BEST SELLER
WORKSHEET
TITLE:
“Bestseller” is an interesting title for a story of an ordinary seller of plate-glass who wins the love of the beautiful daughter of a belted colonel. The title is not only a tribute to his exceptional salesmanship and personal charm but also an intriguing achievement of a critic who wins the beautiful girl‟s hand in marriage much above his socio-economic status. The best seller “The Rose Lady and Trevelyan” is all about a commoner in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, winning the hand of a beautiful princess, much above his socio-economic status. Pescud‟s own story is so improbable, that the narrator likens him to the hero of the best seller, he had discarded, during the course of their journey. Pescud, the protagonist hated the predictability, monotony and improbability of the novel‟s story line, One wonders if he was narrating his own love story or pushing the story of the best seller he was reading as his own story.
THEME:
“Best Seller” is an account of a plate – glass seller, who although a commoner, falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a belted colonel and succeeds in winning her hand in marriage. Thus, O.Henry gives the theme of an incongruent love, a refreshing treatment, by narrating a story within a story. The story has the undercurrents of the theme of class differences and conflict of values between cultures and nationalities as represented by the heroes and heroines of these best- selling popular fiction stories.
IRONY :
The element of irony in “Best Seller” makes it a very engrossing story. Pescud, the protagonist, who criticizes the plot of the best sellers narrating the romance and marriage, between people of different strata as unrealistic, successfully plots to win over a bride far above his own social status, much in the same way. While pursuing his romantic dreams, Pescud claims that he let his „plate-glass business go to a smash for a while.‟ However, when he makes the colonel laugh, he wishes the colonel was his customer, whom he would be able to sell a large quantity of his goods. Towards the end, too, when Pescud gets down at Coketown, to fulfill a whimsical desire of his dear wife Jessie, irony surfaces once
more. What Pescud projects as a devoted husband‟s passion to delight his „princess‟ by fulfilling even her most whimsical desires is obviously another gimmick to impress his lady.
1. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that followa)
a)“In two minutes we were faced, had shaken hands, and had finished with such topics as rain, prosperity, health, residence and destination. Politics might have followed next; but I was not so ill- fated.”
i) Who are „we‟ here?
ii) Who is speaking these lines? Where is he going at the present?
iii) Explain the last line , „I was not so ill- fated.‟
b) “A tall old man , with a smooth face and white hair, looking as proud as Julius Caesar was there to meet her. His clothes were frazzled but I didn’t notice that till later”.
i) Who is this tall man here?.
ii) How did he look?
iii) When did the speaker see him?
c) “The relating of anecdotes and humorous occurrences has always seemed to me, Mr. Pescud, to be a particularly agreeable way of promoting and perpetuating amenities between friends.”
i) Who is speaking these lines here?
ii) What according to the speaker, can promote friendship among the people?
iii) What does the speaker do immediately after this?
d) “She reminds him of the difference in their stations and that gives him a chance to ring in three solid pages about America‟s uncrowned sovereigns.”
i) Why does the novelist devote three pages to America‟s uncrowned sovereigns?
ii) What is pointed out by the protagonist of the novel? Why?
iii) Why did Pescud feel that the bestsellers were unrealistic?
2. Short Answer Questions (30-40 words)
a) What was John . A. Pescud‟s opinion about best sellers? Why?
b) Explain the sentence “ Life has no geographical bounds”
c) What fault, according to Pescud, did „The Rose Lady and Trevelyan‟ suffer from?
d) Give two reasons to show that Jessie was very proud of her family?
e) What were John A. Pescud‟s views on life and ethics?
3. Long answer question (100-120 words)
a) What estimate do you form of John A . Pescud on the basis of your reading the story, „Bestseller‟?
b) Bring out the element of irony in the story, ‟Bestseller‟.
Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 9 English Best Seller Worksheet
