Penguin Readers Factsheets level

T e a c h e r’s n o t e s 1

The House of Stairs

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by Barbara Vine
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INTERMEDIATE
S U M M A R Y
he story opens as Lizzie, the narrator, sees Bell
T Sanger in a street in London. The events leading to
Bell’s prison sentence fourteen years previously, in
BACKGROUND AND THEMES
1970s London, are then revealed by Lizzie little by little, while The House of Stairs is a rich and complex psychological
in the present, Bell and Lizzie renew their old friendship. thriller, not a conventional detective story, in which Vine
explores the events that lead to a murder. The truth about the
Bell appeared almost from nowhere. Through her charm tragedy is gradually revealed as the story jumps backwards
and attractiveness she won the affection of Lizzie and her and forwards in time. You cannot stop turning the pages.
friend and substitute mother, Cosette. Lizzie and Cosette,
however, knew little about Bell’s background and Bell herself The book is ‘psychological’ because the author is
would not tell them the truth. interested in how things happen as a result of the
personalities of her characters, and in what it takes to push
But Bell was not what she seemed. Inspired by the story of someone over the edge into committing a terrible crime. She
a well-known book, she formed a secret, evil plan through shows us how seemingly insignificant events can lead certain
which she hoped to become rich. Then the plan went wrong personalities into disaster.
and ended in a tragedy which affected everyone who lived in
the House of Stairs. At the same time, it is a complex book because as a reader,
you do not know what is important and what is not, even
Now that she is free from prison, has Bell changed or will though you have been given all the information you need. You
she continue with her old ways? know something is going to happen but you don’t know what,
when or to whom. But if you read the book for a second time,
ABOUT BARBARA VINE you will see things in a quite different way.
One way in which Vine achieves these qualities (for which
‘Barbara Vine’ is a pen name of the writer Ruth Rendell. As she is well known) is to use one of the main characters, Lizzie,
Ruth Rendell she has written 36 novels, as well as several as a first person narrator. But Lizzie is not very reliable: she
collections of short stories. The first of her books to be often interprets events in ways that are either half or
published, in 1964, was a crime novel with Inspector Wexford completely wrong. While mostly we do not doubt Lizzie’s
as the detective. Ruth Rendell says she wrote the The House word, the cleverness of the writing enables us to see that
of Stairs ‘for fun’ – to see if she could write a detective story. sometimes the truth may lie elsewhere. For example when
She chose to use a different name, Barbara Vine, so that she Lizzie’s father comes and talks about the future (on page 32),
could write a different, darker kind of psychological thriller. Lizzie fails to understand Bell’s look. We, however, feel sure
She does not like, she says, to be limited to one genre. The we know what Bell is thinking because of what we know
first Barbara Vine book was published in 1986. about her character. This technique, in which the reader often
Ruth Rendell was born in 1930 in London, the only child of feels she knows more than the narrator, creates an almost
her English mother and Swedish father. She spent many unbearable tension.
holidays in Scandinavia and can speak Danish and Swedish. An important aspect of the psychology in the book is an
Although both her parents were teachers, Ruth instead chose exploration of the mother and daughter relationship and what
to become a journalist after leaving school. She found a job happens to people when, through some irony of fate, their
on a local newspaper, where she met her husband, and boss, mothers are absent. Lizzie and Bell are both ‘motherless’.
Don Rendell, with whom she has a son. However, after writing Lizzie replaces her own mother, lost to her because of a fatal
about a social event which she had not attended, and illness, with Cosette, who becomes the person most
discovering later that the main speaker had died in the middle important in her life and who then, tragically, disappears so
of his speech, she resigned from the paper before she could that Lizzie loses a mother for the second time. Bell’s mother
be fired. She has been writing fiction ever since. failed to prevent her child committing an evil crime, setting in
Ruth Rendell has been called ‘the best mystery writer in the chain a pattern of behaviour which will repeat itself
English language anywhere in the world’. She has won throughout Bell’s life.
numerous awards for her books, and many have been In a sense Bell and Lizzie have both lost their way morally,
adapted for television. Two books have been made into films apparently through the loss of their mothers. What can stop
by French and Spanish film directors. Bell from committing another crime? Although Bell is wicked,
this does not seem to matter to Lizzie. It is clear that she still
loves Bell.

