look or – try to i nd 2 rewarding  – satisactory, gratiyi ng 3 eature – (in this context ) landmark,
characteristic building/place 4 sight – (in this context ) eature3  5 Goth – member o a subculture that dresses
in black and emulates the aesthetic o horror movies and vampires
6 harbour – port 7 lacklustre – uninspired, tedious 8 trail – route, tour 9 amily burial /'beril/ plot – place in a
cemetery where the cadavers o a speciic amily are put
10 corpse – cadaver, dead body 11 rather than – instead o/as opposed to (+ -ing) 12 to rot – putrey  13 to have something to do with (have-had-
had) – be in some way related to 14 spite – malice, vengeance 15 row  – terrace, group o houses that are joined
together
Dublin’s Undead
Tat leaves Dublin or Dracula ans. Te Irish capital is not mentioned once in the novel. However, Bram Stoker lived in Dublin rom his birth in 1847 until he moved to London in 1878.
Te Bram Stoker trail8 starts at St. Michan’s Church on Church Street. Tis was where the Stokers’ amily burial plot9 was. Te church is amous because the atmospheric conditions cause corpses10 to mummiy rather than11 rot12. You can visit some o these mummies, which may have inspired young Bram’s thoughts o the undead.
Clontarf 
ern suburb of Dublin. The easiest way to
get there is to take the DART train from
the city centre to Clontarf Station. Once
you’ve left the station and reached Clon-
tarf Road turn left. You pass a church with
metal gargoyles which looks like it might
have had something to do with13 Dracula.
Unfortunately, this Presbyterian church
Stoker when he lived here nor was it influ-
enced by the novel (which was written a
few years later). Cross the road and you
come to Marino Crescent. Bram Stoker
was born at 15 Marino Crescent  on 8th 
November 1847 and it was here that he
spent much of his childhood sick in bed.
The house is privately-owned so be tactful
if you take any photos. Marino Crescent is
popularly known as “Ffolliott’s Revenge”
or ‘Spite14 Row15’. The Crescent was built
in the 1790s specifically to ruin the view
of the sea from the Casino at Marino.
Vampire-hunting holidaymakers may
nia /ru'meini/ where they will be
shown Dracula’s castle. However, the
truth is that Bram Stoker (1847-1912),
the Count’s creator, never visited
Eastern Europe. The fishing port of
Whitby on England’s North Yorkshire
coast is more rewarding2. Stoker
visited the seaside town in 1890
and described many of its features3 
in Chapter 7 of Dracula. The tourist
office offers a ‘Dracula Trail’ to sights4 
mentioned in the novel and Goths5 
tend to congregate in the town in late
spring and autumn. There is a Drac- 
ula Experience  down by the harbour6 
but it’s a bit lacklustre7.
Continued on p. 12  Whitby photo by Glen Bowman
P r e s b y t e r ian c hur c h 
M ar i n o  C r e s c e n t 
 
 pp. 14-15 in English 
Around Trinity College
There used to be a plaque at 30 Kildare St saying that Stoker lived there
but this was called  into question25 and the plaque was quietly taken
down. It doesn’t matter because across the road is the wonderful National
Museum of Ireland. Another nearby26 address where Stoker is supposed to
have lived is 16 Harcourt Street.
  Just up the road from Kildare St. is Trinity College where Bram stud-
ied. Dracula is infinitely better known than anything written by Goldsmith
or Burke but of course it is their statues that flank the entrance to Trinity
College, not Stoker’s. This beautiful university – built between the 16th and
the 18th Centuries – is worth visiting27 for its own sake28. By this time the
sickly29 child had grown into a giant of a man30 and one of Ireland’s lead-
ing31 sportsmen.
Bram must have been an impressive young man because he stole
Oscar Wilde’s girlfriend, Florence and married her at St. Ann’s Church in
Dawson St. (parallel to Kildare St.). Almost immediately Bram and Florence
left Dublin and moved
to London. Florence was
you have to return to Clon-
tarf at this point! If you
are thinking that Florence
probably bisexual and the
Stokers’ marriage wasn’t
happier note32, Oscar got
friends again in London.
following his ‘obscenity’
visit him there.
