The air-conditioned Puritan

Why Americans, and those who are

employed

to

write

about

them,

cannot enjoy holidays

LET's take a boat to Bermuda, Let's take a

40Americans do not even take all the days they

10plane to St Paul, Let's take a kayak to Quincy

are allowed. In 2009, harrumphs Expedia,

or Nyack, Let's get away from it all. That

Americans gave back a total of 436m

may be all very well if you are not Lexington.

vacation days. In fairness, America does

For reasons only the flinty-hearted editor of

indulge its children: their school year is one

this newspaper can explain, there will be no

45of the shortest in the world, as is their school

15summer break this year for your columnist.

day. But the indulgence ends with adulthood.

True, Lexington has been allowed to saddle

up his ultimate driving machine and motor

Even when Americans do take time off, they

north to join friends in a cabin in the

find it hard to relax. Having holidayed for

Adirondacks. But get away from it all? No sir,

many years with the family of a Wall Street

20this is a space that must be filled week in

50lawyer, your columnists slumber has all too

and week out this summer, come what may.

often been disturbed in the early hours by

the

murmur

of

writs,

affidavits

and

In a way, of course, it is fitting that a Brit

threatening letters being dictated by phone

writing about America should not be allowed

to New York from Provence, Tuscany and

holiday.

55other otherwise tranquil locations. It may be

25Having a complete break would make it

that without this unremitting industry the

harder to understand the natives. As all the

lawyer and his family could not have afforded

world knows, Americans find taking time off,

quite so many hops across the Atlantic. But it

let

leisure,

seems pretty clear that something cultural

website,

60that famous Puritan fear of idle hands and

actual

relaxation

alone

filling

painfully

hard.

on

that
One

summer

time

with

travel

30expedia.com, believes (what a surprise) that

easeful nightsis at work as well.

everyone deserves and needs a vacation.

comparative

That is certainly the argument of Working at

international data on the scandal of vacation

Play, Cindy Arons aptly named social history

deprivation. These show that in 2009 the

of vacations in the United States, which

35average American adult received about 13

65argues that (up to 1940 at least, when her

Indeed,

it

has

compiled

days of holiday, whereas the average Briton

story

enjoyed

average

themselves trapped in a love-hate battle with

working Frenchman, infuriatingly, had 38

their holiday and have made a point of filling

days. Worse yet, more than a third of

their leisure with various sorts of work

luxurious

26.

The

ends)

Americans

have

found

70religious, intellectual and therapeutic. The

history is another way to stiffen the laxity of

middle classes did not start to take holidays

a vacation: famous buildings, battlefields and

in a big way until the late 19th century, at a

115landmarks are popular and lucrative draws.

time when the values that mattered were still

Not even Disney believes it can prosper by

industry and discipline, and when leisure and

selling escapism alone. Hence its proposal for

75idleness were perceived as sources of moral,

an

American-history

theme

park

outside

spiritual, financial and political danger. Many

Washington, DC (a scheme thwarted by the

a modern holiday resort, such as Marthas

120objections of local residents). And if the

Vineyard in Cape Cod, sprang out of a

educational holiday fails, there is always the

Methodist summer camp created to offer

pilgrimage.

80spiritual rather than physical comfort.

Like all theories about America as a whole,

Saddle up and think very hard

this one has its holes. How to explain Las

Vegas?

Besides,

not

all

immigrants

to

125Of

which

Lexingtons

journey

to

the

America brought Puritanism in their hearts.

Adirondacks is one. It would be simpler to

85From the 1930s onwards Jews living in New

hop on a plane, but how else, if not on

York started to holiday in the hundreds of

wheels, to delve into the psyche of the

rooming houses and hotels that sprouted in

holidaying

the

nearby

Catskill

mountains.

By

all

130enjoined

American?
Americans

Teddy
to

Roosevelt

rediscover

the

they

strenuous life, and your columnist embarks

90created there every summer was dedicated

(in his air-conditioned BMW) in that spirit on

unabashedly to pleasure. They danced the

this adventure with intimations of Steinbeck,

rumba, and later the bossa nova, and thrilled

Kerouac, Easy Rider and Lewis and Clark

accounts

the

self-contained

world

to crooners and comedians from Manhattan,

135thrown in.

Brooklyn and the Bronx. Though the posher

Beyond being part of the American passion

95hotels had swimming pools, golf courses and

for mobility, the road trip is a quest, less a

nightclubs, this was a magnet for Jews of all

search

classes, and many families and their friends

returned to the same hotels or rooming
houses year after year, until air conditioning,

100affluence

and

alternatives

cheap

available

air
and

travel
brought

for

pleasure

than

an

act

of

exploration, not just of the land but also of

140the self. Cross the continent on one of its

endlessly unspooling east-west highways and

made

you will encounter many a pilgrimsolitary

the

bikers on Harleys, hopeful families in their

enchanted little world to an end.

