The Night the Ghost Got in

							   The Night
the Ghost Got in



James Thurber, 1933
     (1894-1961)
General Questions

1.   How many times have you read this story?
2.   Retell the story in order of times.
3.   What is your impression of the story?
4.   Where had the ghost gone?
5.   What do you think of the characters?
6.   How did they react to the noises?
7.   What about the theme (s) of the story?
8.   What questions do you have？
The Night the Ghost Got in

The title
 1. What information can we get from the title?
 2. What do you know about the author?

Para 1
 1. What is it about?
 2. Why do I feel sorry?
 3. Hullabaloo, advent, etc.
The Night the Ghost Got in

Para 2
 1. What is it about?
 2. What can we learn about the family?
 3. Cadence, faint, rail, creak, trod, etc.
Para 3
 1. What is it about?
 2. What can we learn about Herman and I?
 3. Tiptoe, hiss, despondent, cease, grip, slam, etc.
The Night the Ghost Got in

Paras 4-9
 1.   What is it about?
 2.   So he had heard the steps, too!
 3.   What can we learn about Mother?
 4.   What can we learn about the Bodwells?
 5.   Gruffly, intuitive, flung, wham, froth, heave, etc.
Para 10
 1. What is it about?
 2. Mother wouldn’t hear of it.
 3. commendably, sedan, streaks of gleam, bound, etc.
The Night the Ghost Got in

Para 11
 1. What is it about?
 2. What had Mother heard?
 3. whoop, carry on, etc.

Para 12
 1. What is it about?
 2. I should never have said so.
 3. Yank, thump, ransack, zither, guinea pig, strum, etc.
The Night the Ghost Got in

Para 13
 1. What is it about?
 2. What can we learn about Grandfather?
 3. Snap, sprang, intervene, etc.

Para 14
 1. What is it about?
 2. Who was shot, and when?
 3. flannel, indignant, roar, lily-livered, smack, etc.
The Night the Ghost Got in

Para 15
 1. What is it about?
 2. What was the “layout”?
 3. Distinctly, layout, phony, wispy, mingled, etc.

Para 16
 1. What is it about?
 2. … as if I were a slot machine…
 3. Lowdown, slot, bandaged, blaspheme, etc.
The Night the Ghost Got in

Para 17
 1. What is it about?
 2. What else can we learn about Mother?
 3. He was such a nice-looking young man.

Para 18
 1. What is it about?
 2. What else can we learn about Grandfather?
 3. Lowdown, slot, bandaged, blaspheme, etc.
The Night the Ghost Got in

Author Biography         US humorist and cartoonist
Plot Summary             Ghost  hullabaloo
Characters               Thurber’s, Bodwells, Police
Themes                   Absurdity, Defiance, etc.
Style                    folktale (horror), persona, etc.
Historical Context       Great Depression, Domestic Comedy
Critical Overview        Great humor writer, best work
Criticism                David Kelly
Sources                  My Life and Hard Times
Further Reading          Further Reading

                     http://www.answers.com/topic/the-night-the-ghost-got-in
Suggestions



1. Preview two texts each weak；
2. Don’t refer to the notes aside in the first reading.
3. Don’t look up the new words before class.