16 earl – English equivalent o a Count 17 to all out (all-ell-allen) – become
enemies 18 over – (in this context ) because o 19 cards – (in this context ) games such as
poker 20 chimney  – 21 shed – small wooden
building in which tools (= utensils) etc. are kept
22 see pp. 26-27 or more on the Casino at Marino
23 to lay  (lay-laid-laid) – put in place, set in position
24 to grow up (grow-grew-grown) – (o children) mature, gradually become an adult
25 to call into question – put in doubt 26 nearby  – close-by, in the vicinity 27 is worth visiting  – should be visited 28 or its own sake – (in this context ) even i
there were no connection with Stoker 29 sickly  (adj.) – chronically ill, delicate 30 giant o a man – (in this context ) big
tall man  31 leading  – top, champion 32 on a happier note – less depressingly 33 to get over (get-got-got) recover rom,
recuperate rom
Apparently, the Earl16 of Charlemont and a man called Charles Ffolliott had
fallen out17 over18 cards19, so Ffolliott built the Crescent – with its chim-
neys20 and sheds21 towards the Casino22 – to spite the aristocrat. Anyway,
Marino Crescent was built on the site of one of the most famous battles in
Irish history, the Battle of Clontarf at which the Irish finally expelled the
Vikings from Dublin. Skeletons and artefacts from the battle were discov-
ered while the foundations of the Crescent were being laid23.
  Other sites where the Stokers lived while Bram was growing up24 include
Artane Lodge on Collins Avenue (to the north of the Casino at Marino).
S t . A n n ’ s  C h u r c h  
F l o r e n c e  S t o k e r  ( l e f t  ) 
T r init y  C o lle g e 
 
Think    • •  •
34 o course, the logical thing would be to  visit Marino Crescent and he Bram Stoker Experience on the same day
35 check times at www.dracula.ie  36 to wander past – pass 37 amusement arcade – place where you can play
electronic games, etc. 38 weird – strange, bizarre 39 to cater or – (in this context ) oer
entertainment or 40 teenager – s.o. aged between 13 and 19 41 a scare – a right, a rightening experience 42 to echo to – reverberate with 43 chant – sung religious music
44 to be eager to – be keen to, be enthusiastic to 45 to get rightened witless (get-got-got) – be
terriied 46 insight – deep understanding 47 walkway  – type o path/route 48 revolving tube – rotating tunnel 49 attempt – eort 50 unsettling  – perturbing 51 so air enough – so that’s OK 52 tableau (plural ‘tableaux’) – three-dimensional
representation 53 lie-size – the size o real people 54 puppet – ig ure, mannequin 55 to reek  – smell strongly 
56 damp – moist, wet 57 graveyard – cemetery 58 to pop one’s head round a door – look into a
room or a moment 59 to wander o  – walk away, leave 60 oldie – old or middle-aged person 61 rare treat – special surprise 62 shame – pity, unortunate thing 63  yet – (in this context ) however 64 aintly  – slightly, a little 65 sin – (in this context ) ailing, deect 66 lowbrow  – popular (as opposed to ‘elitist’) 67 it’s about time – the moment has arrived or 68 actually  – ( alse riend ) really
The Victim of Snobbery
Joyce are celebrated in museums and statues across the Irish
capital. Yet63 nothing they wrote comes close to rivalling Drac- 
ula in the popular consciousness. How many of the hundreds
of thousands of visitors to Dublin have read a single sentence
of Ulysses ? Nevertheless Joyce is everywhere. Count Dracula
is probably the most recognizable character in world fiction
yet the Irish capital seems almost faintly64  embarrassed
by the most famous story written by a Dubliner. Of course,
Dracula’s sin65  is that it is popular culture, it is lowbrow66.
Maybe it’s about time67 Dublin celebrated a writer who its
visitors can actually68 relate to.
