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2010-05-04T09:56:00.005-04:00

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The Mount's first flash mob

2010-04-14T11:46:00.006-04:00

The Mount's first ever, and probably destined to remain only, flash mob, "Operation Waverly", was a great success! The Wikipedia article cited here speaks of flash mobs performing "an unusual and pointless act for a brief time" but The Mount's was anything but pointless. Our very important point was to support the campaign to save Save America's Treasures. We had a very good turnout, especially as it was early on a weekday, and we thank everyone who came and held up signs for our photo shoot. Save America's Treasures's blog has a nice article on The Mount. Keep up the pressure and help the people who really did Save The Mount!

Open call for photo shoot

2010-04-05T23:13:00.002-04:00

Save America's Treasures is asking for photos from each of their projects that show groups of supporters at the site. To quote from SAT: "During the recess week of April 5th-9th, we are asking every SAT project across the country to help us promote your site and raise awareness for preservation by scheduling a public photo day [and] shine a spotlight on SAT's positive impact across the country."

We are asking for all of The Mount's friends who live in the Lenox area to come along on Wednesday morning, April 7th, at 9 am. Meet on the terrace for a group photo which we will send along to SAT. The Mount is offering a Be Our Guest pass for everyone who takes part. If this request at such short notice reminds you of a movie, please let it be the perennial favorite "White Christmas", and think of Save America's Treasures as General Waverly.

We don't ask anyone to don their old uniform, just come as you are and help save this vital program! See you Wednesday!

Stockbridge's "Age of Innocence" is over

2010-04-01T12:25:00.003-04:00

April seems to be a very good month for The Mount's near neighbor, The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. Following on from last year's extremely successful April 1st conference, they are fully booked again this year! We envy them their ability to fill spaces in the Berkshires in what is traditionally the low season. We hope that all of the many lovely ladies staying there today come over to The Mount for a visit. They could probably teach Lily Bart a thing or two about men.

First Edith, now Teddy

2010-03-22T13:12:00.010-04:00

As the multitudinous followers of The Mount's Blog already know, this year The Mount is presenting a new exhibit all about film adaptations of works by Edith Wharton. There already have been a few biopics about Wharton, and in one of those, Looking Back, produced for PBS in 1981, Wharton, played by Kathleen Widdoes, makes an imaginary return to The Mount. The Mount does not play itself, it is played by The Elms in Newport!! A later biopic, Songs from the Heart, at least has The Mount in its rightful place playing Wharton's home, but the time is ripe for The Mount to claim center stage at the heart of our own, as yet unwritten, unsold, and probably, alas, never to be produced, Edith Wharton biopic!

We have sent out a casting call for Edith Wharton, and today it is the turn of her husband. Edward Robbins Wharton, known as Teddy, will be a difficult role to fill. He was by all accounts a charming, friendly, playful, and kind man, certainly in the early years of his relationship with Edith Jones. Thirteen years older than Edith, he went to Harvard with one of her older brothers. They had little in common except for a love of animals. In fact, we are told that one of the reasons that The Mount was a failure as a working farm is that Teddy grew so fond of each of the pigs that he would never send them away for slaughter!

Teddy was of average height, had dark hair and a dark moustache, and hazel eyes. A number of candidates have been put forward, Tom Selleck and Tom Cruise being two, but we at The Mount feel that both of the Toms would be more suited to the cad of the piece, Morton Fullerton.

The first real contender in your blogger's opinion is the ever charming Burt Reynolds. We know that Teddy Wharton was a keen motorist, and anyone who has seen Mr. Reynolds's work in The Cannonball Run or Smokey and the Bandit can see that he would do justice to many aspects of Mr. Wharton's personality.

Meaning in no way to disparage Mr. Reynolds's abilities, the difficulty for an actor in playing Teddy arises from his mental state, which worsened greatly after he and his wife moved into The Mount. It is generally assumed nowadays that he suffered from bipolar disorder, or manic depression. We feel that our next contender, Robert Downey, Jr. has proven his versatility time and again, and he looks good with a moustache as well (see above).

Our last contender has done stalwart work in every genre of the cinema. Teddy Wharton's extreme mood swings lead to great difficulty in their marriage, and though his wife tried to find the best possible care for him, both he and other members of his family resisted. Although it was never reported that there was any physical violence, there were a number of very unfortunate scenes here at The Mount. Many of these took place near the doorway to the Whartons's adjoining bedrooms, and visitors like Henry James wrote of these terrible encounters in letters. We therefore put forth Jack Nicholson as our own favorite to play Teddy Wharton. After all, he has done something very similar before!

Please continue to help us by suggesting your own favorites in the comments section of the blog!

Saving Save America's Treasures part 3

2010-03-18T10:12:00.007-04:00

We must continue the campaign for Save America's Treasures. WAMC, NPR for the Northeast, broadcast a story about the threat to this program yesterday, and have posted the story online. Listen to it here. WAMC: Landmark Restoration Funding on the Chopping Block in DC (2010-03-17) Then follow this link and contact your member of Congress. According to the program Save America's Treasures costs approximately $25 million. This is peanuts compared to so many other budget items, and the shortsightedness of cutting this program from the budget is baffling to those of us who care at all about places like The Mount. Put it on Facebook, tweet it, blog it, make as much of a fuss as is necessary. The Mount, and (let us be honest, perhaps even more crucially) The Mount's Blog would certainly not be here without Save America's Treasures!

Saving Save America's Treasures part 2

2010-03-15T13:14:00.010-04:00

Just in case there are those out there who think that our argument for saving Save America's Treasures needs bolstering, here are a few "before and after" pictures ...

Follow the link above and act now, before it is too late to save this vital program!

To all who care about our history, our culture, historic preservation, and, of course, The Mount

2010-03-10T12:20:00.009-05:00

All of us at The Mount are horrified at the proposed budget cuts which now threaten to completely eliminate the crucial program Save America's Treasures. This program has created thousands of jobs and helped to preserve hundreds of sites that otherwise would have been lost forever. It is nothing but the truth to say that without Save America's Treasures The Mount would simply not be here today. We cannot express our distress and dismay strongly enough and we ask that everyone who cares not only about The Mount, but about America's heritage and historic preservation please take whatever steps that they can to prevent its destruction. Watch the video below, then follow this link.

Write your congressman, make a donation to the campaign, blog it, facebook it, tweet it, do whatever it takes! Is there somewhere near you that is like The Mount only a decade ago, a near ruin, facing demolition, development, and destruction? Remember what could have and would have happened to The Mount without Save America's Treasures, and act now!

Wharton hits a home run!

2010-03-02T11:21:00.004-05:00

One had to use the baseball analogy for this excellent news! The New York Library Association has announced the list of authors who will be the first inducted into the recently established New York State Writers Hall of Fame. Of course, Edith Wharton is on the list, and we salute the NYLA for this initiative. The Hall of Fame will initially be physically located at the Albany Public Library, just a hop, skip, and jump away from Lenox, so if one finds oneself there, there is no excuse not to visit The Mount as well!

The picture above is by local hero Norman Rockwell, and comes to us courtesy of the Norman Rockwell Museum's website. As a matter of fact, one would think that the visit mentioned above could well include a stop there as well, as it is just around the corner.

"I began to see what life there--or rather its negation--must have been in Ethan Frome's young manhood."

2010-02-24T12:23:00.013-05:00

One could argue that the principal character in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome is not Ethan himself, nor Zenobia, nor even Mattie Silver, but is in fact snow, in all its coldness and beauty. At least that it the way it feels to your blogger, who, though all would no doubt attest is usually more like Mattie ("her slim young throat and the brown wrist no bigger than a child's..."), today feels very much more Zenobia-esque ("I've got my shooting pains so bad ...").

This change, which one hopes will be temporary, could be due to the fact that the Berkshires has been completely transformed into Starkfield today: "I looked out of my window into a thick snow-fall. The height of the white waves massed against the garden-fence and along the wall of the church showed that the storm must have been going on all night,and that the drifts were likely to be heavy in the open. ... This time the wind did not cease with the return of the snow. Instead, it sprang up to a gale which now and then, from a tattered sky, flung pale sweeps of sunlight over a landscape chaotically tossed."

If one appears grumpy, then perhaps the fact that, even though your blogger had her posh frock ready for a trip to New York City with other, more prescient Mounties (who sensibly left Tuesday), the weather meant she was unable to attend The Mount's 2010 Season Preview at the New York School of Interior Design. She is not bitter, however, no sir! Give her ice, snow, smoking fireplaces, and possible electical outages over champagne brunches any day! In any case, The Mount's new season should prove to be the most diverse and interesting yet and will more than compensate for a little wintry weather!

If one is to be snowed in for long, and the electricity holds, there are always computer games to be played. Having just purchased Dante's Inferno, and always on the lookout for more games based on classic literature, one is thrilled by the idea of Ethan Frome: Sled Ride to Hell ! One believes that it would be a guaranteed hit, and the filmmakers showcased recently could make the film based on the game based on the book! When is our idea of a survival horror game based on Kerfol going to be picked up?

Edith Wharton makes it easy ...

2010-02-16T11:51:00.008-05:00

... for your blogger, as she is undoubtedly the "center of the cultural universe". (One is considering trademarking that phrase, as it is both pithy and apt.) Proof follows herewith.

First, as noted in our previous entry, Wharton's inspiration extends through all generations and all media. The Mount's new favorite band is Tellison and the reason why is below:
"Sometimes I long for plots and structure..."

Next we come to an absolutely fascinating individual, Frances Benjamin Johnston, one the pioneers of photography, who was both African-American and a woman to boot! There is a wonderful online exhibit of Miss Johnston's work here. Her similarity to Edith Wharton is obvious in that they were both masters of their respective crafts at a somewhat unencouraging time (see advert below). But to us here at The Mount the most interesting thing about Miss Johnston's work is that she photographed the gardens of Pavillon Colombe, Edith Wharton's house near Paris. This photograph is from the Library of Congress, in which is housed the Frances Benjamin Johnston collection.

And lastly, at least for now, The Mount would like to congratulate Professor Stan Wojewodski Jr., Distinguished Professor of Directing in the Meadows School’s Division of Theatre, who has been appointed chair of theatre at SMU. In addition to his extensive theatre work, Prof. Wojewodski developed The Mount's 2005 exhibition Lily’s Downfall, which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the publication of The House of Mirth. The Mount is obviously primarily responsible for the wise decision by SMU(or at least your blogger would like to think so.)

Wharton's classic novel Ethan Frome continues to inspire!

2010-02-12T19:43:00.008-05:00

As proof that Edith Wharton's appeal never wanes, and just in time for The Mount's upcoming celebration of stage and screen adaptations of Edith Wharton's works, comes an updated Ethan Frome which is destined to become a classic. One needs do no more than quote from the press release: "Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, a new short film from the people who brought you Pilgrims ... is the latest short from Johnson's Cinemating and Off Set Services' PERIODS. series. Created by filmmakers Victor Quinaz and Anna Martemucci. PERIODS. takes the modern trappings of mumblecore and a pinch of MTV'S The Hills to approach classic settings and stories with a new found earnestness. PERIODS. is committed to historical and emotional accuracy, with historians and hysterics working around the clock. Or better yet, think of it as Masterpiece Theater on wine coolers. ... You'll be Froming at the mouth ... "

This is pretty impressive stuff, and one can't wait for the "exclusive Internet Mini-mini Series event, Jane Austen's Pride and Stuff.