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 level
Penguin Readers Factsheets 4
T e a c h e r’s n o t e s
An interesting theme in the book is the way in which life 1 What did Bell seem to be like to Lizzie when she first
imitates art. In a calculated and perhaps cynical way, Bell knew her?
dresses up as Lucrezia because she sees that Lizzie will be
2 What was Bell really like?
charmed by seeing the portrait come to life. But Lizzie,
educated and literate, does not understand how literal an 3 What information is there which showed what she was
uneducated person like Bell can be. To Bell, the plot of ‘The really like?
Wings of the Dove’ is a clever idea for making some money,
Chapters 12–15
which she then acts out for real. Lizzie, on the other hand, a
Students work in groups and say what we will find out at
writer herself, sees the plot as a good idea for a novel. The the end of the story. Ask them to think about these
final irony is that, at the end of the book, it is Lizzie who finds questions:
herself in the position of the life-threatened Milly Theale of
‘The Wings of the Dove’. 1 What is Bell’s true background?
2 Why did Bell go to prison?
3 Somebody died. Who was it and how did it happen?
Communicative activities 4 What will happen to Lizzie at the end of the book?
The following teacher-led activities cover the same Chapters 16–18
sections of text as the exercises at the back of the reader, Ask students to look at the picture on page 42. In pairs or
and supplement those exercises. For supplementar y groups, they discuss who they can see and what each
exercises covering shorter sections of the book see the person is saying and/or thinking.
photocopiable Student’s Activities pages of this Factsheet.
These are primarily for use with class readers but, with the ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
exception of discussion and pair/groupwork questions, Ask the students to look through the book again and then
can also be used by students working alone in a self- discuss the characters of Lizzie and Bell. Some groups
access centre. can talk about Bell while some groups talk about Lizzie.
Here are some questions:
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK
1 Give students the list of chapter titles from 1–17 in 1 How much do we know about Lizzie? What kind of
order but without the chapter numbers. Tell students person is she?
that ‘The Wings of the Dove’ is also the name of a 2 What makes Bell do bad things?
book. Tell them the outline of the story (see page 47 in
the book). Ask them to discuss in pairs or small groups 3 In what ways is Bell the same or different when she
why there is a chapter with this name. comes out of prison?
The groups report back to the whole class.
2 One chapter is called ‘The Living Lucrezia’. Tell
students that ‘Lucrezia’ is a beautiful woman in a
painting from the 15th centur y. What does this chapter
title mean? Glossary
3 Tell students one chapter is missing. It is called It will be useful if your students know these new words. They are
‘Murder’. Ask students to discuss in pairs where this practised in the ‘Before You Read’sections at the back of the book.
chapter belongs. (Definitions are based on the Longman Active Study Dictionary.)

4 Finally ask students to discuss what they think will Chapters 1–3
happen in the story. betray (v) to be disloyal to someone
cottage (n) a small house in the country
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION dove (n) a kind of small pigeon
inheritance (n) money, property etc that you receive from someone
Chapters 1–3 who has died
Students work in pairs. They discuss whether these words novel (n) a book that tells an imaginary story
describe Cosette and/or Elizabeth: understanding, lonely, Chapters 4–7
angry, unhappy, cruel, young, kind, afraid, busy, hairdresser (n) a person who washes and cuts other people’s hair
independent. They should find parts of the book to hippy (n) someone in the 1960s and 1970s opposed to the traditional
support their opinions. values of society, and usually had long hair and took drugs
Chapters 8–11
Chapters 4–7
cancer (n) a very serious illness in which cells in the body grow in a
Students work in pairs. Ask them to look at these way that is not normal
chapters again and to draw two ‘time lines’. On one they divorce (n) the legal ending of a marriage
should mark the things that are happening now in the doorway (n) a space where a door opens into a room
story. On the other they mark the things which happened telegram (n) a message sent by radio or electrical signals
in the past in the order in which they happened. Pairs trial (n) a legal process in a court to decide if someone is guilty of a
compare their time lines. crime
Chapters 12–15
Chapters 8–11 children’s home (n) place in Britain where children live if their
Ask students to work in pairs to discuss these questions. parents cannot look after them
Ask them to find parts of the story to support their lodger (n) someone who pays rent to live in a house with the owner
opinions. Then have a class discussion. will (n) a legal document that says who you want your money and
property to be given to after you die

