Excerpt 14 teacher’s version

problem

story- based

two adverse (opposite) movements. Nathan is getting more and more threatening, he even insults Dryer, while Dryer is first self-confident then tries to resist, not to be impressed, finally he doesn’t really give up though he is shaken.

backfire: explode

buster: man

busted: arrested

crummy: disgusting

let off easy: I won’t be after you

scam: fraud

strain: effort

take one’s word for it: croire sur parole

type of conversation

phone call/ Nathan wants to prevent Dryer from taking Harry’s books.

situation

passage: a dialogue. Harry is dead, the victim of blackmailing by his former lover

Nathan who knows the story is calling Gordon to blackmail him in his turn, threatens to reveal that what happened to Harry had been planned.

allusion to an unseen witness to Gordon and Harry’s conversation.

use of the words that Dryer has spoken

sentences to impress Dryer: “I am the messenger...” reminiscent of Shakespeare,

characters

present: Nathan and Gordon Dryer

alluded to :

Harry’s past through his former name: Dunkel

Alec Smith (a painter in Harry’s former career in the art forgery 124), Hawthorne (the trap devised by Dryer and Trumbell : ) Myron Trumbell is supposed to buy the forged manuscript. 131

Ian Metropolis (who forged the manuscript)

point of view

through the narrator-Nathan’s eyes.

to be noticed

intertextuality

short answers for Gordon/ does not know what Nathan will say next.

Echoes: “the emissary of bad tidings” Austen Pride and Prejudice

The messenger of sad tidings Shakespeare Henry VI the bearer of bad tidings

analepsis/ and allusions to time

Nathan is alluding to the visit Gordon Dryer made to Harry. He announces his death.

“ not...about the distant past” 8 “just a few hours ago” 9/

“five minutes after you left Harry’s store” 32

“It won’t take but a minute of your time” 26

“tomorrow” 45

tenses

present “I don’t know/

simple past to refer to Harry’s death and what happened

present perfect: “we’ve never met but you’ve heard of me” 2

future: for the disposition he has to take: cancel the van.

conditional: to express refusal and disbelief “why would I do that?” 30

imperative: for Nathan who gives instructions.

negation

never met 1 /

Dryer “I don’t know” 4 you don’t know 18

Dryer is denying everything.

big deal: 23 provocative. 7

tone

rhythm

Dryer the initial confidence seen in Dryer is gradually replaced by fear.

Nathan has the upper hand because he knows.

builds up suspense by hinting at a malevolent potential part.

the interesting rhythm of the sentence “ I’m the messenger of bad tidings”.. as well as the rhythm of the list of names.

1 allusion to Shakespeare “sad tidings” instead (Henry VI; so a kind of a pastiche or at least intertextuality)

2 gradually piling up the elements of Harry’s past and present likely to condemn Dryer. (effect produced by the list of names/ and previously ampler tone with the messenger of bad tidings.

adds irony to suspense.

lexical field of threat and insults

the fortune-teller (pending threat), repeated as reported from the previous conversation. (allusion to the fact that he knows)

ominous./

“ the messenger of bad tidings” 11/ “issues threats and warnings”/ 11

“scared shitless” 16/ “scam”/ “blew up in your face” 31 “I’ll break your neck” 45 “I’ll have you busted and thrown into jail”.” I’ll fuck you up so bad, you won’t want to live anymore” 49-50 “buster”37

lexical field of death

lexical field of cheating and corruption

“ So that’s it. You want money. You want us to cut you in on the deal.”

lexical field of deal/ money

deal is repeated 3 times:

“Big deal” repeated twice 22

“on the deal” 24

“I’m not interested in money”. 25

knowing/ not knowing

I don’t know 4/ you don’t know a damn thing 18/ we’ll see what I know and don’t know 19/ I know what I know 23./ I know all about the forged manuscript 46

gradation in the excerpt concerning knowledge.

knowing whether in the affirmative or negative

belief/ disbelief

“All I have to do is hang up the phone, and that ‘s the end of the conversation”: 15

“I will. That’s exactly what I’ll do” 43. (does not want to appear impressed.

Also almost systemically Dryer repeats part of Nathan last sentences.

extrait 14 Counterattack p.216-218

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