Who shall be our Edith?

2010-02-10T14:28:00.008-05:00

As promised, we at The Mount are trying to assemble the perfect cast for a proposed biopic of Edith Wharton. Who knows, if we get the right package together perhaps an "angel" will appear with plenty of cash and we will be able to make our dream a reality! We herewith present a potted description of our heroine, Edith Newbold Jones Wharton.

A description of Edith Jones as a small child from Shari Benstock's No Gifts from Chance: "Our first glimpse of Edith is a miniature by an unknown artist made when she was three years old. Pale blue eyes peer wide-eyed from a squarish chubby cheeked face. Her lips are drawn in a bow, eyebrows sketched by two curved lines, the red hair pulled into big sausage curls at the temples. Later pictures emphasize her high, wide forehead and under shot jaw."

From Hermione Lee's biography comes a description of Edith Wharton in 1907 at age 45 at the beginning of her relationship with Morton Fullerton (pictured below):
"Edith was looking handsome and fine, in her dark furs and silks, her laces and pearls and elegant hats, her long, strong serious face with its large dark eyes and strongly arched eyebrows and ironical smile softened by a great sweep of dark-reddish hair pinned up in a large loose bun. She was not beautiful--her nose was too long, her chin too heavy and square, her build too stocky and her smile too tight, and her expression still showed something of that nervous apprehensive reserve that made her looks, in her twenties, so painfully tense."

(As an aside, your blogger, who suffered for years with the most horrible braces, does believe that modern orthodontics might have spared Mrs. Wharton the very prominent underbite which is so apparent in her adult photos.)

We have decided to leave out any descriptions from Percy Lubbock's Portrait of Edith Wharton. As they say in Wikipedia, its neutrality is disputed. Wharton's own godson, William Royall Tyler, said it was written by someone who appeared to "despise" Edith Wharton. Hermione Lee puts it very well: "Lubbock pursues with gusto [his] version of the chilly controlling chatelaine, which can make Edith Wharton sound like the character played by Margaret Dumont in the Marx Brothers films."
But who could have realized that this would serendipitously lead us to another perfect casting opportunity!!!

Please keep on sending in your suggestions and comments!

A tragedy with a happy ending

2010-01-28T22:05:00.009-05:00

Warning! Possible Spoiler Alert! And your blogger really hates spoilers!

The first stage adaptation of Edith Wharton’s bestselling novel The House of Mirth was not a success. In A Backward Glance when Wharton describes the reaction of William Dean Howells, who had come at her invitation to see the performance, she writes of “the lapidary phrase in which, as we left the theatre, he summed up the reason of the play’s failure. ‘Yes—what the American public always wants is a tragedy with a happy ending.’”

This seems to have done the trick at least in the beginning. The first film version of The House of Mirth, made in 1918 with Katherine Corri Harris Barrymore starring as Lily Bart, decided to go with the “Sleeping Beauty” ending. As Lily begins to succumb to the blissful sleep provide by her “medication” Lawrence Selden rushes in to her side, sweeps her up into his arms, and assures her that all will be well! This film is tragically among the lost gems of early cinema, and so one can only picture this beautiful scene in one’s mind’s eye.

Did the new ending make the film more successful? What did Mrs. Wharton think about this and about Hollywood in general? She said late in her life that movies were the ”killer of the imagination”, but earlier in her career she certainly understood their earning potential and influence on popular culture. Throughout her literary career she actively pursued adaptations of her works, and was very much involved in the dramatization of many of her most important novels. One of the great as yet unsolved and most intriguing Whartonian mysteries: Did Edith Wharton ever go to the movies herself? Aside from a brief mention of a movie or newsreel in Spain with Walter Berry in 1914, there are no explicit mentions in any letters or memoirs of Wharton’s attending a film. We do know that she disapproved of the reigning queen of the silent cinema, Mary Pickford, and made fun of Greta Garbo. She certainly used images and descriptions of movies in her fiction, from Summer onwards. How did she know how to write about movies and why did she have an opinion about the stars of the day, if she never saw a movie herself? This has puzzled Wharton scholars, and perhaps the answer will come in some as yet undiscovered archive. She certainly did attend stage performances of her novels and some of them met with her approval. The many radio, stage, screen and opera adaptations of her works which continue even today show that her appeal remains stong and crosses the boundaries of generations.

Jane Austen, who never loses her appeal, and Edith Wharton address similar societal subjects. Wherein lies the difference? Is it that Mr. Darcy turns out to be the most wonderful guy ever and he and Elizabeth Bennett live happily ever after? On the other hand, Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska are entrapped in a cycle of eternal frustration.
A tragedy with a happy ending?

Casting call comments

2010-01-28T10:30:00.007-05:00

The Mount is thrilled to see that our casting call is already garnishing some interesting responses! However, a stalwart Mountie seems to have an issue with my suggestion of Squidward from Spongebob as Walter Berry. One feels that the resemblance should be glaringly obvious to all, from the high intellectual brow to the somewhat arrogant stance (see below). Her comments: "Tom Cruise as Morton!...not Teddy !!! That deadly cold charm. (blue eyes, Teddy's were hazel)...Hmmmm and as a (distant) and lowly cousin of Walter I think I resent that one....I will think on my "perfect Walt" !!!"

Although we stand by our choice, we will admit that Squidward does not sport a moustache. As this Mountie, who shall remain nameless here, is of an old Knickerbocker family and thusly a relative of Mr. Berry (the closest thing to aristocracy here at The Mount), we shall defer to her sensibilities and entertain other suggestions. Mr. Berry had electric blue eyes and white hair so our two next suggestions are the late Paul Newman, and the German singing superstar sensation Heino. (The image of Mr. Newman above is from the Daily Telegraph). The list is growing, so keep your suggestions coming in the comments!

Louis Auchincloss, 1917-2010

2010-01-27T14:26:00.007-05:00

The Mount was extremely saddened to hear of the death of our great friend, Louis Auchincloss. He was a wonderful and gifted writer, a true successor to Edith Wharton as chronicler of society's many foibles, and a fine, witty, and generous person. His biography of Edith Wharton, who was a friend of his mother's, is at hand on your blogger's desk at the moment, having been used as a reference just this morning. His support of our work at The Mount was always so inspiring to those of us who work here. He gave us many generous gifts, from personal items such as portraits of Edith Wharton and her family to the even more precious gift of his knowledge of Wharton and her time.

Your blogger's last encounter with him was on a visit to The Mount last summer (above). We were in the library, which contains a work by Friedrich Nietzsche with the flyleaf annotated in Edith Wharton's hand. Most of the notes are references to various passages in the book (Der Wille zur Macht, Bd. 1, in a 1906 set of the complete works), but one of them is a little bit unusual. Wharton has written at the bottom of the page "50 grains of veronal is the minimum fatal dose", and there has been much speculation on the reason for this, was it perhaps research for The House of Mirth or The Fruit of the Tree?

Mr. Auchincloss saw it gave us his interpretation without hesitation: "She was planning on doing Teddy in!"

We will miss him very much and offer our sincerest condolences to his family.

Casting Call!!

2010-01-26T14:58:00.009-05:00

Do you have a secret desire to be a casting director?
Ever spent hours around a café table, at your favorite pub, or even online debating the merits of the choices directors and producers have made for your favorite books or films?

Would you have cast Robert Redford as Jay Gatsby, George Clooney as Batman, Keira Knightly as Elizabeth Bennett, Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, William Shatner as Alyosha? If you answered yes (or even no!) to any of these questions, then you are more than eligible to join The Mount’s Cast Your Own contest.

In conjunction with our 2010 exhibit Dramatic License: Wharton on Stage & Screen, we not only will entertain suggestions on the “perfect” Madame Olenska or Ethan Frome, but more perhaps the more challenging prospect of casting an imaginary “biopic” of Edith Wharton’s life here at The Mount. There have been several attempts at this already, but we at The Mount feel that the time is ripe for another! For the next few weeks we will post a brief biographical sketch of each of our main characters.

A few excellent suggestions have been made already: Julianne Moore as Edith Wharton, Tom Cruise as Teddy, the possibilities are endless! For example, your blogger cannot help but notice the very strong resemblance between Walter Van Rensselaer Berry and Squidward of Spongebob Squarepants fame!

We encourage all Whartonians and film buffs out there to post their own casting ideas in the comments section of the blog. We will take the most popular names posted over the next few months and make a shortlist for the competition. Rules and regulations will follow. Post early and Post often!

Wharton on stage and screen

2010-01-26T12:37:00.006-05:00

Greetings!

At The Mount we are hard at work on our 2010 exhibit: "Dramatic License: Wharton on Stage and Screen". We want to share not only some of the most recent and well-known adaptations of her works, but also those which have faded from memories, such as a 1935 film called Strange Wives based on a Wharton short story initially entitled Bread Upon the Waters, and later changed to Charm, Inc. The movie Strange Wives was not a great box office hit it seems, but if anyone has ever seen it, please share!

Most people remember Michell Pfeiffer as Madame Olenska in the 1993 Age of Innocence, but we have tracked down other great actors who have portrayed Ellen on stage and screen including Beverly Bayne in a 1924 silent film, Katherine Cornell in the 1928 stage version, and Irene Dunne in the 1934 film version. Edith Wharton called one of them "my perfect Ellen". Any guesses which one she meant? Who would be your "perfect Ellen"? Think on it, blog it.

Thanks,
The Mount

Happy Birthday!!

2010-01-25T12:57:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, January 24th, was the 148th birthday of our favorite author, Edith Wharton. We are celebrating here at The Mount with staff meetings, but cake (and gluten-free snickerdoodles) will fortunately be included! We hope that all of the Whartonians out there had a wonderful day, and though Mrs. Wharton did not always welcome "that melancholy 24th" there was one thing about it that she did appreciate, as she wrote in a letter to her friend Sally Norton: "The only thing that consoles me for its recurrence is the thought it brings me from friends, who, like you, have the genius of dates. Thank you again & again.”

Edith Wharton's New York

2010-01-15T15:29:00.006-05:00

If you are a Whartonian, and in New York City this weekend, you might well want to join in the Municipal Art Society of New York's walking tour "Edith Wharton's New York". It begins at 2.00 pm on Sunday, January 17th. Meet at the N.W. corner of Fifth Ave. and 23rd St. As we have mentioned before, her childhood home on West 23rd Street is now a Starbucks, so if you get too cold and hungry you could quickly pop in and bask in the knowledge that you are drinking your latte in the very spot where Wharton began to practice her wonderful way with words. "The coffee was so exquisite that he asked for a second cup: such a contrast to the watery stuff at the club!" Depending on your opinion of Starbucks coffee, you might feel that this quotation, from The House of Mirth, suits the moment precisely! The above photograph of the house in 1880 appears in an interesting blog entry from The Edith Wharton Society.