Publis hed and dis tribu ted by Pearson Education

F act s heet wri tt en by W S Fowle r
© Pearson Education 2000 Factsheet series developed by Louise James
 Penguin Readers Factsheets level

Student’s activities 1

2
The House of Stairs 3

Photocopiable 4
These activities can be done alone or with one or more
other students. Pair/group-only activities are marked. 5

Activities before reading the book 6

1 Look at the cover of the book and the list of chapter (b) Do you think Cosette was happily married to
titles, and read the introduction. Then answer these Douglas? INTERMEDIATE
questions. (c) In what ways do you think Cosette will change
(a) What kind of story is this? after Douglas dies?
(b) Who lives in the House of Stairs? (d) What do you think is Cosette’s plan?
(c) What kind of house is it? CHAPTERS 4 & 5
(d) Who owns the house?
1 Match these people with the facts about them.
(e) Why is Bell Sanger a mystery?
(a) Felicity
2 Look at the picture on page vi. Who do you think is (b) Esmond and Felicity
going to tell this story? (c) Silas Sanger
3 Someone is murdered. Who do you think it is? (d) Christabel
4 Do you have any ideas yet about the mystery of Bell (e) Miranda
Sanger? Make a list. (i) are Elsa’s relatives.
(ii) is Felicity and Esmond’s daughter.
(iii) is Esmond’s wife.
Activities while reading the book
(iv) is Silas’ wife.
CHAPTER 1 (v) was Felicity’s old boyfriend.
1 Where is the person who is telling the story when she 2 Bell says that Silas shot himself. Is this true? Why or
sees Bell? why not?
2 Why does she want to follow Bell? 3 Why is Silas’ father’s death important?
3 Where is the House of Stairs? 4 What is Elizabeth’s opinion of Cosette’s plan? Find
parts of the book which show what she thinks.
4 The writer often does not give us all the information
we need to understand completely. Can you explain CHAPTERS 6 & 7
these sentences? Look up mysterious in your dictionary. Match these
(a) ‘I hadn’t realised that Bell would be free already sentence halves.
...’ (page 1) (a) Elizabeth didn’t like the House of Stairs at first
(b) ‘But did she think I blamed her?’ (page 1) because
(c) ‘I am not old enough yet to be out of danger.’ (b) Cosette changed because
(page 2) (c) Young people came to Cosette’s house because
(d) ‘The new owners had obviously been told.’ (page 2)
(d) There are no relatives left in her mother ’s family so
CHAPTERS 2 & 3 (e) Elizabeth thinks that Ivor is using Cosette so
1 Are these true or false? Write T or F and change the (f) Bell does not have to work because
false sentences so they are true. (g) Elizabeth finds Bell attractive because
(a) Cosette was about forty years older than (i) she is beautiful and mysterious.
Elizabeth.
(ii) it was big, dirty and cold.
(b) Elizabeth was Cosette’s cousin.
(iii) they could eat, sleep and have fun there.
(c) Elizabeth lived near Cosette and Douglas
(d) It was Douglas who wanted to have a rich way of (iv) she does not like him.
life. (v) Elizabeth cannot find out if she has ‘Huntington’s
(e) Cosette liked gardening, reading and writing Chorea.’
(f) Cosette was thin with dark hair and brown eyes. (vi) she has enough money to live on.
(g) Elizabeth’s mother was already dead when (vII) she wanted to be young again.
Douglas died. CHAPTERS 8 & 9
(h) Elizabeth loved Cosette.
When and where does Bell say these words to Lizzie?
2 Discuss these questions with a partner or write your What is she talking about? Say what the words in black
answers. letters mean.
(a) Why did Elizabeth turn Cosette into ‘another (a) ‘Are you past the age yet, are you safe?’
mother’? (b) ‘Good-looking, isn’t he?’