The Experience
Tat should be the end o the Bram Stoker trail8 but the most rewarding 2  visit we’ve le till last. Just across the road rom Marino Crescent is the West Wood Club, the largest sports and fitness centre in Europe (they say!).34 Somewhere in this laby- rinth is Te Bram Stoker Experience, which you can visit on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.35 
Aer hal an hour wandering past36  ruit-juice bars, an Olympic swimming pool, darkened clubs ull o mirrors and amusement arcades37 you finally reach Te Bram Stoker Expe- rience. It’s a weird38 place somehow catering or39  teenagers40  wanting a scare41  and adults interested in Stoker and Gothic literature but not at the same time. It starts o with a dark tunnel echoing to42 scary distorted Gregorian chants43. Young people walk quickly through this, eager to44 get rightened witless45. However, along the walls o the tunnel there are texts and photos that give a ascinating insight46 into Stoker’s lie and some o the possible inspirations behind his most amous novel. Aer the dark tunnel you come to a walkway 47 in a revolving tube48. No attempt49  is made to connect this to either Stoker or Dracula but it is very unsettling 50, so air enough51. Te next section is a whole series o tableaux 52 o scenes rom the novel with lie- size53 puppets54 that suddenly move or make a noise (presum- ably activated by compressed air). For the teenagers this is “the Experience”, or the rest o us it’s a bit silly. However, the whole place reeks55 o damp56 earth – like a graveyard57 – which is an interesting effect. Anyway, just as you are coming to the end o that there’s a video room. Adolescents pop their heads round the door58  and almost immediately wander off 59. However, or us oldies60  there’s a rare treat61; an absolutely ascinating 1-hour documentary about Bram Stoker and the whole Dracula phenomenon. Te only shame62 is that the documentary wasn’t available on DVD because I’d happily watch it again.
Photos by Marina Carresi 
 Vampires Before Stoker 
Bram Stoker did not invent vampires. They had existed in Eastern European folk-
lore for centuries and in western European literature for over a hundred years.
Coleridge, Goethe, Byron, Shelley and John Polidori2, had all written about them
some 80 years before Stoker. What the Irish writer did do was to create the first
vampire to really capture the popular imagination. Dracula /'rækjl/ would
 become the archetypal vampire, eclipsing all others.
1 to blend – mix, mingle 2 Byron’s riend and secretary  3 sickly  (adj.) – chronically ill, delicate 4 bedridden – conined to bed 5 to bleed s.o. (bleed-bled-bled) – extract blood8 
as a supposed cure 6 inirmity  – ( false friend ) railty, weakness, illness 7 to harvest – collect, gather 8 blood /bld/ – red liquid ound in veins and
arteries
9 to lie (lie-lay-lain) – recline, rest 10 disease – illness, sickness, pathology  11 pit – hole in the ground 12 using  – (in this context ) who used 13 sharpened – pointed 14 stake – /steik/ pointed stick  15 chest – torso, thorax 16 to stake – penetrate with a stake14  17 peasant – rural worker 18 cattle – cows
19 amine – period o widespread hunger/ starvation
20 amily burial /'beril/ plot – place in a cemetery where the cadavers o a speciic amily are put
21 corpse – dead body, cadaver 22 rather than – instead o/as opposed to (+ -ing) 23 to rot – putrey 24 grave – tomb, sarcophagus 25 pretty  (adj.) – attractive
Creating the Legend
experience with bits and pieces
stolen from previous fiction.
Dracula as Autobiography 
Abraham Stoker was born in 1847 but or the first seven years o his lie he was sickly 3 and bedridden4 most o the time. According to contemporary medical practice, an uncle, William, who was a doctor used to regularly bleed5 the boy, no doubt prolonging his infirmity 6. In any case the image o a man coming regularly to harvest7 blood8 must have affected young Bram. Bram’s mother, Charlotte, used to tell the sickly 3 child stories rom her childhood as he lay 9 in bed. Tese included anecdotes rom the chol- era epidemic in Sligo in 1832. According to one, those who were sick with the disease10 were sometimes orced into pits11 while still alive by their terrified neighbours using 12  sharpened13  sticks. Again, echoes o these images o people with stakes14  and the living dead must have obsessed Bram’s impressionably young mind. Tough Bram didn’t need to be espe- cially imaginative, the chests15 o those who had committed suicide were  still being staked16 near Bram’s home in Clontar during his childhood. According to another Sligo story, the peasants17  used to drink the blood8  o cattle18  in times o amine19. Tere is another macabre anecdote relating to the Stokers’ amily burial plot20 in the cemetery o St. Michan’s Church in Dublin. Atmospheric conditions there are such that corpses21 tend to mummiy rather than22 rot23, so whenever a grave24 was opened the occupant was apparently ‘undead’.
On a more speculative level many critics have linked those in Bram’s lie to characters in Dracula. Could his brother Dr Tornley Stoker be the inspiration behind Van Helsing? Is Henry Irving – the actor with a magnetic domi- neering personality who Stoker worked or or 20 years beore Dracula was published – the model or Dracula? Is pretty 25, rivolous Lucy based on Bram’s wie Florence? Is sensible Mina a reflection o his mother, Char- lotte? Tere is no definitive answer to such speculation.