2010-01-11T13:44:00.012-05:00

In The Reef Edith Wharton wrote: “Silence may be as variously shaded as speech." That must serve as The Mount's blog's excuse for its own prolonged silence. This silence cannot continue, however, as Edith Wharton's presence in the wide world of the internets is as pervasive now as it has ever been. The Classics Circuit encourages the reading of great books by celebrating certain authors in book blogs. January has been Edith Wharton Month! Rather than list all of the many, many blog entries here, we prefer to eliminate the middle man and send the reader straight to the Edith Wharton Tour Schedule on their website.

This should keep all Whartonians suitably occupied, but if not, here follow a few more links.

January 7 was the seventy-fourth anniversary of the debut of two plays on Broadway, important not only to American theatre in general but to Mounties in particular. Both Edith Wharton's Old New York story The Old Maid, in Zoe Akins' adaptation, and The Petrified Forest, starring Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart in his breakout role, opened in New York that night. The significance of The Old Maid is self-explanatory. But as our readers know, The Mount's blog is founded on the premise that Edith Wharton is the centre of the cultural universe, and so The Petrified Forest also belongs here, as the film of the same name with the same cast also starred Bette Davis, who of course starred in the film version of The Old Maid (above, with Miriam Hopkins) in 1939. (Plus, your blogger has always has a bit of a "thing" for Leslie Howard, and welcomes any excuse to bring him up (also above, and looking lovely as ever).

Dame Judith Anderson starred in the Broadway version, and in yet another very fine sequitur we herewith present Judith Anderson reading the Gettysburg Address on the Ed Sullivan Show. The clip features the sculpture from the Lincoln Memorial by Edith Wharton's Berkshires neighbour Daniel Chester French of Chesterwood.

Timely and topical adaptations of Wharton masterpieces

2009-12-04T12:30:00.006-05:00

One of Edith Wharton's greatest gifts as a writer was her ability to sum up an entire life in one succinct moment. Your blogger's favorite example is from The Age of Innocence, when Newland Archer is dining at the home of his employer, Mr. Letterblair: "On the sideboard, between fluted Sheraton knife-cases, stood a decanter of Haut Brion, and another of the old Lanning port (the gift of a client), which the wastrel Tom Lanning had sold off a year or two before his mysterious and discreditable death in San Francisco--an incident less publicly humiliating to the family than the sale of the cellar."

However, Mrs. Wharton's own "nutshelling" abilities are left in the dust when one contemplates John Crace's recent treatment of the novel in the Guardian. To get the most from this "Digested Classic" click on the audio link.

A more timely "adaptation" is suggested in the Huffington Post. Although not intended seriously, we here at The Mount think that "The Real Housewives of Mirth" has legs, so as soon as we find a backer with sufficient capital, casting could begin! After all, Edith Wharton has conquered the world of prime-time drama with Gossip Girl, why should the world of "reality tv" be left behind?

The only climate she could breath in

2009-11-20T15:05:00.006-05:00

In The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton wrote that Lily Bart "was not made for mean and shabby surroundings, for the squalid compromises of poverty. Her whole being dilated in an atmosphere of luxury; it was the background she required, the only climate she could breathe in."

It is probable that all of us have made a few "squalid compromises" at some point or other, but we do appreciate the odd moment of luxury. And with that exceedingly smooth seque, we are led to The Mount's appearance on the PBS series "Moment of Luxury" with Bill Stubbs. The entire episode focussed on the Gilded Age, and included an interesting interview with Ann Brown, the owner of Blantyre, The Mount's beautiful and exceedingly luxurious neighbor and with Christopher Brooks, the Executive Chef.Francine Segan, food historian, talked of picnics and Roman Punch. Alas, none of the picnic or punch was left for the Mounties, but Blantyre is just around the corner!

Above: Gillian Anderson as Lily Bart in The House of Mirth

The Mount is on a roll and having a ball (boule)!

2009-11-13T10:58:00.003-05:00

Last month The Mount hosted a special day of pétanque and the following report was filed by our special sports correspondent, Nynke:

On Columbus Day, October 12th, playful Berkshire residents and visitors of all ages got together at The Mount to try out the French ballgame "pétanque", also know in Italian as "bocce". On this gorgeous, sunny fall day, Edith Wharton's flower garden had been transformed into several pétanque courts which were filled with people of all generations playing, loudly discussing the game, and enjoying fresh crèpes and warm apple cider. Little did we know that there were so many local pétanque lovers; new leagues were set up on the spot! The more serious players (bringing their own balls...) showed of some of their awesome master-throws which got everyone cheering. Families took turns playing pétanque, strolling through the gardens (still in full color), and visiting the house. It was a beautiful day outside, filled with laughter and good food. To be continued as soon as the weather permits next season!

For more information on the game of pétanque, please visit:
http://www.petanque.org
This video gives a basic introduction.

Dennis Lehane, Jane Austen, John Keats and Edith Wharton

2009-11-02T15:53:00.008-05:00

Is Edith Wharton the Center of the Cultural Universe? Pondering this question and trying to reach an unbiased conclusion is one of The Mount's blog's principal reasons for existence. There may be some other contenders for the title, but proof that Mrs. Wharton is definitely in the running just keeps appearing, and one instance follows.

Dennis Lehane, author of some of the best novels to appear out of Massachusetts since Mrs. Wharton departed for France, was quoted in an interview which first appeared in 2005, but was recently reposted on www.bscreview.com.

He has this to say "People always think it strange that I dig Edith Wharton. I can’t explain it myself, since I can’t stand Henry James and Wharton’s a direct literary descendent of his. There’s just something cool about the genteel savagery of her “violence.” It’s not the violence of a blow or a gunshot; it’s the violence of a well-placed whisper."

Dennis Lehane's novel Shutter Island is now being turned into a feature film, directed by Martin Scorsese, director of 1993's The Age of Innocence. What was that about the Center of the Cultural Universe?

Austen, Keats and of course Wharton used the English language in a timeless, dynamic and romantic way. The houses in which they lived haved proved to be equally timeless, and are all now house museums open to the public. The Financial Times recently published an article highlighting a number of writers' homes, and it is very interesting to see the similarities of The Mount's experience to those of British houses open to the public. Visit them (virtually) now:Janes Austen's House Museum and Keats House

Edith Wharton's other "niece"

2009-10-21T15:38:00.005-04:00

Whartonians are all familiar with Beatrix Farrand, one of America's foremost landscape gardeners and Mrs. Wharton's niece, the only one that we knew about, anyway. This article by Maureen Dowd in the New York Times, indicates that there may have been a rather less reputable "niece" out and about in New York. The article also posits some interesting ideas on how to bring journalism in its printed form back to the forefront of the media. This hearkens back to our recent panel on Food Writing here at The Mount, and the very interesting timing of the closure of Gourmet Magazine shortly after.

Ms. Dowd's gambling idea has some promise, but one does balk at the new Conde Nast dating website which purports to “unite glamorous girls with fashion-conscious GQ-reading boys to create matches made in style heaven.” However, anything that promotes and assists the written (and printed) word is something that The Mount will support. Perhaps a site for like-minded Wharton "nieces" and "nephews" might be the way forward ...
(The photo above is by E.J. Bellocq and was taken in the infamous Storyville district of New Orleans sometime in the early 20th c.)

Edith Wharton's Paris

2009-10-21T11:33:00.008-04:00

no. 58 rue de Varenne

Last Sunday's New York Times contained an interesting article about Edith Wharton and her years in Paris. It mentions Morton Fullerton, with whom she is known to have had an affair. (Some of us have our theories about Walter Berry, but that is for another day's blogging ... ).Our favorite quote from the article "She and Fullerton plotted their encounters via the text-message technology of the era: a furious exchange of brief notes delivered often several times a day by the Paris postal system."

Your blogger also came across this article printed in 1975 and written by R.W.B. Lewis, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Edith Wharton, now out-of-print but still obtainable through used and rare booksellers. This details his discovery of the affair with Fullerton, and of a side of Edith Wharton's life which had been previously unknown. Not as timely as the article above, but of interest to Whartonians nonetheless.

The Mount is in a beautiful and interesting part of the world ...

2009-10-14T18:59:00.006-04:00

Your self-styled intrepid blogger, an inhabitant of the southern part of Berkshire County, is not actually as intrepid as all that, and tends to confine herself to a ridiculously limited geographical area. Of course, as that area includes The Mount, who can wonder at this self-imposed isolation? However, as a result of being called to do her civic duty as a citizen and report for jury duty, she found herself in the heart of the northern Berkshires, North Adams, Massachusetts. She was not alone on her trek northward, and those companions who were not called upon to perform one of the most precious rights and privileges given to a citizen of these United States, were able to take advantage of this opportunity. They visited Mass MoCA and in particular the Sol Lewitt Wall Drawing Retrospective. This was a treat that cannot be more highly recommended by these companions, one of whom who admittedly attended Byam Shaw School of Art and tends toward a rather Lewittian world view at times. There is time to see it, as it is going to be in place for 25 years, but it is a fantastic conglomeration of his work.

Civic duty notwithstanding, your blogger did find a little time at the end of the day to visit one of the most impressive natural features of the Berkshires, the summit of Mount Greylock. It was snowing. In October. When the snow stopped, and the view cleared it was indescribable.

As this post has not yet mentioned Edith Wharton, it seems fitting to add at this point that Mrs. Wharton, in the back seat presumably, was in the car when her chauffeur, Charles Cook of Lee, Massachusetts, was the first person EVER to drive a car up Mount Greylock! The above photo shows Charles Cook, Edith Wharton, her pal Henry James in the back, and Teddy Wharton with dogs standing by, in front of The Mount in about 1904. The Wharton legacy and influence lives on, even in the far and extremely picturesque northern Berkshires. Your blogger has had her eyes opened, today North Adams, tomorrow Vermont?

Foodies food-fest of fabulousness and can The Mount be called "bleeding edge?"

2009-10-06T00:28:00.004-04:00

This news about Gourmet Magazine comes as a shock, and with such incredible timing that we had to blog it at once. The Mount hosted noted food writers Judith Jones, Amanda Hesser, Kim Severson, Oliver Strand, Amanda Kludt and Christine Muhlke on Saturday, October 3, in a discussion on the future of food writing. A great deal of the panel was taken up with the topic of print vs. internet, blogs vs. magazines, and of course, the flagship food magazine Gourmet was discussed at length. There was some speculation that the future of such landmark titles was uncertain, but this news seemed to come out of the blue.

The Mount presented a slideshow before the panel which addressed some of these issues in its own way and it is presented below for your edification. Click autoplay on the menu and enjoy!

The Future of Food Writing

View more presentations from Edith Wharton Restoration Inc.

The ubiquitous Mount!