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 level
Penguin Readers Factsheets 4
Student’s activities
(c) ‘They’re all using her, aren’t they?’ news. .................... moves into the House of Stairs.
.................... takes .................... out for dinner and tells
(d) ‘Did you put it there because it looks like me?’
her that he and .................... are going to move to a
(e) ‘They get married to be safe.’ smaller house. He says that .................... will buy a flat
(f) ‘I did get it – and it keeps me – just.’ for .................... but he does not want .................... to
know about their plans. Lizzie’s friend ....................
CHAPTERS 10 & 11 comes to stay and tells .................... that .................... is
1 Number these sentences 1–4 to show the order in afraid of ..................... Has .................... has guessed that
which they really happened. her plan is going wrong?
(a) Bell tells Lizzie that she killed Silas. __ CHAPTER 16
(b) Lizzie goes to see Bell at the shop where 1 On page 44, Bell says ‘I thought it would work better’.
she works. __ What is she talking about?
(c) Bell starts to live in Lizzie’s house. __ 2 What do you think Lizzie’s question was?
(d) Lizzie thinks she is safe from the disease. __ (on page 44)

2 Number these sentences 1-6 to show the order in 3 Finish these sentences.
which they really happened. (a) At the restaurant they did not have dinner
because ....................
(a) Cosette puts the bloodstone ring on
Bell’s finger. __ (c) Bell did not look or smile at Sheila so
(b) Bell starts to live in the room at the top ....................
of the House of Stairs. __ (d) Cosette left the restaurant because ....................
(c) Bell puts on the red dress. __ (e) Cosette was upset because ....................
(d) Cosette goes into hospital. __ (f) Bell told Lizzie that she was Mark’s lover so
(e) Bell and Lizzie sleep together in Lizzie ....................
Lizzie’s room. __
CHAPTER 17
(f) Cosette invites Bell to live in her house. __
Look up persuade in your dictionary. Is this information
3 Do you think the window in Bell’s room might be True, False or Not Given in the story? Write T, F or NG.
important in the story? How?
(a) The murder happened about fourteen
4 Why does Lizzie say on page 25 ‘I never felt it was a years ago. __
shocking thing?’ (b) Lizzie told Bell that Cosette was like the
CHAPTERS 12 & 13 character Millie Theale. __
1 Discuss these questions with a partner or write your (c) Bell planned to murder Cosette. __
answers. (d) Lizzie thinks Cosette will forgive her. __
(a) Where does Bell go when she goes ‘home’? (e) Cosette had to persuade Mark to marry her. __
(b) Why does she bring her brother to Cosette’s (f) The bloodstone is usually given to members
house? of the same family. __
(c) Why do Bell and Lizzie become more distant CHAPTER 18
when Cosette and Mark become friends?
1 Why does Lizzie say or do the things in these
(d) Why doesn’t Mark stay the night with Cosette? sentences?
(e) Does Cosette think that Mark loves her? (a) ‘I don’t believe it’ (page 52)
2 What do you think Mark and Bell said to each other (b) I have been responsible for it all (page 52)
about Cosette, Lizzie and the House of Stairs? Talk (c) I have left everything to Bell (page 52)
about this with a partner and then act or write the
(d) ... who will get to me first, Bell or Cosette. (page
conversation.
53)
CHAPTERS 14 & 15 2 What is ‘the third possibility’? (page 53)
Complete this text with these names.
Cosette, Mark, Bell, Lizzie, Elsa
Activities after reading the book
When .................... asks if .................... is going to die
from cancer and if .................... will inherit her money, Discuss these questions with a partner or write your
.................... realises that .................... is using her. Then answers.
.................... becomes even richer, and .................... says 1 Can prison make people better?
she will go to Thornham for Christmas. That night
.................... stays the night at the top of the House of 2 If like Lizzie, you were told that you had an inherited
illness, how would you feel? Would you feel angry
Stairs. At Christmas .................... and .................... seem
with your parents, as she did?
really to be in love and .................... is pleased about this

Pu blished and dist ributed b y P ear son E ducat ion

Factsheet written by W S Fowler
© Pearson Education 2000 F act sheet s eri es deve l oped b y L ouise J am es