Bram Stoker
 
Sexual Politics
Dracula can also be read as a comment on Victorian sexual politics. It is easy to interpret vampirism as a code or vene- real disease10, an enormous problem in Victorian society. On another level Drac- ula seems to be a reactionary comment on the rising 26 independence o women. One o the most memorable scenes in the novel is when the three sexually-pred- atory vampire women attack Harker. In a ew minutes they give him more sexual gratification than Mina does in the entire novel! Sensible27  Mina survives the  vampire’s attempted seduction28; rivo- lous Lucy is turned into a vampire – i.e. she becomes independent and sexually predatory – and has to be staked16 by her fiancé29  (in a scene charged with sexual  violence).
Victorian literature was obsessed about the idea o older men seducing  virginal young women. Henry James, or instance, wrote a number o novels in which independent but innocent young women are preyed upon30  by vampire- like middle-aged men. Suffering rom a mid-lie crisis mature men still oen try to regain31 their  youth32 by seducing much younger women. 
26 rising  – (in this context ) emerging, increasing 27 sensible – ( alse riend ) responsible 28 attempted seduction – eort to seduce her 29 one’s iancé – s.o. that one plans to marry  30 to be preyed upon by s.o. – be s.o’s victim 31 to regain – win back, recuperate 32  youth /ju:/ – early years 33 to be under siege – be under attack 34 to endanger – put in danger, menace,
threaten 35 under threat – in danger 36 to trace one’s ancestry back to  – say that one
is descended rom 37 17 years ater the publication o Dracula 
the British were calling the Germans ‘the Hun’ in the First World War
38 to sail – travel by sea 39 Catherine the Great was amously both
despotic and promiscuous  40 Jew  – Jewish person, Hebrew, s.o. who practises
Judaism or is simply ethnically Semitic 41 remember that, according to tradition, the
socialist/communist lag is red because it is   soaked in workers’ blood 
42 to threaten – endanger, put in danger 43 the (Potato) Famine – cataclysm in Irish
history (1846-47) during which hundreds o thousands died o hunger and illness and millions emigrated
44 bloodsucker – exploiter, (literally ) s.o. who sucks (i.e. drinks using suction) blood 8
45 landlord – s.o. who owns a lot o terrain 46 to buy up (buy-bought-bought) – buy,
purchase, acquire 47 one’s nemesis – s.o. who takes revenge on you 48 the Host – (in this context ) the Holy waer,
the Eucharist 49 to deny s.o. sth. – not permit s.o. to have sth. 50 ruling class – elite, aristocracy  51 Harker irst meets Count Dracula the night
beore St. George’s Day 
Dracula & R acism
On one level Stoker presents a conflict between the modern scientific society and
irrational forces. The castle of rational civilization is under siege33 from myth, igno-
rance, superstition, sexual passion, the subconscious, madness, hypnotism, drugs
and dreams. As Van Helsing suggests, if we forget the irrational forces in our lives
they can endanger34 our way of life.
However, a closer reading shows that it is western civilization that is  under  threat35. The ‘crusaders’ represent Britain (Harker), Ireland (Mina Murray), the
 USA (Quincey Morris) and Holland (Dr Abraham van Helsing). Dracula represents
the barbarous East. He  traces his ancestry back to36 Attila the Hun37 and sails38 
in a ship called The Czarina Catherine39. In the late 19th Century London received a
significant influx of east European  Jews40 who brought with them radical ideas like
communism41 and anarchism that  threatened 42 the unity of the British Empire.
Religious Politics
Stoker’s politico-religious allegiances in Dracula are ambiguous. On the one hand,
the aristocratic Dracula has been seen as a representation of the Protestant Ascend-
ancy in Ireland. Significantly, the British aristocrats in Ireland in the 19th Century
 – and especially during the Famine43 – were sometimes called ‘ bloodsuckers’44. Like
the Protestant absentee landlords45 in Ireland, Count Dracula abandons his ances-
tral home to  buy up46 property in London. Moreover, Van Helsing – Dracula’s neme- sis47 – is a Roman Catholic and he
 uses crucifixes, indulgences and
perversion of the Catholic Eucha-
rist in which Christ’s  blood 8  is
drunk to ensure spiritual salva-
tion. On the other hand, it has to
 be said that Stoker was in fact a
Protestant and part of the Brit-
ish ruling class50 when he lived in
Ireland. Moreover, one interpreta-
the story of St. George – England’s
patron saint – and the dragon.51 
 After all, dracula  is the Roma-
nian word for ‘dragon’. If Mina
represents Ireland and Jonathan
Harker represents England, then
as the efforts to save the two
countries from separation and
sophical53   tract54  combining
lar in the late Victorian period.
