THIS TEXT is taken from An Irishwoman's Diary by journalist, Lara Marlowe (below). She was Irish Timescorrespondent in Beirut and Paris and is now based in Washington. Here she responds to an article critical of cats written by her friend and fellow journalist, Rosita Boland.

TEXT

“Rosita Boland is a cherished friend and colleague but I could not allow her attack on the feline species, in a recent article, to go unanswered. “Reading it here in Washington, I relived the disappointment – not to say sense of betrayal – that I felt years ago, when on a pilgrimage to Edith Wharton’s home in Massachusetts, I discovered that the novelist regarded cats as ‘snakes in fur’.

“I cannot say why reading a book is more pleasurable with a cat sitting in teapot mode at one’s side or why I sleep better with Spike curled up at the foot of the bed, but it is so.”

QUESTIONS

(i) From reading this article what impression do you form of both the personality and lifestyle of Lara Marlowe? Support your view with reference to the text.

(ii) Identify and comment on at least two stylistic features within the passage which you think add to the appeal of this text.