RVswhose grail is not the Michelin-starred

And yet neither affluence nor diversity seem

145restaurant (fat chance) or the perfect beach

to have made it as easy for Americans to

but something at once simpler and loftier:

105relax on holiday in the way that guilt-free

freedom, perhaps. There are exceptions.

vacationer

Mark Twain sought only ham, eggs and

unable to silence his inner Puritan for those

scenery, a fragrant pipe and a contented

paltry 13 days a year must combine his

150heart. He was lucky not to work for The

holiday with some self-improving experience.

Economists flinty-hearted editor. (A problem

Europeans

do.

The

American

easily solved. Ed.)

110Children are sent to camp to learn the Great

Outdoors, or taught to fish or light fires by
over-earnest

fathers.

Communing

with

155

160

165

170

175

180

185

190

195

200

205

210

Useful vocabulary

flinty-hearted = with a hard heart

saddle up = to get started ( analogy of the saddle of a horse)
fitting = convenient
let alone = even less
infuriatingly = in an annoying manner
harrumph = clear throat noisily( figuratively here: express dissatisfaction grumpily)
indulge = usually to indulge IN stg but here: to satisfy/ yield(=cder) to the demand of
slumber = sleep
writ = legal document ordering so. to do stg
affidavit = written document which you swear is true (can be used in court)
unremitting = ceaseless
hop = jump : here short trips
idle busy
therapeutic rpjtik
spring out of = come from
rooming houses = private houses you can rent
sprout = come out
unabashedly = without embarrassment
thrill to = to be excited by
posh = rich
magnet = piece of attracting iron, here: attraction
paltry = small
stiffen = make harder
draw = here: attraction
thwart = prevent
delve into = inquire
enjoin = encourage
intimation = hint
unspooling = straight (without many curves)
grail = earnestly pursued goal
fat chance = ironical expression meaning it is quite unlikely
lofty = noble, admirable
fragrant = that has a pleasant smell

Version
215
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L 18-26
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L 47-53
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L 58-62
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250L 95-101
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L 132-139
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265

270
Certaines constructions verbales
275
Id rather + do (BV)
Id rather you+ preterite
To allow so. To +BV
280She had better + BV
I happened to see her yesterday
I cant help +ING
To enable so. To+BV
To talk so into +ING
285To admit to +ING
To look forward to +ING
To object to+ING
To accuse so. OF +ING
To blame so. FOR +ING
290To have so. do stg.
This policy needs/wants rethinking
To succeed in +ING
To warn so. not to do stg.
I dont mind / I mind +ING
295Please remember to tell him (ax vers lavenir)
I remember talking to her. (ax vers le pass)
To want/expect so./stg to +BV
To let so. +BV
To forbid so. To+ BV
300To agree to +BV
I didnt mean to+BV
To insist on (so.s)+ING
To stop +ING
To stop to+BV
305To cause to + BV
to be made to + BV

310

315

320

je prfererais faire
je prfererais que vous
autoriser qqn
elle ferait mieux de
je lai par hasard vue hier.
je ne peux pas mempcher de
permettre qqn de
convaincre qqn (en leur parlant)
admettre de
languir de
tre contre le fait de
accuser qqn de

faire faire qqch. (par qqn)

il faut repenser cette politique
russir
mettre qqn en garde de ne pas faire qqch.
cela mest gal de/ ne mest pas gal de
souviens toi de lui dire.
je me souviens de lui avoir parl.
vouloir/ sattendre que/ ce que
laisser qqn. +verbe
interdir qqn de
accepter de
je navais pas lintention de
insister pour/ pour que
sarrter de
sarrter pour
causer qqch
tre forc

Thme grammatical

325

330

335

340

345

1. C'est comme si une voix intrieure leur disait: " je prfrerais que tu ne restes pas l rien faire!"
2. Si les Amricains ne veulent pas que leur vie entire se rsume leur travail, alors ils feraient
mieux de s'octroyer plus de temps libre et d'apprendre en profiter pleinement sans la moindre
culpabilit.
3. Ils ne peuvent pas s'empcher de travailler tout le temps, mme durant le peu de jours de cong
qu'ils arrivent prendre.
4. De relles vacances leur permettraient cependant d'tre encore plus efficace dans leur travail au
retour.
5. Malheureusement, on force tout le monde croire que " l'oisivet est mre de tous les vices."
6. On accuse les adultes amricains de ne jamais travailler assez alors que leurs jeunes ont une des
annes scolaires les plus courtes du monde!
7. J'ai finalement russi le convaincre (en lui parlant) de faire une vritable coupure avec sa vie
professionnelle. Ce qui devrait lui faire le plus grand bien s'il veut bien suivre mes conseils.
8. Je l'avais pourtant prvenu, qu' ce rythme l, il allait tout droit la dpression!