52 Stoker was a Liberal who wanted Irish autonomy but strongly opposed independence. Ireland became independent 21 years later
53 the Theosophy Society was ounded in 1875. It combined an ecumenical view o religion
(incorporating many ideas rom Hinduism and Buddhism) with superstition to create a belie system adapted to the modern world
 
 
in English 
Think    • •  •
    S   u     b    s   c   r    i    b    e   r   s    ’   e   x   e   r   c    i   s   e
    E
 An Army of Servants By the time Edward VII had succeeded
to the throne it was an undeniable fact
of life that good servants were becoming
harder and harder10 to find. Much to the
surprise and chagrin11 of rich Edward-
ians, whose wonderful lifestyle and
never-ending leisure12  was maintained
the lower orders had by then begun to
shy away from14  seeking15  employment
 below-stairs16. 10 years earlier there had
 been over one and a half million domes-
tic servants17  in the United Kingdom.
However, by 1901 the technological
age had begun with the invention
of labour-saving devices18 such as
the Puffing Billy19. Anyway, young
girls preferred to work in steam laundries20  rather than21  be paid
a pittance22  as laundry maids
 toiling away23  for  up to24  16
hours a day in a posh London
house owned by the aristocracy.
Moreover, if they were unlucky in
such houses, they might be seduced
 by a visiting manservant25 or even
 by the son of the house. Other girls
fortunate enough to have acquired
sufficient schooling, found employment
freedom.  Yet27, the dread spectre28 of the
loathed 29 Workhouse loomed over30 most
 young people from poor families who, in
an effort to escape having to live in one
of the filthy31, poverty-stricken32 rooker-
ies33 in London’s East End, sought15 refuge
in one of the homes belonging to the well-
to-do. There at least they felt sheltered 34,
had a roof35 over their heads and  were entitled to36 three meals a day.
  Some aristocratic houses resembled
exclusive hotels and  teemed with37 serv-
ants. When the 15th Earl of Derby passed away38 in 1893 he had a staff of 727 serv-
ants at his disposal while, by the turn
of the century the 6th Duke of Port-
land employed over 300 servants to
ensure the smooth running39 of his
numerous houses. Aristocrats were
ants. Most  well-heeled 40  middle-
class families living in a house in
the fashionable West End would
 be expected to employ a cook, a
parlour-maid 41, a housemaid and
a nurse. Even a lower-middle-
class family, in an effort to
acquire a sheen42 of respectability,
would employ a maid-of-all-work to clean,
cook and mind 43  the children. Neverthe-
less, by the time of Edward VII’s accession
to the throne, traditional deference
had begun to  wane44 and there was an
increasingly rapid  turnover of staff45.46  This latter phenomenon would seem to
contradict the idyllic view of servants as
trusted family retainers who were happy
with their lot47. Servants moved either
 because they no longer saw eye-to-eye48 
with their employers or because they
had found a better situation. However,
employers  wielded 49  great power over
their servants and many  were kept on  tenterhooks50  until such time as their
employers had deigned 51  to give them
a glowing52  reference, a sine qua  non 
when it came to seeking15 another post.
 ADVANCED by Colman Keane
1 scullery maid – emale servant who cleans dirty dishes
2 to scrub (away at) – scour, clean with a brush and soapy water
3 pot (countable) – 4 pan – 5 saucepan – 6 elbow  – art iculation in the
middle o one’s arm 7 suds – lather, oam, spume o
soap 8 raw  – (in this context ) inlamed 9 Aslet, Clive, he Last Country Houses, Yale
University Press, 1982. 10 harder and harder  – more and more diicult 11 chagrin – annoyance, irritation, rustration 12 leisure – ree time 13 underling  – (oensive) servant, subordinate 14 to shy away rom – avoid 15 to seek  (seek-sought-sought) – look or, try to ind
16 below-stairs – downstairs in the servants quarters 17 this in 1891 made up 16% o the total work orce o the entire country 
18 device – gadget, small machine
19 a vacuum cleaner invented in 1901 20 steam laundry  – (historical ) place where clothes
are cleaned using steam (= hot water vapour) 21 rather than – instead o, as opposed to, in
preerence to 22 a pittance – a very small salary 23 to toil away  – work hard 24 up to – as many as 25 manservant – male domestic servant 26 in 20th-century English this term reerred to
the machine not the person  (= typist) 27  yet – however, nevertheless 28 dread spectre – (in this context ) threat,
terriying idea 29 loathed – hated, despised, detested 30 to loom over – threaten, intimidate 31 ilthy  – very dirty, unhygienic 32 poverty-stricken  – (in this context ) ull o poor
people 33 high slum buildings (= substandard
apartment blocks) in which many amilies lived together in one room.