2009-09-28T11:55:00.003-04:00

In a bloggy fog this week, The Mount is thrilled to find itself mentioned in many fascinating links in the news and blogosphere. Always proud to be at the cutting edge, The Mount is not afraid of tooting its own horn now and then, and is basking in the wholly deserved attention it is receiving. For some reason, The Mount is indulging in a feast of personification as well, and for that The Mount apologizes. Back to the link-o-mania--

Hamish Linklater of The New Adventures of Old Christine lived at The Mount as a boy and had ghostly encounters!

Beautiful fall destinations include The Mount!

Foodies are coming to talk about food writing, food blogging and food ...

Banned Books Week

2009-09-28T10:54:00.002-04:00

This is Banned Books Week, designed to draw attention to the constant threat of censorship that exists not only throughout the world, but as a very real threat here in the United States. Of particular interest is the list of Banned and Challenged Classics, some of which were not only threatened when they first appeared, but are consistantly brought up again and again in this context.

Edith Wharton's works are not among the challenged on this list, but she certainly fought editorial censorship while trying to publish a number of her works, in particular Old New York The 'Fifties, The Old Maid. She was opposed to censorship both editorial and official, and in fact wrote to Upton Sinclair in support when his novel Oil! was charged with obscenity. Those who value freedom must never cease their vigilance and we encourage all who fight the banning of books.

Even More about Food!

2009-09-16T11:52:00.005-04:00

Somehow in our travels throughout the blogosphere, we missed this very interesting blog entry about Edith Wharton and food from the extremely Whartonian blog An Aesthete's Lament.

Wharton often used dining, food, and entertaining in her writing as fantastic indications of her characters and their place in the world. As Diane McGee puts it in her book Writing the Meal: Dinner in the Fiction of Twentieth-Century Women Writers: "The society of Old New York decribed in The Age of Innocence is marked by many customs, rituals, and taboos; those surrounding dining and entertaining are the most potent and meaningful ones. Dining practices are central to social identity. ... As the author, Wharton plays the roles of both hostess and critical guest."

As Mrs. Wharton herself said in The Gods Arrive (1932): "The same trivial, over-dressed and over-fed people acquired a sort of Titianesque value from the sheer loveliness of their setting; grouped about the table with its fruits and flowers, framed in the pink marble shafts of the loggia, above gardens sloping away to the illuminated curve of the shore, they became as pictorial as their background, and Vance’s first thought was: “If only they knew enough not to speak!”

Here at The Mount we have the dining room set as a table for six and try to give Mrs. Wharton more interesting dinner companions than the ones of whom she writes above! We hope she would approve of our current choices, Miss Michelle Pfeiffer and Mr. Daniel Day-Lewis, who both appeared in 1993 film of The Age of Innocence; Mr. Liam Neeson of 1993's Ethan Frome; Mr. Dan Ackroyd, Gus Trenor in 2000's The House of Mirth; and in pride of place (other than our hostess Mrs. Wharton of course) Miss Bette Davis, who appeared in the 1939 movie version of The Old Maid.

Julie and Julia and Judith and Edith

2009-09-14T13:38:00.004-04:00

Food writers, food bloggers, and food critics will be converging on The Mount on October 3 for a panel discussion on the Future of Food Writing. Among our panelists will be Judith Jones, the food writer and book editor, who, among her many many other accomplishments, introduced Julia Child to the American reader (the photograph above shows them together); another is Amanda Hesser, food writer and blogger. Both of these women appear in this summer's hit movie Julie and Julia, with Amanda actually appearing in the film, and of course Judith Jones is a featured character, played in the film by Erin Dilly. This event should prove interesting to both foodies and writers, and writers who eat, or foodies who write. What else can we say but "Bon appétit!"

Wharton's work wows WowOwow

2009-09-08T14:27:00.003-04:00

The wonderful website WowOwow has just added a photo essay on The Mount, in particular focusing on the gardens. They were designed by Mrs. Wharton herself, with help from her niece, Beatrix Farrand, née Jones. Beatrix Farrand became one of the United States's leading landscape designers and gardeners. She was the only woman to be made a charter member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. At The Mount, Mrs. Farrand designed the maple sugar allée pictured above which leads to the main house. She also designed the kitchen and cutting garden, but unfortunately this garden is no longer extant. There are some apple trees left from the Wharton's time here, but that is all. We hope in the future to resurrect the kitchen and cutting garden and do have Beatrix Farrand's drawings to which to refer.

Our own WoW--Wharton on Wednesdays--has finished for the season and we would like once again to thank the members of the Berkshire Theatre Festival who read for us this year. Our readers were Kate Maguire, Ariel Bock, Jonathan Epstein, Ralph Petillo, Tara Franklin, Gray Simons, David Adkins and Robert McFadyen. We have been so grateful for their help and their absolutely wonderful performances at our readings. We look forward to a long relationship with BTF and they may as well consider this written notice that we want them back next season! (Or maybe even sooner!)

Senator Edward Kennedy

2009-08-31T11:19:00.003-04:00

The Mount was greatly saddened to hear of the recent death of Senator Edward Kennedy. We were lucky enough to host Senator and Mrs. Kennedy on August 2, 2000, when they officiated at the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the restoration of The Mount’s exterior. The photo above shows the Senator at the ceremony with the late Scott Marshall, Vice-President of The Mount.

Senator Kennedy was instrumental in helping The Mount achieve recognition in May 1999 as an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures, a public-private partnership of the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Accompanying this recognition was a $2.9 million challenge grant (representing nearly 10% of the $30 million pool allotted for the 1999 program). Without his assistance, the very crucial structural repairs needed at the time might well have been delayed with disastrous results.

All of us at The Mount would like to offer express our thanks for Senator Kennedy’s years of service, and offer our deepest sympathy to Mrs. Kennedy and all of the Senator’s family at this time.

Jules, The Mount's Wonderdog

2009-08-26T15:06:00.002-04:00

In our travels throughout the blogosphere, we are always searching for any tributes, accolades, hommages, etc. etc. to Edith Wharton and the things she loved. We came upon a blog entry that is just such an one, as it highlights both Edith and Teddy Wharton's love of dogs, in particular the above-pictured Jules (with Teddy Wharton). We thank McPolack for the comments, and hope they enjoyed their visit to The Mount.

As you can see, Jules's haircut has often caused comment, and we at The Mount are still searching for a good reason for doing such a thing to an innocent creature like Jules. We here all have a very soft spot for Jules, as did the Whartons, who buried him in the pet cemetery with the beautiful epitaph "Our Friend Jules."

Mermaids at the Mount

2009-08-24T17:42:00.005-04:00

Four magical performances by the Berkshire Children’s Theater filled The Mount’s stable auditorium with hilarious laughter, terrifying awe and great pride last week. Talented young Berkshire County performers ages 4 to 18 took us on a fun-filled undersea journey with the Little Mermaid, her beautiful mermaid sisters, all sorts of sea creatures and her loyal Prince as they performed "The Little Mermaid". The colorful costumes, fantastic acting, singing and dancing were a true delight to young and old in the audience.

The tuneful adaptation of "The Little Mermaid" is based on the classic story by Hans Christian Anderson. The original script and music were written by Berkshire Children’s Theater Director Kara Demler, with musical arrangements by Joe Rose and costumes by Debbie White and “Berkshire Masquerade”. The Berkshire Children's Theater has been presenting family musicals and concerts in the Berkshires year round since 2004. “The Little Mermaid” marked their debut at The Mount’s Stable’s Theater, and hopefully will be followed by many more performances!

The Return of Some Old Friends

2009-08-14T16:36:00.003-04:00

We are extremely pleased that a number of present and former members of Shakespeare & Company will be performing again at The Mount, their first home in the Berkshires. The Wharton Salon is bringing one of Mrs. Wharton's very best stories, Xingu, to life in the best possible setting, The Mount's drawing room. This story from the Boston Globe highlights this reawakening of an old friendship. We have so many visitors who remember with great fondness and appreciation the productions that Shakespeare & Co. presented here, and we hope that Xingu will be the first of many more such performances. Click here for more information on next week's performances.

Why didn't we think of this first?

2009-08-14T14:45:00.003-04:00

The Mount is always trying to expand the world's appreciation of and exposure to the works of Edith Wharton. Hence the wonderful cake "Eatin' Frome" pictured above, and designed and made by former Mountie Tracy for a contest in Lenox.

The idea for a game based on Ethan Frome presented on IGN's website seems an exceptional one, but perhaps is not in the best of taste. (Beware, this article contains spoilers!) Maybe a better one would be an archery game based on The Age of Innocence, or perhaps a survival horror game based on some of Wharton's ghost stories (Kerfol has the obligatory dogs ...)

Whartonomania

2009-08-11T12:12:00.004-04:00

Today is the 72nd anniversary of the death of Edith Wharton, who died in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt near Paris on August 11, 1937. Here at The Mount we try to celebrate the life of Mrs. Wharton every day, but today we thought it would be appropriate to commemorate her life and works here on The Mount's blog. And of course that means lots of links to Whartoniana of all sorts.

After Mrs. Wharton left The Mount she moved to Paris. She lived at two different addresses in the rue de Varenne. After the First World War she lived in St.-Brice, Pavillon Colombe. The street on which she lived is now named "rue Edith Wharton". She also lived part time in the south of France at Sainte-Claire du Château, Mrs. Wharton's home in the south of France which now belongs to the city of Hyères. These are all very nice places one is certain, but of course none can hold a candle to The Mount!

The perfect start to a search for all things Wharton is the Edith Wharton Society. It is comprised of Wharton scholars and enthusiasts who hold a wealth of knowledge and are happy to share it. Great repositories of online texts are here and here.

The Beinecke Library holds Edith Wharton's personal papers, manuscripts, letters and photographs and we have made free use of their online materials here at the blog many times and must once more express our thanks. Other primary sources for Wharton are the Lilly Library at Indiana University and the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas (your blogger's alma mater). A brief compendium of quotations ends our linkathon for today.

We will end with a quotation of our own choosing from a letter Edith Wharton wrote in 1936 to her friend Mary Berenson: "I wish I knew what people mean when they say they find 'emptiness' in this wonderful adventure of living, which seems to me to pile up its glories like an horizon-wide sunset as the light declines."

The Red Leather Diary

2009-08-03T13:10:00.002-04:00

Lily Koppel, author of The Red Leather Diary is lecturing today at The Mount at 4pm. This should prove to be a great lecture, and the story behind the book is fascinating. The diary was rescued from a New York dumpster, and Lily Koppel has traced its owner's life, giving a glimpse into a world of wealth and privilege between the wars.

Hidcote Manor

2009-07-27T17:23:00.003-04:00

Edith Wharton's interest in gardens, gardening, and gardeners was lifelong, and one of most important and influential gardening friends was Lawrence Johnston, an American who emigrated to England and created a number of spectacular gardens. In an article from the Financial Times it is reported that a few years ago a number of diaries and notebooks detailing the life and gardens at Hidcote Manor had surfaced after a long absence. Although we Whartonians should not complain at the moment, due to the recent appearance of the Anna Bahlmann Collection, unearthed after years in obscurity, we at The Mount are still hoping that we will one day find such information about our gardens here in Lenox. We have done a great deal of research and feel that the reconstruction of The Mount's gardens is exactly as Mrs. Wharton would have wanted it, but imagine if we found her own plant lists, notes, observations ...

