1. A Summers Reading Bernard Malamud

2. Bernard MalamudBorn: April 26, 1914Brooklyn, New YorkDiedMarch 18, 1986 (aged 71)Manhattan, New YorkOccupationAuthorNationality United StatesGenresnovel, short story 3. Quote by BernardMalamud"Without heroes wewould all be plainpeople and wouldntknow how far we cango." 4. A Summers ReadingFirst Published:1956Type of Plot: Social realismTime of Work: The mid-twentieth centurySetting: New York City : The BronxCharacters:George Stoyonovich, Sophie Stoyonovich, His father, Mr. CattanzaraGenres:Short fiction 5. Major 6. George StoyonovichA nineteen-year-old high-school dropout livingaimlessly in the working-class neighborhood inBrooklyn. He "considered registering in a nighthigh school" but "he did not like the idea of theteachers always telling him what to do. He feltthey had not respected him." 7. Sophie StoyonovichGeorges elder sister, a "tall bony girl of twenty-three" who works at a cafeteria in the Bronx.She has to take care of the house because theirmother was dead. She sometimes reads "goodbooks." 8. Mr. CattanzaraA "stocky, bald-headed man who works in achange booth on a [subway] station," living onthe next block to Georges. He reads the NewYork Times "from the first page to the last"; inshort, he is the "intellectual" of theneighborhood. Sometimes he drinks too much. 9. What is in a name?George Stoyonovich suggests he is from aYugoslavian immigrant family whereas MrCattanzara name suggests he is from an ItalianImmigrant family.Some people suggest that these names mean: Cattanzara meaning "chained"Stoyonovich meaning "stay put(I could not find any proof of this but it does make a good story) 10. Georges FamilySister: Sophie works in a cafeteriaFather: Works in a Fish marketMother : Died 11. Setting:The BronxRailroad flat above butcher storeSummer 12. Interviewhttp://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/07/21/080721on_audio_hemonAleksandar Hemon discusses Bernard Malamuds shortstory A Summers Reading with The New Yorkersfiction editor, Deborah Treisman.. A Summers Reading was published in The NewYorker in September, 1956, and is collected in TheComplete Stories. 13. Vocabulary 14. Watchwordsthe Bronx section of New York Cityrailroad flat apartment near railwayball game base ballworld almanac mini encyclopediaNews and Mirror working classnewspaperdough moneydrifted wandered slowly 15. ashamed 16. carpentry 17. dissatisfied 18. iron railing 19. mop 20. occasional 21. on an impulse 22. to quit 23. to register 24. to resemble 25. to respect 26. sidewalk 27. sultry 28. to wander 29. worthwhile 30. got on his nerves 31. ashamed 32. carpentry 33. dissatisfied 34. iron railing 35. mop 36. occasional 37. on an impulse 38. to quit 39. to register 40. to resemble 41. to respect 42. sidewalk 43. sultry 44. to wander 45. worthwhile 46. got on his nerves 47. ashamed 48. carpentry 49. dissatisfied 50. iron railing 51. mop 52. occasional 53. on an impulse 54. to quit 55. to register 56. to resemble 57. to respect 58. sidewalk 59. sultry 60. to wander 61. worthwhile 62. got on his nerves 63. Watchwordschange booth a place where you get change (right amount of money to pay for the train)New York Times serious newspaper read by educated peoplesquirtsmall thin boyshoot the breezediscuss somethingnickel5 centbuckdollar2 bits25 cents 64. appreciate 65. approval 66. as a favor 67. drunk 68. earnestly 69. embarrassed 70. erect 71. to figure 72. to hesitate 73. regard highly 74. stocky 75. an urge 76. to whistle 77. window ledge 78. to wonder 79. appreciate 80. approval 81. as a favor 82. drunk 83. earnestly 84. embarrassed 85. erect 86. to figure 87. to hesitate 88. regard highly 89. stocky 90. an urge 91. to whistle 92. window ledge 93. to wonder 94. appreciate 95. approval 96. as a favor 97. drunk 98. earnestly 99. embarrassed 100. erect 101. to figure 102. to hesitate 103. regard highly 104. stocky 105. an urge 106. to whistle 107. window ledge 108. to wonder 109. Watchwordsbeating it home running homepick him up make him feel bettercame abreast of came next to(alongside)shove pushpassablereasonablecrumbling apart falling apartrailed at shouted at 110. annoyed 111. to budge 112. deserted 113. to feel wound up 114. invariably 115. to neglect 116. to pile up 117. sneak into 118. stifling 119. to sway 120. to be tempted 121. uncomfortable 122. unobtrusively - 123. annoyed 124. to budge 125. deserted 126. to feel wound up 127. invariably 128. to neglect 129. to pile up 130. sneak into 131. stifling 132. to sway 133. to be tempted 134. uncomfortable 135. unobtrusively 136. annoyed 137. to budge 138. deserted 139. to feel wound up 140. invariably 141. to neglect 142. to pile up 143. sneak into 144. stifling 145. to sway 146. to be tempted 147. uncomfortable 148. unobtrusively 149. accidentally 150. to admit 151. confidence 152. disgrace 153. inward 154. listless 155. rumor 156. to struggle 157. to tremble 158. wilted 159. accidentally 160. to admit 161. confidence 162. disgrace 163. inward 164. listless 165. rumor 166. to struggle 167. to tremble 168. wilted 169. accidentally 170. to admit 171. confidence 172. disgrace 173. inward 174. listless 175. rumor 176. to struggle 177. to tremble 178. wilted 179. Chronology of Events Nearly four years ago, George Stoyonovich had quit highschool "on an impulse" when he was sixteen. "This summer" [the beginning of the story] is a hard timefor jobs and George, now "close to twenty", has none.Having no money to spend, he stays off the streets andspends most of the day in his room. Sophie urges him toread some "worthwhile books" but he is in no mood forthem: "Lately he couldnt stand made-up stories, they goton his nerves." One evening, while on his walk, George meets Mr.Cattanzara coming home very late from work. George tellshim that he is reading one hundred great books in thelibrary list. He wants Mr. Cattanzara to respect him. 180. "After that", George does nothing different from usualbut he finds the people in the neighborhood startcalling him "a good boy." He feels himself beingrespected because of the books he is not reading. "As the summer went on George felt in a good moodabout things." He occasionally buys paperback booksbut he never gets around to reading them. Yet, "hecould could feel approval on all sides." "For a fewweeks" he talks only once with Mr. Cattanzara, whosays nothing about the books. George decides to stayaway from "the change maker." 181. Then one night" George sees Mr. Cattanzara, a littledrunk, walking toward him. He hands a nickel toGeorge, saying "Go buy yourself a lemon ice, George,"as he used to do when George was a "squirt." Asked toname one book on the list he has read so far, Georgecannot answer. After saying, "George, dont do what Idid," Mr. Cattanzara leaves. "The next night" George is afraid to leave his room.Sophie finds out that his brother is not reading a singlebook on the list and calls him a "bum." 182. "One night," after staying in his room "for almosta week" George sneaks to the park unable tostand the heat. Unexpectedly, he finds people stillfriendly to him. A man on a street corner askshim if it is true that "he had finished reading somany books." "After a couple of days," George sees Mr.Cattanzara again. He feels that Mr. Cattanzara"had started the rumor that he had finished allthe books." 183. "One evening in the fall," George runs to thelibrary and "though he was struggling tocontrol an inward trembling, he easily countedoff a hundred, then sat down at a table toread." http://www2.dokkyo.ac.jp/~esemi006/malamud/art/st_magic_barrel.htm#asr