34 sheltered – protected 35 roo  –
36 to be entitled to – have a right to 37 to teem with – be ull o 38 to pass away  – (euphemistic) die 39 smooth running  – eicient management/ unctioning
40 well-heeled – prosperous 41 parlour-maid  – emale servant who served ood and tea in the sitting room
42 a sheen – the appearance 43 to mind – look ater, watch 44 to wane – decline 45 turnover o sta  – requency that employees
leave and have to be replaced 46 By 1901 the average stay o a servant in the
same house was just under eighteen months. 47 one’s lot – one’s circumstances/conditions o
work  48 to see eye-to-eye with s.o. (see-saw-seen) –
agree with how s.o. organizes things 49 to wield – (in this context ) have 50 to keep s.o. on tenterhooks (keep-kept-kept) –
cause s.o. to be agitated and uncertain because s/he does not know when sth. will happen
51 to deign /dein/ – condescend, consent, see it 52 glowing  – (in this context ) very avourable
 
Think    • •  •
Te Pecking Order There was a clearly established pecking order53 downstairs on the
lowest echelon54 of which was the housemaid. Earning about £17 a
 year55 she was expected to be up  by cockcrow 56 as many  tasks57 
had to be completed by the time the family was up. Victorian and
Edwardian employers, believing in the maxim that cleanliness is
next to Godliness,  expected the housemaid to open all the shut-
 ters58, take up the hearthrugs59, clean the grates60, light the fires61,
 trim62 the candles and oil-lamps, polish63 the furniture, and scrub2 
the stone floor of the kitchen and the front steps of the house. Unlike
the better-paid parlour-maid 41 who was expected to answer the door and
serve at table, the poor housemaid was on her knees64 for hours on end and
often suffered from a chronic ailment65, known as housemaid’s knee.
Te Lady’s Maid 
Te lady’s maid, addressed by those beneath her as ‘ Miss’ , was one o the most important emale servants, she had to be highly skilled66 at dressing her mistress in a jiffy 67. Such was her importance that no lady could manage without her. It was also part o her brie 68 to pack the luggage whenever her mistress went away or a country house weekend. One o the perks69 o the job was that the lady’s maid was usually given all her mistress’ cast-offs70. Te lady’s maid would also be expected to possess a good knowledge o hairdressing in addition to having a pleasant manner and being discreet. She would have taken up her post when she was young and her ultimate aim71 would be to become a housekeeper beore her youth had aded72.
Cook’s Privilege  Whereas73 the Victorian and Edwardian mistress
made sure her female servants74  toed the line75,
she was very often in awe of76 her cook. This was
hardly surprising as a professed cook (as opposed
to a plain cook) was really difficult to find and, in
consequence, could earn over £45 a year. Irre-
spective of whether she was married or single,
the cook would at all times be addressed as  Mrs 
and, fully aware of77  the power she  wielded 49,
would brook 78 no interference in her kitchen. The
professed cook made elaborate dinners, beau-
tiful desserts79, pastries and jellies, and could
even rustle up80 something simple at a moment’s
notice. After dinner had been served she was
free and would leave the unfortunate scullery
maids1  with the thankless  task 57  of doing the
washing-up, a chore81 which could take hours.
Regarded as the apex of a successful house, the
professed cook could, with her manifold skills82,
enhance83  the social prestige of a house.  Not
surprisingly the mistress of the house would be
on the lookout84  lest85 another lady rob her of
the jewel in her culinary crown. 
53 pecking order – hierarchy 54 echelon – level in a hierarchy 55 According to Mrs Isabella Beeton, the
average annual wage o a housemaid was £17 in the West End but only £13 in other parts o Britain.
