LA WEB DE READING COMPREHENSION PREFERIDA POR LOS HISPANOHABLANTES

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WOMEN IN LOVE

D. H. Lawrence

Arguably the first famous writer from truly working class origins, David Herbert Lawrence was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in 1885. He was the son of a former school teacher and a coalminer and his mother a genteel woman who sought education and refinement for her son. Lawrence was brought up in the small mining community of Eastwood at a time when modern industry began transforming the East Midlands countryside. His famous novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover became the centre of a famous indecency trial, marking an important transition in public views on censorship.

 

Lawrence's favorite topics of myth, freedom, the erotic expression, and the torments of family relationships occupied him throughout his life.

 
 

Women In Love

Mujeres Enamoradas

Ursula and Gudrun Brangwen sat one morning in the window-bay of their father's house in Beldover, working and talking. Ursula was stitching a piece of brightly-coloured embroidery, and Gudrun was drawing upon a board which she held on her knee. They were mostly silent, talking as their thoughts strayed through their minds.

Ursula y Gudrun Brangwen estaban sentadas una mañana en el mirador de la casa de su padre en Beldover, trabajando y charlando. Ursula daba puntadas a un bordado de vivos colores y Gudrun dibujaba sobre un tablero que sostenía en las rodillas. Permanecían silenciosas la mayor parte del tiempo, y sólo hablaban llevadas por el errar de sus pensamientos a través de sus mentes.

'Ursula,' said Gudrun, 'don't you really want to get married?' Ursula laid her embroidery in her lap and looked up. Her face was calm and considerate.

 

"Ursula", dijo Gudrun, "de verdad no quieres casarte?" Ursula dejó su labor en el regazo y levantó la mirada. Su rostro era tranquilo y afable.

'I don't know,' she replied. 'It depends how you mean.'

 

"No lo se", contestó. "Depende de qué quieras decir."

Gudrun was slightly taken aback. She watched her sister for some moments.

 

Gudrun estaba ligeramente descon-certada. Miró a su hermana durante unos instantes.

'Well,' she said, ironically, 'it usually means one thing! But don't you think, anyhow, you'd be -' she darkened slightly - 'in a better position than you are in now.'

 

"Bueno", dijo irónicamente, "por lo general se quiere decir una cosa! Pero, no crees, de todos modos, que estarías" -se entristeció levemente- "en mejor situación que ahora?"

A shadow came over Ursula's face.

 

Una sombra cubrió el rostro de Ursula.

'I might,' she said. 'But I'm not sure.'

 

"Podría ser", dijo. "Pero no estoy segura."

Again Gudrun paused, slightly irritated. She wanted to be quite definite.

 

De nuevo Gudrun se detuvo, ligeramente irritada. Quería ser totalmente precisa.

'You don't think one needs the experience of having been married?' she asked.

 

"¿No crees que se necesita la experiencia de haber estado casada?", preguntó.

'Do you think it need be an experience?' replied Ursula.

 

"¿Crees que es necesario que sea una experiencia?", contestó Ursula.

'Bound to be, in some way or other,' said Gudrun, coolly. 'Possibly undesirable, but bound to be an experience of some sort.'

 

"Por fuerza ha de serlo, de uno u otro modo", dijo Gudrun con frialdad. "Posiblemente no deseable, pero por fuerza ha de ser una experiencia de algún tipo."

'Not really,' said Ursula. 'More likely to be the end of experience.'

 

"No realmente", dijo Ursula. "Es más probable que sea el final de una experiencia."

Gudrun sat very still, to attend to this.

 

Gudrun siguió sentada, muy quieta, atendiendo a lo que decía.

'Of course,' she said, 'there's that to consider.'

 

"Naturalmente", dijo, "es algo a consi-derar."

This brought the conversation to a close. Gudrun, almost angrily, took up her rubber and began to rub out part of her drawing. Ursula stitched absorbedly.

 

Esto llevó la conversación a su fin. Gudrun, casi con enojo, tomó su goma y empezó a borrar parte del dibujo. Ursula daba puntadas absorta.

'You wouldn't consider a good offer?' asked Gudrun.

 

"¿No considerarías una buena oferta?", preguntó Gudrun.

'I think I've rejected several,' said Ursula.

 

"Creo que ya he rechazado varias", dijo Ursula.

GLOSSARY

 

PHRASAL VERBS & ADVERBIAL PARTICLES
strayed through: moved about without any destination (vagaban por)
looked up: raised her eyes (levantó la vista)
taken aback: greatly surprised, shocked (desconcertada)
came over: covered all (cubrió, inundó)
to attend to: to pay attention to (para prestar atención a)
took up: lifted her rubber to go on working (levantó, tomó)
to rub out: to erase (a borrar)

 
     
 

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS & GENERAL GLOSSARY
arguably: probably (probablemente)
coalminer: pitman, somene who works in a coal mine (minero)
sought: searched (buscó, buscaba)
to seek/sought/sought/seeking: search (buscar)
brought up: educated (educado)
censorship: deleting parts of publications or theatrical performances (censura)
anyhow: (colloquial) anyway (de todas maneras)
quite definite: absolutely precise, accurate (absolutamente precisa, exacta)
it need be: it is necessary that it is (es necesario que sea)
bound to be: it's bound to be, the pronoun has been omitted as it is usual in everyday conversation (forzosamente lo será)
of some sort: of some kind or type (de algún tipo)
more likely to be: it's more likely to be, the pronoun has been omitted as it is usual in everyday conversation (es más probable que sea)

 
 

READING AND LISTENING ACTIVITY

 

 

LISTEN TO SISTERS GUDRUN (GLENDA JACKSON) AND URSULA BRANGWEN (JENNIE LINDEN) TALKING ABOUT MARRIAGE IN THIS SCENE FROM THE FILM "WOMEN IN LOVE".

GUDRUN:

Ursula, don't you really want to get married?

URSULA:

I don't know. It depends how you mean.

GUDRUN:

Well, it usually means one thing! But don't you think, anyhow, you'd be ... in a better position than you are in now.

URSULA:

I might. But I'm not sure.

GUDRUN:

You don't think one needs the experience of having been married?

URSULA:

Do you think it need be an experience?

GUDRUN:

Bound to be, in some way or other. Possibly undesirable, but bound to be an experience of some sort.

URSULA:

Not really. More likely to be the end of experience.

 

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