No, neither Sarah Palin nor James Garner...

2009-07-27T16:49:00.005-04:00

Creative Mavericks is a new series being launched this Saturday at The Mount. The word Maverick has come to be used for many things, including the above mentioned former Governor as well as the fantastic TV series of yesteryear featuring Bret, Bart and Beau. The Mount's Creative Mavericks are artists, writers, filmmakers and comedians who work to expand the boundaries of what we call "art". Edith Wharton said in The Age of Innocence "The air of ideas is the only air worth breathing" so what better place than The Mount for our Mavericks to present their works. The Production Front, a group of artists from Toronto, will be performing on Saturday, August 1, in the tented courtyard at The Mount. Click here for details and we hope to see you there!

The beautiful Mount

2009-07-23T16:37:00.004-04:00

For many years The Mount has been fortunate enough to have on staff a wonderful and gifted photographer, David Dashiell. In addition to his many other duties at The Mount, most recently as Publications Director, he has provided us with almost all of the beautiful photographs that we have used in our various publications as well as on our website. David has decided to move on and concentrate on his photography. We wish him all the best and he knows full well that we will be calling on him constantly in the future, not only to pick his brain for his vast knowledge of Edith Wharton and The Mount, but for more and more of his fantastic pictures. We decided to post a few here on the blog, and will be adding more to the main website over the next weeks. Thank you David!

"Edith Wharton Extravaganza!"

2009-07-22T15:27:00.003-04:00

The fantastic interior decor/design blog Surroundings has been featuring a visit to The Mount in recent posts. There are some beautiful photographs of the property and we at The Mount's blog salute them--and in fact have appropriated one of their photographs of the linen closet (above). Thanks to Linda Merrill and her team for their visit and support!

Allons, enfants!!

2009-07-14T16:40:00.003-04:00

What better day than le quatorze juillet, Bastille Day, to blog about The Mount's fantastique exhibition next year! We will be hosting a Salute to French Design, thus combining two of Mrs. Wharton's favorite things, interior design and France, in one très très chic package. Some of France's most fabulous designers and architects have agreed to take part and it should prove to be an exciting time. A recent brunch at the French Embassy in New York launched our Salute, and the designers then travelled up to Lenox to see The Mount and begin their preparations.

Mrs. Wharton wrote "The artistic integrity of the French has led them to feel from the beginning that there is no difference in kind between the curve of a woman’s hat-brim and the curve of a Rodin marble ... " and we at The Mount look forward to a great artistic collaboration next year. Vive la France!

The Triumphant Return of Wharton on Wednesdays!

2009-07-01T13:10:00.003-04:00

There is more good news for The Mount today, as we announce the beginning of this season's Wharton on Wednesdays. For a number of years a stalwart Mountie, David Dashiell, as well as being the creator of a great number of wonderful photographs of The Mount, has been the reader for these afternoons of Wharton. We are sorry that David will not be joining us this year, but are very excited to be able to welcome Berkshire Theatre Festival to The Mount. They will be collaborating with us and providing the readers for each week's slice of Whartoniana. The first reading is this afternoon (July 1) at 5:00 pm. Kate Maguire, Artistic Director and CEO of BTF will read Writing a War Story, a gentle satire first published in 1919. Readings will take place every Wednesday in July and August on the terrace, and one is glad to report that the café will be open until the reading begins. A glass of wine, a beautiful view, some of Wharton's best work ... and best of all, it's free!

Hot off the presses, Wharton, The Mount (and even the blog)

2009-06-30T12:00:00.002-04:00

The Mount is pleased to note this recent mention in the Wall Street Journal's Blog. Although it is under the heading Bankruptcy Beat, the report contains the good news of The Mount's recent restructuring. Even more crucially, this very blog is at last acknowledged as being "key to The Mount's recovery"!

An interesting follow-up to previous posts, this piece in the New Yorker confirms that the Anna Bahlmann Collection was sold last week at Christie's, and achieved $182,500, an amount much higher than the original estimate. We congratulate the very astute buyers ("an American educational institution"), and hope that they will enable access to the collection as soon as possible.

Edith Wharton, Gilded Age Gossip Girl

2009-06-23T13:49:00.006-04:00

The Mount follows Gossip Girl avidly, especially since their fantastic retelling of The Age of Innocence. As noted in this column at Jezebel.com, reading Rebecca Mead's article in the New Yorker this week shows that Edith Wharton might have been the perfect prototype for today's Gossip Girls. One of Jezebel's readers makes the perfect comment, and one could not put it better: "Edith Wharton was all kinds of awesome."

Feasting with Edith Wharton

2009-06-23T12:45:00.003-04:00

If you are in New York on Thursday, June 25 you might want to pop over to the 92Y Tribeca for a slide presentation and tasting of food using recipes from the Gilded Age. Entitled Feasting with Edith Wharton, it is presented by Francine Segan, author of The Philosopher’s Kitchen, Shakespeare’s Kitchen and The Opera Lover’s Cookbook. The above image is from Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management. Bon appétit!

The splendour or sweetness of words ...

2009-06-22T11:18:00.003-04:00

This week's New Yorker features a fascinating article by Rebecca Mead on the recently rediscovered letters from Edith Wharton to her governess and companion Anna Bahlmann. As has been mentioned previously, these letters, as well as other items including objects, photographs and ephemera, are being auctioned at Christie's on Wednesday. A few Mounties were fortunate enough to be allowed "backstage" at Christie's to have a brief look at the collection, and it is a wonderful treasure, and should prove an enormous boon to Wharton scholarship. Rebecca Mead's article concentrates on the earliest correspondence, most of which comes from a time when no other letters from Edith Wharton are known to exist. We look forward to the auction, and hope that the collection finds an appropriate home, a place where access can be made for the many Whartonians who are waiting in line to delve into this amazing archive. For more information on the collection visit Christie's.

First ever family lecture at The Mount!

2009-06-17T14:06:00.005-04:00

As part of our new expanded programming, on Saturday, June 13th, Denise Brunkus held the first family lecture at The Mount; a wonderful, inspiring and fun-filled afternoon! Denise is a prominent children’s book illustrator, the artist behind Junie B. Jones, and many other terrific characters.

The stable auditorium was filled with children, parents, grandparents, teachers and artists, who listened to Denise’s fascinating stories of her life as an illustrator. Everyone was in awe when she quickly drew one of her characters in front of the crowd (the horrible Mrs. Ferdman from “Chocolatina”…), followed by a collaborative monster drawing. Children received a free “Chocolatina” book; Denise signed every single one with much care and enthusiasm. Lemonade, cookies and more drawing followed, and many families ended their afternoon roaming the mansion and the gardens. We hope this will be the first of many such family events, and especially hope that Denise will come back again soon!

"One wondered how they could have looked on the Medusa face of war and lived."

2009-06-16T15:47:00.004-04:00

The above quotation from Fighting France seems apt as we prepare to celebrate the 111th birthday tomorrow of the last surviving Tommy, Harry Patch, of Somerset in England. The Mount wishes Mr. Patch a very happy birthday and thanks him for his service. Here at The Mount we have been studying Mrs. Wharton's work in the First World War, both her charitable work and her literary efforts. Mr. Patch was involved in the Battle of Passchendaele (the 3rd Battle of Ypres). Mrs. Wharton had visited Ypres after the Second Battle and wrote the following in Fighting France:

"We had seen other ruined towns, but none like this. The towns of Lorraine were blown up, burnt down, deliberately erased from the earth. At worst they are like stone-yards, at best like Pompeii. But Ypres has been bombarded to death, and the outer walls of its houses are still standing, so that it presents the distant semblance of a living city, while near by it is seen to be a disembowelled corpse. Every window-pane is smashed, nearly every building unroofed, and some house-fronts are sliced clean off, with the different stories exposed, as if for the stage-setting of a farce. In these exposed interiors the poor little household gods shiver and blink like owls surprised in a hollow tree. A hundred signs of intimate and humble tastes, of humdrum pursuits, of family association, cling to the unmasked walls. Whiskered photographs fade on morning-glory wallpapers, plaster saints pine under glass bells, antimacassars droop from plush sofas, yellowing diplomas display their seals on office walls. It was all so still and familiar that it seemed as if the people for whom these things had a meaning might at any moment come back and take up their daily business. And then--crash! the guns began, slamming out volley after volley all along the English lines, and the poor frail web of things that had made up the lives of a vanished city-full hung dangling before us in that deathly blast."

"The fresh call of birds at sunrise ... "

2009-06-16T15:08:00.002-04:00

In her novel Summer Edith Wharton writes of "... the breath of the summer earth, the rustle of the forest, the fresh call of birds at sunrise ... " and as your blogger sits and listens to the birdsong here at The Mount she can see and hear Mrs. Wharton's inspiration all around her. A group of early risers (too early for the previously mentioned blogger, alas) had the good fortune to go on a bird walk here at The Mount recently. Hosted by Jody Soules of Wild Birds Country Store in Great Barrington, they arrived bright and early on a Saturday morning, and took many beautiful photographs of the property at a time when very few are fortunate enough to see it. We thank Wild Birds Country Store for adding these photographs to their blog, and hope they come back soon!

Does she look familiar?

2009-06-11T14:55:00.003-04:00

Nancy, a recent visitor who went on one of our new ghost tours sent us the above photograph taken during the tour. If you look at the lamp which is lit in the middle of the photo, you can see a rather strange figure. Your blogger can vouch for the fact that there was no figure that she could see at that part of the room on the tour. We thank Nancy for sending us this photo, and welcome any other items which might add to our documentation of The Mount's paranormal activity.

One thing to remember--we have been told that the Drawing Room, of which this is a photo, is one of the LEAST haunted places at The Mount! There is something familiar about the profile, especially the chin ...

Mountie is Sleepless in Lake Placid

2009-06-11T14:28:00.003-04:00

The Mount is spreading its influence far and wide throughout the world of the arts. Haldane McFall, a recent graduate from the Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, and stalwart member of The Mount's staff, has been chosen to represent Ithaca College at the Lake Placid Film Forum taking place this weekend. Sleepless in Lake Placid is a film competition in which the chosen teams have 24-hours to deliver a completed 10 minute film. As Hal's previous films have often featured members of The Mount's staff or used The Mount as a location, we hope that being in these strange surroundings will not hamper his creativity. We wish the entire Ithaca College team, Hal, Zach Redmond, Alex Evans, and Edward Bursh the best of luck!

Afterward

2009-06-09T14:53:00.003-04:00

Frances Y J Wheeler recently sent us the above photo which she took on a visit to The Mount and writes:

"While checking your web site the tab entitled "Ghosts" caught my eye. It reminded me of a photo I took when I visited The Mount with the Landscape Design Council on June 20, 2007. ... the light anomaly on this image of a path into the woodlands does not appear in other photos I took of The Mount that same day.