56 by cockcrow  – at dawn, at sunrise
57 task  – job, piece o work, chore 58 shutter – 59 hearthrug  – rug (= carpet) laid
in ront o a ireplace 60 grate – metal structure in ront o a ireplace 61 A veritable eat in Victorian and Edwardian
times as the housemaid had to make the ire using no more than seven pieces o wood.
62 to trim – (in this context ) cut and tidy up 63 to polish – clean 64 on one’s knees – on all ours, 65 ailment – medical problem 66 skilled – specialized 67 in a jiy  – very quickly 68 brie  – (in this context ) job
description 69 perk  – beneit, bonus, advantage 70 cast-o  – old clothes 71 ultimate aim – inal objective 72 to ade – disappear, gradually vanish
73 whereas – while, although 74 According to the 1881 census, there were twenty-
two women servants to every male servant. 75 to toe the line – act as expected 76 to be in awe o s.o. – be reverential towards s.o. 77 to be aware o  – be conscious o 78 to brook  – accept 79 dessert – pudding, sweet 80 to rustle sth. up – quickly prepare sth. 81 chore – task, job 82 maniold skills – many talents 83 to enhance – improve 84 to be on the lookout – be vigilant 85 lest – in case
 S 
 o
 c
 i 
 e 
 t 
 y 
 
   G    r    e   a   t    T    h    e   a   t    r    e
in English 
A Brief Summary
A foreign stockbroker, Baron Arnheim, has been preaching1 the philosophy that
there is no greater joy2 than the power to control others and that the means3 to
do so in the modern world is through wealth4. Years ago, an impoverished young
English gentleman, Robert Chiltern,
a state secret that allowed5 the Baron to
become rich. Chiltern’s reward6 enabled7 
him to become a successful businessman
and a politician of unblemished8 reputa-
tion. Now, as the play opens, Chiltern is
a pillar of society, happily married and
an important figure in the Foreign Office.
However, another disciple of Arnheim’s – 
Mrs Laura Cheveley – returns to England
from Vienna. She was the Baron’s lover
and obtained from Arnheim a letter writ-
ten by Chiltern that incriminates him.
She tries to blackmail9  Chiltern with
making the letter public unless he lends 
his support to10  a fraudulent scheme11 
in Argentina. Sir Robert Chiltern’s wife
– Lady Chiltern  – worships12  Robert
because he is incorruptible – an ideal Victorian husband in both his private and
public life. Robert has to choose between accepting the blackmail13 and risking
his wife’s love or refusing to yield14 to extortion and risking a public humiliation.
His only ally and confidant is the dandy, Lord Arthur Goring.
No Masterpiece
An Ideal Husband  (1895) is regularly performed and has been turned into at
least three films. This is more because it is by Oscar Wilde than because it is
a great play. The play is in many ways a standard moralistic Victorian melo-
drama spiced up with15 scenes written for the sole purpose of being vehicles for
Wildean epigrams16. The combination is not always successful.
Above all17, the characters are less attractive than in Wilde’s better plays.
Goring is appealing18 enough, though he is simply Lord Illingworth from A
Woman of No Importance  reused19. However, it has to be said that while dandies
in their twenties20 can be adorable, dandies in their mid-thirties like Goring (34)
begin to seem rather21 pathetic. The Chilterns are an unattractive couple inca-
pable of being honest to each other or themselves. One assumes22  they have
neglected23 children upstairs in the care of servants. Worse still, Mrs Cheveley’s
unforgivable sin24 seems to be that she behaves25 like a man. After all, is her
crime26 any worse than Chiltern’s? Wilde seems to say that while effeminate
men (i.e. Goring) are fine – even heroes – assertive27 women are devils.
St.28 Oscar, Martyr
Certainly, almost nobody in the early 21st 
Century would condone29 the fact that he
was imprisoned for being gay. However,
his ‘martyrdom’ does not of itself make
him blameless30 or all his work brilliant.
Few people could deny31 that The Impor- 
tance of Being Earnest  (1895) is a master-
piece or that Lady Windermere’s Fan 
(1892) and A Woman of No Importance  
(1893) are significant comic plays. Never-
theless, Wilde’s drama was uneven32; it
included the awful Vera  (1883) and The
Duchess of Padua  (1891), as well as33 
the instantly forgettable A Florentine
Tragedy  and La Sante Courtisane   (both
1893). An Ideal Husband  is not as bad as
Wilde’s attempts34 at tragedy, but it falls 
far short of 35 the brilliance of Earnest .
