Interview with a Vampire - Henry Quinson Site …

1 - 1 - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Interview with the Vampire This excerpt is taken from the very beginning of the novel. "I " said the Vampire thoughtfully, and slowly he walked across the room towards the window. [..] The boy could see the furnishings of the room more clearly now, the round oak table, the chairs. A wash basin hung on one wall with a mirror. [..] "But how much tape do you have with you?" asked the Vampire , turning now so the boy could see his profile. "Enough for the story of a life?" "Sure, if it's a good life. Sometimes I Interview as many as three or four people a night if I'm lucky. But it has to be a good story. That's only fair, isn't it?" "Admirably fair," the Vampire answered.

2 "I would like to tell you the story of my life, then. I would like to do that very much." "Great," said the boy. And quickly he removed the small tape recorder from his brief case, making a check of the cassette and the batteries. "I'm really anxious to hear why you believe this, why you .." "No," said the Vampire abruptly. "We can't begin that way. Is your equipment ready?" "Yes," said the boy. "Then sit down. I'm going to turn on the overhead light." "But I thought vampires didn't like light," said the boy. "If you think the dark adds to the " But then he stopped. The Vampire was watching him with his back to the window. The boy could make out nothing of his face now [..]. He started to say something again but he said nothing. And then he sighed with relief1 when the Vampire moved towards the table and reached for the overhead cord.

3 At once the room was flooded with a harsh yellow light. And the boy, staring up at the Vampire , could not repress a gasp2. His fingers danced backwards on the table to grasp the edge. "Dear God!" he whispered, and then he gazed, speechless, at the Vampire . The Vampire was utterly3 white and smooth, as if he were sculpted from bleached4 bone, and his face was as seemingly inanimate as a statue, except for two brilliant green eyes that looked down at the boy intently like flames in a skull5. "Do you see?" he asked softly. The boy shuddered, lifting his hand as if to shield himself from a powerful light. His eyes moved slowly over the finely tailored black coat he'd only glimpsed in the bar, the long folds of the cape, the black silk tie knotted at the throat, and the gleam of the white collar that was as white as the Vampire 's flesh.

4 [..] "Now, do you still want the Interview ?" the Vampire asked. The boy's mouth was open before the sound came out. He was nodding. Then he said, "Yes." The Vampire sat down slowly opposite him and, leaning forward, said gently, confidentially, "Don't be afraid. Just start the tape." Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire , 1976 1 Relief : soulagement 2 Could not repress a gasp : eut le souffle coup 3 utterly : totalement 4 bleached : blanchi 5 skull: cr ne Interview with the Vampire - 2 - Work on words 1. Do the following verbs refer to a movement or to a way of looking? (a) remove (l. 10) (b) stare up at (l. 22) (c) grasp (l. 23) (d) gaze (l. 24) (e) shudder (l. 29) (f) lift (l. 29) (g) shield oneself from (l. 29) (h) glimpse (l.)

5 30) (i) lean forward (l. 36) 2. Match them with the suitable translation. (1) apercevoir, entrevoir (2) saisir (3) frissonner (4) se prot ger de (5) lever les yeux et fixer (6) enlever (7) observer, contempler (8) se pencher en avant (9) lever 3. List all the body parts mentioned between line 25 ( The Vampire was utterly white ) and line 32 ( as white as the Vampire 's flesh ). Look them up in a dictionary if you don't know what they mean. Overall comprehension 4. Where does this passage come from? 5. Who are the two main characters? 6. Where does the scene take place? 7. The different stages of the scene have been mixed up. Reorder them: (a) the boy's reaction (b) checking the equipment for the Interview (c) the Vampire emerges from darkness to full light Detailed comprehension 1.

6 What is the younger character's probable job? Explain. 2. What is he interested in knowing? 3. Is the Vampire willing to answer? Support your answer with clues from the text. 4. The equipment: List the different pieces of equipment the boy has. What does he have to check before he starts? 5. The atmosphere a) In the first half of the passage what details can the boy see? What can't he see clearly? b) Find the sentence that brings about a sudden change in the boy's vision of the Vampire . What did the Vampire do to cause this change? Interview with the Vampire - 3 - 6. The Vampire a) Pick out the details and images that apply to the Vampire 's skin and flesh, his eyes, his clothes. b) Focus on the Vampire 's attitude and pick out the details that are revealing of his character and mood.

7 C) Pick out all the phrases referring to the boy's reaction as he is staring at the Vampire . According to what they express, put them in the right column. Astonishment wonder/ admiration fear or pity Building up your vocabulary a) staring up at the Vampire b) looked down at the boy ANALYSE: Compare. up and down are postpositions (= they come after a verb). They slightly change the meaning of the verb by indicating a movement. They can be used without a complement. at is a preposition. It is followed by a complement (the Vampire , the boy), except when used in a question (Who is the boy staring up at?). Suggest a translation for a, b and for the following sentences: c) He was so frightened that he looked away from him.

8 D) He is very pretentious. He always looks down on you. e) He looked back at the Vampire . f) He was sitting, gazing into space. g) He glanced around him then opened the mysterious door. Expression About the text: How do you react to the Vampire 's physical appearance and behavior? Beyond the text: 1. Does this Vampire totally correspond to what you knew about vampires? Why? 2. Imagine what the Vampire tells the boy. Continue this introduction: A long time ago, when I was .. Reported speech "How much tape do you have with you?" asked the Vampire . "I Interview as many as three or four people a night if I'm lucky." "I would like to tell you the story of my life." "We can't begin that way. Is your equipment ready?" "Sit down. I m going to turn on the overhead light.

9 " "Don't be afraid." ANALYSE : Comparez. Quand on veut rapporter les paroles que quelqu'un a prononc es, on a le choix entre le discours direct, entre guillemets et le discours indirect. Les phrases ci-dessus ont t reformul es au discours indirect avec un verbe introducteur (ask, say, etc.) au pass : The Vampire asked the boy how much tape he had. The boy said that he interviewed as many as three or four people a night if he was lucky. The Vampire told the boy that he would like to tell him the story of his life. He answered that they couldn't begin that way. Then he asked the boy if his equipment was ready. The Vampire told / ordered the boy to sit down. Then he said that he was going to turn on the overhead light.

10 The Vampire told the boy not to be afraid. Interview with the Vampire - 4 - 1. Quels temps du discours direct ont t modifi s? Que deviennent-ils au discours indirect? 2. Quels autres l ments que les verbes ont t modifi s ou ajout s ? 3. Que remarquez-vous concernant l ordre des mots quand on transforme une phrase interrogative au style indirect ? Verbes introducteurs : say that / tell someone that (dire) answer, reply (r pondre) ask (demander) tell / order / ask someone (not) to (pour introduire les phrases qui contenait un imp ratif au discours direct). EXERCICES : Reformulez les phrases au discours indirect. a) "Do you still want the Interview ?" the Vampire asked b) "Believe me, I won't hurt you," said the Vampire to the boy. c) "Are you going to kill me?