Френсис Фицджеральд: «Великий Гэтсби» и другие лучшие произведения Ф.С. Фицджеральда

the Civil War– a four-year war (1861–1865) between the US federal government and the Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1860

St. Paul– a city on the Mississippi River in Minnesota

the Catskills– the Catskill Mountains, a part of the Appalachian Mountains in the southwest of New York state

Jersey– New Jersey, one of the thirteen original states on the Atlantic coast, south and southwest of New York

Long Island– an island in the Atlantic Ocean, the southwestern part of New York state

proclamation– an official or public statement

aliases– names, different from one’s own, which persons uses on some occasions or for some reasons

the first Babylonian Empire– an ancient empire of the 18th century BC in Babylonia, a cultural region in Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers

bric-à-brac– bits of old and curious things of no great value

nymph– in Greek and Roman mythology, a goddess living in rivers, trees, etc.; a beautiful young woman.

Newport– a city in southwestern Rhode Island, US, founded in 1633

amnesia– loss of memory

wop= an Italian (US slang)

Pro deo et patria et St. Midas= For God, and fatherland, and St. Midas ( Latin )

the Balkans– the Balkan Peninsula, a cultural and historical region in Eastern Europe

Serbian– relating to Serbia, a country in the west-central Balkans

Empress Eugénie– the wife of Napoleon III (1808–1873), president of the Second Republic of France and then the emperor of France

West Virginia– a small US mountain state east of the Mississippi River, admitted to the Union in 1863

Omaha– a city in eastern Nebraska, on the west bank of the Mississippi River

Sioux City– a city in northwestern Iowa, on the Missouri River, founded in 1886

portico– entrance of a building with a roof supported by columns

Divinity– a divine person or other being

By golly! – an exclamation of surprise

rhinestones– rock-crystal; gems imitating diamonds.

to cut smb. off with a hot coal– to disinherit, to leave little or no money (idiom)

anachronism– 1) smth. or smb. out of date; 2) mistake in chronological relation.

Baltimore– a city in north-central Maryland, US, founded in 1729

the Confederacy– 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1860–1861 and formed the Confederate States of America; the secession caused the American Civil War of 1861–1865.

phaeton– an open four-wheeled carriage with one or two seats

septuagenarian– a person from 70 to 79 years of age

Methuselah– the Old Testament patriarch; he was 969 years old, and was considered the longest-lived man.

Havana– a famous cigar

the wandering Jew– a legendary character doomed to live until the end of the world in punishment for taunting Jesus Christ on his way to the Crucifixion

brougham– four-wheeled one-horse carriage designed by Henry Brougham in 1838

mantilla– a large veil or scarf worn to cover the hair and shoulders

San Juan Hill– the highest point of San Juan Ridge where one of the battles of the American-Spanish War took place in 1898

persona grata– a person who is acceptable

Y.W.C.A. – Young Women’s Christian Association

sans= without (French)

gingham– a strong, plain-woven cotton fabric

Richard Harding Davis (1864–1916)– American author of romantic novels, short-story writer and reporter

Frank Norris (1870–1908)– American novelist and the first American naturalist, writer of importance

the Japs= the Japanese (contemptuous)

Port Arthur– the place of severe battle during the Russian-Japanese war of 1904—1905

Château Thierry– a town on the Marne River in northeastern France, the place where the German offensive was stopped during World War I

sextets– groups of six people singing or playing music together

hansom– a two-wheeled closed carriage entered from the front, invented in 1839

the Gibson girl– an ideal of beauty of the epoch created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson (1867–1944)

Lillian Russell (1861—1922) – American actress and singer in musical comedies

Stella Mayhew– American actress

Anna Held– French actress of the late 19th – early 20th centuries

Balboa– Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475–1519), Spanish conquistador and explorer of Central and South America

manna– here: smth. sweet and tasty; in the Bible, miraculously sent food.

Thanksgiving (Day)– in the United States, an annual national holiday on the fourth Thursday of November celebrating the harvest

Seattle– a city in the state of Washington, one of the largest cities in the US