1 to preach – (in this context ) advocate, proclaim, disseminate
2  joy  – pleasure, satisaction 3 means – way, method 4 wealth – a luence, being rich, (in this context )
money  5 to allow  – enable, permit 6 reward – compensation, payment, recompense 7 to enable – allow, permit 8 unblemished – impeccable 9 to blackmail s.o. – extort money rom s.o. 10 to lend one’s support to sth. (lend-lent-lent) –
back sth., publicly express approval or sth. 11 scheme – project, plan, venture
12 to worship sth. – venerate sth., adore sth. (like a god)
13 blackmail – extortion 14 to yield – submit 15 to be spiced up with – be made more
interesting by including 16 Wildean epigrams – short humorous phrase
usually based on a paradox (typical o the writings o Oscar Wilde)
17 above all – most importantly 18 appealing  – attractive 19 reused – used again, recycled as a dierent
character in another play  20 such as Algernon and Jack in he Importance
Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband 
of Being Earnest  21 rather – (in this context ) a bit, somewhat, a little 22 to assume – ( alse riend ) suppose 23 neglected – (in this context ) emotionally
abandoned by their parents 24 sin – immoral act 25 to behave – act, conduct onesel 26 crime – ( alse riend ) illegal act 27 assertive – conident, orceul, determined 28 St. – (in this context ) Saint 29 to condone – accept, excuse 30 blameless – above reproach, virtuous 31 to deny  – contradict, negate 32 uneven – irregular, not uniormly good 33 as well as – together with, and 34 attempt – eort 35 to all short o  – not be comparable with, be less
admirable than
that there is too much of Oscar Wilde in
it. Wilde clearly identifies himself with
Lord Goring; indeed36  he gave Arthur
this name because he started to write
the play in Goring-on-Thames in the
summer of 1893. But Wilde is also partly,
Robert Chiltern, the husband who keeps
secrets from this wife. The germ of the
play came from two sources37. On the one
hand, Chiltern can be seen to be partially
based on Lord Drumlanrig. He was the
private secretary to Lord Rosebery, the
Foreign Secretary and a possible future
Prime Minister. Drumlanrig was not only
a friend of Wilde’s but the elder brother
of Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Doug-
las. Though the details are murky38  it
seems that Lord Drumlanrig committed
suicide when blackmailers39 threatened
Lord Rosebery. On the other hand, Wilde
himself was being approached by black-
mailers39  at the time. Bosie had given
a second-hand suit41  to another lover,
James Wood, but had forgotten to check
the pockets. In the suit was a love letter
from Oscar to Bosie. This letter was
passed on to members of Alfred Taylor’s
gang of rent boys42  and petty crimi-
nals43. They used the letter to extort
some money out of Wilde, though at the
time of writing An Ideal Husband   the
problem had apparently blown over44.
No Ideal Husband
a wife should not idealize her husband
and then judge him when he falls short
of 35 the ideal but rather45 accept him as
he is and forgive him whatever he does.
This is a very convenient argument for
a man who had largely abandoned his
wife and children and ran off with his
lover (it is irrelevant that Wilde’s lover
was a man). This argument is rein-
forced by the ideal modern couple to
be46  in the play: Arthur Goring and
Mabel (Robert’s sister). At the end of
the play Mabel says she does not want
Arthur to be an ideal husband but to be
himself. Meanwhile47, she promises to
be a ‘real wife’. It is unclear what she
means by that but it does not seem to
suggest any idea of gender equality, or
mutual tolerance and forgiveness.
What the Butler Saw48
about the attempts to blackmail him,
it is paradoxical that the play should
be the source49 of his downfall. When
Wilde started his lawsuit50 against the
Marquis of Queensbury51  for libel52, it
was actor Charles Brookfield – who has
played Goring’s butler, Phipps – who
led53 Queensbury’s detectives to Alfred
Taylor54. Brookfield was angry with
Wilde because Oscar had been disdain-
ful about an aesthetic burlesque the
actor had once written. The end result
of all this was that Wilde was sent to
prison for two years’ hard labour, his
reputation in tatters55.
avel’.56  For the late Victorians it was
an Eastern European aristocrat. Baron