As far as when I took the photo, I didn't notice anything on the path, I was just trying to capture the "linear path experience," as we Landscape Design Council members would say.

I was visiting The Mount with the Landscape Design Council of Massachusetts on a three-day learning excursion to the Berkshires, where we visited several properties. Due to the nature of our group, we were particularly interested in the landscaping and gardens.

While in the formal floral garden, I noticed some paths leading off into the woodlands, and I followed them for a bit to take a look. I liked the way this path wound through the lawn and then disappeared into the darker woods, and so I took the image. Only later did I discover the white spot in the center of the photo.

We visited on June 20, 2007 and it was an overcast day. Aside from the evidence in the photographic images, I recall that we were disappointed that our lunch, which had been planned for the patio, had been moved into the stables. So it is unlikely that the white spot on the image was caused by glare from the sun."

The Mount is sorry that the lunch had to be moved, but are very grateful for the photograph. It seems appropriate here to quote one of Mrs. Wharton's own stories--there is a ghost but "You won't know till afterward...you won't know till long, long afterward."

Not just essential but quintessential!

2009-06-09T14:33:00.002-04:00

Time Magazine has just published a list of great summer getaways, and of course the beautiful Berkshires come top of the list. However, at The Mount we ask "Why wait for Tanglewood?" Not only do we have our beautiful gardens, and our excellent exhibition on the First World War, our Terrace Café will be opening for lunch and light snacks this weekend, and Some Enchanted Evenings, featuring The Mount's own jazz band Triage will begin on June 26th. We hope to see you soon!

One hopes they were allowed to do the "Twist"

2009-06-01T10:11:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday The Mount was the venue for a very special event. Lenox Memorial High School asked to use The Mount for their Junior/Senior prom this year, and we were happy to be able to accommodate them. This was the first prom since the closing of the Foxhollow School in the 'seventies, and although the dinner and dancing on the terrace may have been the same, there were definitely a number of changes since the last Foxhollow dance.

According to alumna of the Foxhollow School, this was the only time that the girls were allowed to use the main staircase of the mansion, at all other times they had to use the service stairs. The Twist was strictly prohibited, as it was considered obscene! And then there was the 12-inch rule. Chaperones at the dances carried rulers, and if they found anyone dancing closer than 12 inches to their date, they were separated. When asked if the Twist was going to be allowed this year, The Mount's Executive Director Susan Wissler said: "I will leave that to the prom's organizers!" Twist or no Twist, it appears that the prom was a great success, and we wish all of the Lenox Memorial High School students the best of luck, especially the graduating Seniors, and hope they come back soon.

Barbra Streisand's "Decoration of Houses"

2009-05-28T09:43:00.004-04:00

Following in the footsteps of Mrs. Wharton, another woman of many diverse talents is writing a book dedicated to interior design and architecture. Barbra Streisand has signed a book deal with Viking for "A Passion for Design" to be released in 2010. She has been building her own house for the last few years, and of course, one of her inspirations was The Mount! Although your blogger was not here at the time, some of her colleagues remember the day well, as she brought her little doggies with her, something unheard of at the time here at The Mount. One is happy to say that our policy is somewhat less strict now, and well-behaved dogs (and owners) are welcome on the grounds. We wish Ms. Streisand luck with her book, and will watch with great interest to see how much influence Mrs. Wharton and Mr. Codman had on her design.

A Fantastic Opportunity for the Dedicated Whartonian!

2009-05-27T17:37:00.002-04:00

An incredible collection of papers, letters, and artifacts of great interest to Whartonians everywhere has just come to light. The Anna Bahlmann Collection, mainly consisting of letters from Edith Wharton to Anna Bahlmann, her lifelong friend, companion, tutor, secretary and amanuensis, has been put up for sale at Christie's. It is a treasure trove of material, never before reviewed or published, including a letter that appears to be the earliest known extant letter from Edith Jones, written in May 1874. This vast archive could be the greatest contribution to Wharton scholarship for many years, and it is to be fervently hoped that it will be bought by some person or institution who will give access to researchers, and not keep it hidden away as it has been for so many years. Of course, the perfect home for these papers is The Mount! But alas, with an estimate of between $80,000-120,000 they are beyond our means at the moment. If any Mountie out there feels that they would like to help both Wharton scholarship and The Mount, get down to Christies on June 24th and keep on bidding, then simply donate them to us and everyone wins!

WWI Memorial

2009-05-26T09:29:00.003-04:00

Frank Buckles, the only known American WWI veteran still living, is 108 years old. He was recently interviewed on ABC News, and he still has a mission. Surprisingly, there is no memorial to WWI Veterans in the nation's capital. After spending time recently here at The Mount researching the Great War for our new exhibition, we have a new understanding of what Mr. Buckles and so many other young men went through. Texas Representive Ted Poe is sponsoring a bill before the House entitled the Frank Buckles WWI Memorial Act. If you would like more information on the memorial visit their website.

An Open Letter from The Mount's Chairman of the Board

2009-05-21T11:56:00.004-04:00

Last year, before the current economic meltdown, The Mount faced having no money, our founding Executive Director had resigned, a shaken staff did not know whether to come to work and a foreclosure date had been set for one month hence.

In the ensuing months, we raised over $1.4 MM through a grass roots, Obama-like internet campaign involving many hundreds of donors, many giving only $5 or $10; Susan Wissler stepped up and rallied our depleted staff; we negotiated month-to-month forbearance agreements with our creditors, and met every milestone that was required by our creditors in order to obtain successive extensions; in spite of all odds, we managed to open last summer and had a very good season; we reached out to the community, including our fellow cultural not-for-profits in the Berkshires, and began to repair relations; we restored the confidence of our lenders; the Board took stock of what The Mount was and what it could become, spoke to our many supporters about expanding our mission beyond being merely a museum show house and garden and came upon the idea of creating a center for the written word, thus providing The Mount with a legitimate basis to greatly expand its appeal and activities; and the Board commissioned a study to validate this concept and plan its development.

Over a period of three months we negotiated a restructuring agreement with our principal creditors, which was executed last March, but required at least a $700,000 funding commitment from one or more donors by May 31, 2009 to become effective.

To our great luck and fortune, members of the JM Kaplan Family became aware of our plight and reached out and provided the necessary funds.

While we are not “saved”, we are now in a position to complete our second consecutive fiscal year in the black (our year ends March 31). We now can play some “offense”, rather than only “defense”, and can begin to put into place meaningful elements of our new programming. Furthermore, we fully expect that our achievements and commitment will give both regular and new donors the confidence in us to step up and give, thereby further strengthening our position to the point where we can confidently state publicly that “The Mount is Saved”.

Our expanded mission, The Wharton Center the Written Word will fill a gap that presently exists among the Berkshire cultural not-for-profits. We are taking down “the velvet ropes”, and plan to put the house to work, as was intended by Wharton.

“The Mount Salutes French Design” show house set next summer (2010) will be a blockbuster, featuring many of the rising stars of French design, as well as a few of the established “lions”. During that period, not only will The Mount also host other cultural events celebrating France and Franco-American themes, but we also hope that our fellow Berkshire cultural not-for-profits will follow suit and stage music, dance, plays and art exhibitions featuring similar themes.

Just last Monday, I attended a breakfast at the UN at which Hillary Clinton was honored with the Eleanor Roosevelt “Following in Her Footsteps” Award by Save America’s Treasures. Mrs. Clinton was thrilled when I told her of our breakthrough. As you may know, she was responsible for founding Save America’s Treasures when she was First Lady and, during that time, The Mount was the recipient of the largest grant ever given by Save America’s Treasures, $2.9 million. Mrs. Clinton visited The Mount to commemorate that grant and the restoration program, and The Mount means a lot to her.

The Mount is more than an important house from an architectural and horticultural perspective; it stands as a leading symbol of the achievements of women writers and of women generally.

With kind regards,

Gordon Travers, Chairman of the Board

Saving America's Treasures (including The Mount)

2009-05-21T09:42:00.015-04:00

The Mount is back in the spotlight again! In 2006 then First Lady Laura Bush came to The Mount to welcome Edith Wharton's library on its arrival from England. She gave a wonderful speech (above, flanked by Mount Board member Lord Christopher Tugendhat and former Executive Director Stephanie Copeland).

Our first visit from a First Lady was in 1998, when Hillary Clinton spoke at the beginning of The Mount's restoration, thanks to a 2.9 million dollar grant from Save America’s Treasures, the largest in their history. Mrs. Clinton, now Secretary of State, was honored on Monday May 18 2009 at a breakfast at the UN sponsored by SAT. She was given the Eleanor Roosevelt "Following in Her Footsteps" Award by Save America's Treasures. Presenting the award was Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

This award is timely for The Mount, as it comes hand-in-hand with our own announcement of a successful restructuring of our debt which at last brings the prospect of a firm future for our own American Treasure! The Mount was also acknowledged at the breakfast for its recently completed restructuring. In the photo above are Bobbie Greene McCarthy of SAT, Secretary of State Clinton, and Gordon Travers, The Mount's Chairman of the Board.

We offer our congratulations to the Secretary of State for this entirely deserved honor!

Ellen Olenska and Scarlett O'Hara

2009-05-13T09:29:00.002-04:00

Montblanc and Signature International, maker of fabulous jewelry, watches, pens and other of life's luxuries has joined with UNICEF to promote literacy. Their Signature for Good campaign, which was launched in February, includes portraits of today's leading ladies portraying their favorite literary characters. Of course, we favor Lauren Hutton as a stunning Ellen Olenska from The Age of Innocence, but the others, from Andie MacDowell as Cervantes's Dulcinea to Eva Longoria as Scarlett, are all as beautiful. The portraits will form a travelling exhibition, and then will be auctioned. All of the proceeds will go to UNICEF.

"What nonsense! It can't be war."

2009-05-07T12:33:00.008-04:00

The upcoming world première of a new musical version of Edith Wharton's novel A Son at the Front takes place in Chicago in June 5. A Son at the Front was the final of a number of works, both fiction and non-fiction, written by Wharton on the theme of the First World War, and we hope that Whartonians in the Chicago area will support this new production. Break a leg!

This comes at a timely moment for The Mount, as well. This season we are presenting a new exhibition written and designed especially for The Mount entitled Edith Wharton and the First World War.

The war had a profound effect on Edith Wharton. After leaving The Mount in 1911 and subsequently divorcing her husband in 1913, she found herself an independent woman for the first time. Just as she was beginning this new stage of her life, the world around her decended into chaos. She threw herself tirelessly and enthusiastically into work, both charitable and literary, and in doing so found a new strength and compassion in herself. By highlighting these two very different aspects of her work, we hope to highlight a side of Edith Wharton that is less well known to the public.

Edith Wharton and the First World War officially opens on May 22 and will run throughout the season. Please check our website for more details. (The above photograph from the "Children of Flanders" charity: “including the nuns and about 200 infirm old men and women, who are ‘children’ too … and could not be left alone in the ruins.” is courtesy of the Beinecke Library.)

