THE LUNCHEON
THE AUTHOR - William Somerset Maugham
- A British playwright, novelist and short story writer
- Among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s
- Born on the 25 of January 1874 in Paris, France
- Died on December 16, 1965 in Nice
- Orphaned at the age of 10 (brought up by an uncle)
- Entered St. Thomas medical school, London, and qualified as a doctor in 1897
- Drew upon his experiences as an obstetrician in his first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), and its success,
though small, encouraged him to abandon medicine
- Travelled in Spain and Italy and in 1908 achieved a theatrical triumph in 1928, bought a villa on Cape
Ferrat in the south of France, which became his permanent home
SUMMARY OF THE LUNCHEON
- The narrator, a book writer, recognizes a woman with whom he had lunch years ago
- He suddenly remembers an incident involving this woman from years ago
- She wrote to him about his books and she wanted to meet him for a luncheon
- He was shocked at the time because she had picked an expensive restaurant and he only had a few francs
to survive for the month
- She started ordering one expensive dish after another and she left him broke
- He then gets his revenge by seeing the she now weighs 133kg
QUESTIONS
1. Where was the narrator living 20 years ago?
- In Paris, in a tiny apartment in the Latin quarter which overlooked a cemetery
2. How did the author of the story make his money 20 years ago?
- By writing books
3. Why did he decide to invite the lady for luncheon?
- He was flattered and he was far too young to have learned to say ‘NO’ to a woman
4. Where did the lady want to have luncheon?
- At Foyot’s
5. What kind of the restaurant was the Foyot’s?
- It was an expensive restaurant which the narrator couldn’t afford, a restaurant where the French
senators dined
6. How did the narrator convince himself that he could afford to take his friend for luncheon at the
Foyot’s?
- He had 80 francs with him and a modest lunch would not cost him more than 15 francs. If he cut the
coffee for 2 more weeks, he could manage well
7. What food items did she choose for herself?
- Salmon, caviar, asparagus, ice-cream, peaches
8. What did the waiter say to indicate that the food item was rare?
- The waiter said that the salmon which was ordered for the woman was the first one that had come
the season. This indicate that the salmon was rare
9. How many things did the woman have in her luncheon?
- Salmon, caviar, champagne, asparagus, ice-cream, coffee, peaches
10. What did the narrator order for himself?
- Mutton chops, coffee
11. What did the lady talk gaily about?
- She talked about art, literature and music
12. Why did she criticize his eating habits?
- As she felt that mutton chops were heavy for lunch
13. Why did the narrator panic?
- Not because he wondered whether he would have enough money to end till the end of the month but
because he wondered whether he would have enough to pay the bill
14. What did the narrator plan to do if he didn’t have enough money to pay the bill?
- He would be obliged to borrow it from his guest. However, he couldn’t get himself to do that
- So, he would pretend that his wallet had got picked. However, it would be awkward if she too didn’t
have enough money to pay the bill
15. What would be the final solution?
- He would leave his watch and comeback and pay later
16. In spite of the hefty bill thoughts on the narrator’s mind, he ordered a coffee for himself and a coffee
with ice-cream for the lady. Why?
- Perhaps by this time he did not care anymore. Or, perhaps he did not want to lose his face
17. Did the narrator have enough money to pay the bill?
- He just about managed
18. Why did the lady call him a ‘Humorist”?
- As she told the narrator that one should not eat more than one thing for luncheon, he said that he
would eat nothing for dinner that night
19. “Today she weighs 21 stone.” How much is this in kilograms?
20.
- 133,35 kg
1.