Ultimate Road Trip to The Mount

2009-05-01T14:37:00.002-04:00

The AARP magazine features an article called "The Ultimate Road Trips". The New England area is represented by a trip from Boston to Lenox, which of course includes a stop at The Mount. We are now open for the season, and will be featuring some very interesting programs, lectures, tours, and other events. Check our homepage for new developments!

The real saviours of The Mount ...

2009-05-01T14:28:00.002-04:00

Darnell writes:

"I am from western Mass, and I had a friend in Pittsfield years ago and saw your building and loved it then. Over the years I payed attention to that building, hoping I could see it inside sometime. Then I heard in the news that it was in monetary turmoil and saw it listed for sale. This was very sad to me and I hoped someone would save it. Who ever thought about calling Ghost Hunters was very smart. Now it appears that your building will be saved after all. Who knew it would be the actual ghosts or past occupants that would save it. I am so glad that this gorgeous property is on its way to shining back to life again. I can't wait to see it in the future. Good Luck, and say hello to those ghosts over there for me."

The Mount loves the idea that the ones who might be able to save it are the people who loved it in the past. We thank you for the comment, Darnell, and can't wait to see you over the summer.

Pulitzer Prize winners coming to The Mount

2009-04-21T15:10:00.002-04:00

This year's lecture series at The Mount has been announced and is up on our website. The concentration is on biography, and it looks like a very exciting group of authors. Two of the works have been awarded Pulitzer Prizes: John Matteson, winner of the 2008 award for Biography for his work Toward the Celestial Country: The Alcotts as a Transcendental Family; and the 2009 winner for History, Annette Gordon-Reed for The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.

Of course, the precedent was set by Mrs. Wharton herself, who was the first woman to be presented the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (or as it was called then Novel), in 1921 for The Age of Innocence. An interesting tidbit from the library here at The Mount: we do not have Mrs. Wharton's first edition of The Age of Innocence, but she did keep a later edition which has "Pulitzer Prize Winner" blind-stamped on the front cover!

My little old dog, a heartbeat at my feet ...

2009-04-14T14:28:00.008-04:00

As all Whartonians know, if there was one thing that Mrs. Wharton loved above all others it was dogs. Not only did she own many many dogs during her lifetime, but she also was one of the founder members of the S.P.C.A. in the United States. Although The Mount is without political affiliation, and does not want to run the risk of being accused of political bias, we feel that it is fitting to congratulate the First Family on the new addition to the household, Bo, the First Dog! Compare Bo to Jules, one of the Wharton's dogs here at The Mount, Teddy Wharton's favorite! Seen above with Teddy on horseback, Jules's breed has always been something of a mystery. His rather eccentric hairstyle, combined with his somewhat squat physique must give some hints, but as yet The Mount is not sure. Some suggestions have been Skye Terrier, Loewchen, and yes, even Portuguese Water Dog. Any suggestions will be welcome, just email webmaster@edithwharton.org. (The above photo is from the Edith Wharton Collection at the Lilly Library, University of Indiana)

"A good joke – & perhaps that should have come first – "

2009-04-02T11:26:00.002-04:00

The Mount would like to congratulate her near neighbors, The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, for finding such a worthy group to host on April 1st. It brings to mind two apt quotations from Edith Wharton: "The only way not to think about money is to have a great deal of it" from The House of Mirth; and
"My ruling passions:
Justice – Order –
Dogs –
Books –
Flowers –
Architecture –
Travel –
A good joke – & perhaps that should have come first – "
from one of her unpublished notebooks.

Wharton continues to inspire young writers.

2009-04-01T16:45:00.002-04:00

(This came in recently from a recent visitor. Thanks!)
"Over the past three years I visited The Mount three times. My last visit in 2008 was with my then 8th grade daughter who wrote an English project on Ms. Wharton. This project turned out to be her most favorite project ever and one in which she earned an “A”. More important than the grade, as a parent it was thrilling to witness her passion for Ms. Wharton and her literature grow. Touring The Mount was the perfect mother/daughter activity and one memory we will always cherish."

Good suggestions

2009-03-31T19:33:00.003-04:00

Elizabeth Blakeslee writes:
"You need to be able to accept credit card donations on line. People will want to act immediately if they are moved by your story. Sign up with PayPal if you cannot get someone to set up online credit card donations. You will make up in impulse donations what you lose in service fees by using PayPal.

It may sound silly, but have you contacted Oprah?

Good luck."

The Mount is grateful for these ideas and for the support that we have received throughout the past very difficult year. Although we are at the moment in the process of completely revamping our website, it is still possible to donate online. The direct link is here.

We have indeed been in touch with Oprah; in fact The Mount was mentioned in the magazine "O at Home" last summer. Now that "The Age of Innocence" is one of the choices for "The Big Read", we wonder when Oprah will choose one of Wharton's works for her book club!

Elizabeth Peyton in Dublin

2009-03-31T19:13:00.003-04:00

The American artist Elizabeth Peyton is having her first show in Ireland beginning April 1. Entitled "Reading and Writing", the exhibition "has a particular focus on poetry and literature, interiors and photographs, desire and love". Her work often juxtaposes the historic with the contemporary, as in the above work, in which the characters from "The Age of Innocence" are portrayed in a way that greatly resembles the actors from Martin Scorsese's film. The show is on in Dublin at the Irish Museum of Modern Art until June 21, 2009.

If The Mount is too haunted for you ...

2009-03-27T16:25:00.002-04:00

... then perhaps you could buy this property in Newport. It is the former gatehouse of Pencraig, the summer home of Edith Jones's parents, George and Lucretia. Edith Jones spent her summers here, and after her marriage she and her husband lived in a cottage on the property. Although the main house was demolished in the 1950s, the gatehouse was turned into condos. No word yet on any paranormal activites there, but one never knows!

TAPS finds paranormal activity at The Mount ...

2009-03-26T23:03:00.003-04:00

... and we have already had more evidence here on the property. We are in the process of restoring and refinishing the bedroom floor (on which Jason and Grant found a heat signature of a handprint on the wall). Every day when the work is done, the house is closed up and very securely locked and alarmed. For the last two days, when the contractor has come back to resume work on the floor, he has found that some of his things have been moved. None of the staff has yet assumed responsibility ...

If you missed it, the Ghost Hunters episode featuring The Mount is now posted on their website.

If you have never read any of Edith Wharton's ghost stories, now might be time to give them a try. A number of these can be found online, including "The Lady's Maid's Bell".

"I was seized by a choking agony of terror ... "

2009-03-25T12:57:00.003-04:00

Your intrepid blogger may be posting for the last time, since by tomorrow she may be too terrified ever to return to The Mount because tonight is the night! Ghost Hunters airs on the SciFi Channel, and the entire hour is devoted to The Mount. Those of us who weren't in on the "reveal" still have to wait to find out if any ghosts appeared, or if the sounds we hear are just the wind ...

To find out some of the stories that have been told about The Mount visit Ghosteyes.com and of course, if any of our readers has had an "experience" at The Mount that cannot be easily explained away, please email info@edithwharton.org and let us know.

"Gossip Girl" v. "The Age of Innocence"

2009-03-18T11:28:00.002-04:00

Edith Wharton's appeal never fades, and she is always at the forefront of popular culture, as is proven by the hit series "Gossip Girl" on the CW network. Not only are two characters named "Lily" and "Bart", but the most recent episode features a stage version of "The Age of Innocence". Would Mrs. Wharton approve? Who knows, were she living now, she might actually be head writer for "Gossip Girl" ...

Harrowing tales of hauntings at historic home ...

2009-03-17T14:51:00.004-04:00

The Mount is featured in this story from The Berkshire Eagle announcing the upcoming visit of the Ghost Hunters of TAPS and the SciFi Channel. The article also includes a video ... don't watch it alone ... or with the lights off ...

And more importantly, don't forget to check your local listings for March 25 (click on SciFi.com and then schedules to find your time zone) and make sure to catch The Mount on Ghosthunters. They are devoting the entire hour to the property, and during their visit in December they spent time in all areas of the estate, using all of the equipment at their disposal to do a very thorough investigation.

So far, they have not told us their findings, so do not be surprised if you try to contact The Mount on March 26 only to find that all staff and volunteers have fled in terror ...

Walking Tour in New York

2009-03-10T12:00:00.003-04:00

Although the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation chooses to call it the "Henry James Walking Tour" it would appear that the "Edith Wharton Walking Tour" would work almost as well. The tour, led by Joyce Gold, is given in collaboration with the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and the Mercantile Library for The Big Read salute to Henry James's "Washington Square". It is on Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 1.30 pm, and costs $7.00. As we know from a previous post the 23rd Street house in which Mrs. Wharton was born is now a Starbucks, so if that is included the walkers will be able to have some caffeine to help them on their way.

Scorsese's "Age of Innocence" passes muster

2009-03-02T11:36:00.002-05:00

In an interesting post-Oscars article in The Guardian, Salman Rushdie discusses success and failure in adapting novels into films. Not many examples of success are cited, but one is indeed the Martin Scorsese adaptation of "The Age of Innocence". The article is quite long, but it is worth finishing, if only for the use of the word "windbaggery" to describe a certain author's prose style (not Mrs. Wharton's, of course!)

Hauntings at The Mount

2009-02-26T14:47:00.003-05:00

As a prelude to the "Ghost Hunters" March 25 episode, which will feature The Mount, we wanted to post a story from Capital News 9 in Albany which aired last Hallowe'en. Ryan Burgess interviews staff members who relate some of their spooky experiences. You can see the trailer for the new season of "Ghost Hunters" here.

Both staff and visitors, as well as people who once lived in the house, either when it was a school, or when it housed Shakespeare & Co., have reported many strange, inexplicable sounds and feelings. Your blogger is not sensitive to these things, something which she has always regretted. But now, since she spends quite a lot of time alone in the Mansion, she is beginning to think that it is a good thing!

If any of our readers have spooky stories to relate, please pass them on and we will post them. After all, Mrs. Wharton herself loved a good ghost story. "For the ghost should never be allowed to forget that his only chance of survival is in the tales of those who have encountered him ... "

Get your votes in now!!

2009-02-25T13:09:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the deadline for voting for the new state quarter. All supporters of The Mount should now be suffering from repetitive strain injury resulting from continuous voting on the state's website. If you have not yet had a diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome there is no reason not to keep voting! As the great diva Beverly Sills once said
"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try."

Two awards offered by The Edith Wharton Society

2009-02-25T13:00:00.002-05:00

The Edith Wharton Society has posted details of two awards for Wharton scholars on their website.

The Edith Wharton Collection Research Award gives financial assistance for reasearch at the Beinecke Library at Yale. The Edith Wharton Essay Prize is awarded annually for the best unpublished essay on Edith Wharton by a beginning scholar. For more information about these, about the Society, and about Edith Wharton and her works, visit their website.

Miles Huddleston

2009-02-17T12:38:00.000-05:00

The Mount is sad to hear of the death of Miles Huddleston, book publisher and bibliophile. While working at the U.K. publishing house Constable (now Constable and Robinson) he was responsible for the reissue of Edith Wharton's works. Wharton's literary reputation had suffered in the years after her death, particularly in 1947, when Percy Lubbock (an ostensible friend) published his "Portrait of Edith Wharton" which, to quote Hermione Lee (Wharton's most recent biographer), made Wharton "sound like the character played by Margaret Dumont in the Marx Brothers films."

Constable's decision to reprint her works was in no small measure responsible for the restoration of her reputation, and we thank Miles Huddleston for his championship of her work. Here is his obituary in The Guardian.

Edith Wharton's dogs

2009-02-12T12:39:00.001-05:00

In honor of the Westminster Dog Show, we decided to post photographs of some of the many dogs that Edith Wharton owned and loved throughout her life. Always a passionate animal lover, she supported many animal charities, including helping to set up the S.P.C.A. in its early days in the United States. Most of the photographs are held in the Edith Wharton Collection at the Beinecke Library at Yale. The second photograph (we don't yet know this dog's name) was taken on the terrace at The Mount by either Edith or Teddy Wharton.

EW with Mouton and Sprite

On The Mount's terrace

Mitou, Miza and Nicette

The Mount on a quarter?

2009-02-10T13:41:00.000-05:00

According to this article on iBerkshires the US mint is planning on issuing new state quarters, and this time they will feature national parks and historic sites in each state. There are 17 sites in the Berkshires up for consideration, and The Mount is one of them! The rules state that "citizens can vote for any of the 114 sites selected by the state; you can vote as many times as you wish but for only one site at a time." Voting closes on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 5 p.m. If you want to see Edith Wharton's home immortalized as legal tender, visit the Massachusetts state website and cast your vote for The Mount! Don't forget the old adage "vote early and vote often!"

Wharton lecture at the Met

2009-02-09T10:50:00.000-05:00

Those of you who find yourselves in New York City on May 13 may be interested in attending David Garrard Lowe's lecture at the Metropolitain Museum of Art. Entitled Edith Wharton: A Pilgrimage to France— The Rue Varenne and a House in the Country it is part of their series American Writers Abroad. The lecture begins at 11:00 a.m.

The Big Read at Massillon Museum, Ohio

2009-02-04T13:28:00.000-05:00

(Wharton fans near Massillion Ohio appear to be in for a treat. Thanks to Ms. Corwin for bringing this to our attention.)

Hello to everyone at The Mount

I am excited to be looking forward to our community participation in The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read, when we will be reading and discussing The Age of Innocence and celebrating the life of Edith Wharton. The Massillon Museum and The Massillon Public Library will be having book discussion groups and I will be hosting one of the book discussions here at my new tea room, The Amherst Rose.

Events include The Gilded Age Ball, the Victorian Parlor, showings at our local theater of The House of Mirth, In Love and War, and The Age of Innocence, one-act plays at our local high school, and a program on Victorian Etiquette at our local historic home, Five Oaks There will also be a symposium at Kent State University - Stark County Campus.

For more information you can view the events at the web site for The Massillon Museum at
www.massillonmuseum.org

Please join us in celebrating the Big Read and The Age of Innocence. The Gilded Age Ball will be the first event on February 28th.

Mary Jane Corwin

The Amherst Rose and Palour Gift Shoppe
937 Amherst Road NE
Massillon OH 44646
330-832-8502
tea@amherstrose.com
www.amherstrose.com

Only 2 by Edith Wharton?

2009-01-27T11:18:00.000-05:00

The Guardian has printed a list of 1000 novels everyone must read and there are two Wharton titles, The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth. The list includes "only novels – no memoirs, no short stories, no long poems – from any decade and in any language" and they are listed by general theme. In the comments, one can point out books that should have been included ...

Congratulations from The Mount

2009-01-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

The Mount would like to congratulate Shakespeare & Company on the appointment of their new Artistic Director, Tony Simotes. As you can see from this article in the Berkshire Eagle, when Shakespeare & Company lived and worked at The Mount one of the roles he played was Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". We at The Mount hear many stories from our visitors about the fantastic performances they attended here, and their productions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" were some of the most memorable. Many people have talked about how magical and beautiful the grounds were, as the play was performed outside in the gardens and among the trees. We wish the company all the best for the future.

Happy Birthday!

2009-01-21T10:57:00.001-05:00

Don't forget, Saturday is Edith Wharton's birthday! Here at the Mount, we are celebrating with a special reading from a new screenplay adaptation of "Summer" which will be followed by a reception. To find out more visit :http://www.edithwharton.org/events/1.php?record=171

Although it appears that Mrs. Wharton was not always in a celebratory mood on her birthday ("that melancholy 24th—the saddest day of all the sad new year"), there was at least one which she remembered fondly. In "A Backward Glance" she wrote "And there was one supreme day when, my mother having despairingly asked our old literary advisor, Mr. North at Scribner’s, ‘what she could give the child for her birthday,’ I woke to find beside my bed Buxton Forman’s great editions of Keats and Shelley! Then the gates of the realms of gold swung wide, and from that day to this I don’t believe I was ever again, in my inmost self, wholly lonely or unhappy.”

(The 3rd ed. of Buxton Forman's Keats can be found online at Google Books.)

Happy New Year from The Mount

2009-01-08T13:46:00.000-05:00

All of us at The Mount would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Now might be a good time to revisit Wharton's novella "Old New York, New Year's Day (The Seventies)". There is an interesting article on the New York Times website about the house in which Wharton was born, and which plays a part in the above work. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, it is now home to Starbucks ... Here is the link (for which I thank the Edith Wharton Society's blog Edith Wharton in the News.

Dame Edna Everage and Edith Wharton--one and the same?

2008-12-09T11:04:00.000-05:00

According to an article on the Travel and Leisure website, Australian superstar Dame Edna Everage shares a special bond with Edith Wharton! "Thomas A. Goldwasser Rare Books has very interesting things by Edith Wharton. Do you believe in past lives? Well, in my past life I was Edith Wharton. So I like going there and reading my own things.”

One is not completely convinced, though one must agree that both share a gift of keen observation of human nature, as well as an appreciation of the finer things in life ...

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/my-favorite-place-dame-edna-everage (click on the link "Dame Edna's San Francisco").

The Mount wins Greylock award

2008-12-05T15:46:00.000-05:00

This summer, The Mount, Chesterwood, Hancock Shaker Village, and The Norman Rockwell Museum launched the American Icons joint discounted ticket promotion, a new collaborative effort that brought the four national treasures together for the first time. Starting on August 1, 2008, Berkshire county residents and visitors from near and far were able to purchase a "Pick Two" pass or an "American Icons" pass for all four cultural organizations at a discounted admission rate. The program offered a comprehensive experience of the best that the Berkshires has to offer at a great price. As a result of this new promotion, the Berkshire Visitor's Bureau recently awarded The Mount and its collaborators a new Greylock Award for Outstanding Industry Collaboration. American Icons was so successful that the four venues intend to partner again next summer.

We hope you will come and visit us next season, and be able to take advantage of these wonderful Berkshires treasures!

“I Lived Among the Ghosts of Novels”

2008-12-04T10:49:00.000-05:00

The grand old house, sitting on about 113 acres outside the town of Lenox, stands stark white against a sea of green trees of all types. She was, at one time, one of the grand Victorian ladies of the Berkshires. Who was she?

She is called The Mount and was the home of the American authoress, Edith Wharton, who had her built in 1902, as reflection of herself. It was here, in the library that looked out passed the wide veranda and over the sweeping gardens and lawns to Laurel Lake, where many of Wharton’s books were written: Ethan Frome, Age of Innocence, The House of Mirth. Mrs. Wharton claimed that The Mount was her “first real home” and The Mount remained so for ten years until the ill health of her husband, Teddy, forced them to leave the idyllic setting.

The Mount saw several owners after Mrs. Wharton sold her in 1912 and before I first saw her in the fall of 1962, when I had become a freshman at The Foxhollow School, a private girls’ boarding school.
Miss Aileen M. Farrell, founder and head of Foxhollow, had purchased the property in 1942 in order to expand the growing school and installed the juniors and seniors in what had been the servants’ sleeping quarters in the attic and the bedrooms on the 2nd floor. Miss Farrell utilized the stables that were further down the road and part of the estate; filling the stalls with riding horses.

I spent 2 years up in the attic, where the call box reminded us daily of the history of our dormitory by reflecting labels such as “Mrs. Wharton’s Room,” “Library,” “Dining Room,” and so forth. Fond memories remain of ice cream binges on the week-end in the kitchen. We were forbidden to use the main staircase and were relegated to the back door and back stairs to gain access to our rooms; the only exception to the rule was for the junior/senior prom in June, when the front door would be unlocked and opened with our escorts meeting us downstairs taking us up the grand staircase to the ballroom and terrace for the night’s festivities.

Foxhollow closed its doors in the late 1970s – but, not before Miss Farrell had had the foresight to have the estate placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1980s, Edith Wharton Restorations took over the building and, with grants, started the massive and extensive restoration of The Mount. Quite a bit had to be done, as the building was literally falling apart. After spending almost $15 million dollars, The Mount re-opened her doors to the public for lectures and tours of the grounds. Today, however, the estate faces foreclosure, a catastrophe which would result in closing the house and grounds to the public, perhaps forever. Just over one hundred years have past – one hundred years that saw the passing of time through the books and novellas of Mrs. Wharton and 30 or so teen-aged girls playing their records and radios. There are many voices and ghosts of different eras that roam the halls and rooms – my ghost and voice is still there, as is my heart. The time I spent there went by all too quickly; but, my memories will remain forever.

Pamela Taylor

Edith Wharton's necklace

2008-11-25T13:45:00.000-05:00

If anyone out there has an odd $60,000 to $80,000 to spare, they might wish to attend the auction of New York Jewels at Christie's on December 11 in New York. A beautiful necklace (dog-collar) which once belonged to Edith Wharton is being sold from "the collection of a gentleman". For details go to their website at http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?from=salesummary&intObjectID=5166600&sid=9ac51ea4-52e9-41de-b45d-673df9a28a68 and have a look! Happy bidding--of course, you could always give it a nice home here at The Mount!

Memories of an "ex-Mountie"

2008-11-21T14:45:00.000-05:00

(posted November 21)
I worked at the Mount giving tours for several summers around 1986-1991 when I was home from college. As an English major, I loved the history of the place. I am so impressed with all the beautiful renovations! When I was there, Shakespeare & Co. still had their stage set up on the upper wall of the sunken garden. I remember taking a tour group through and opening up the door to the main salon and having a group of actors all lying on the floor saying, "Haaaaa! Haaaaa!" I loved showing guests the "fake" door in the library. One of my last experiences there was the other workers giving me a wedding shower in the dining room. The Mount has improved so much since I was there that it is a shame that it faces closure. It truly is a gem.

lisarathbun@netzero.net

Glimpses of the Moon Benefit Performance

2008-11-10T16:02:00.000-05:00

Planning to be in New York City on December 1 ? Make those plans, and get over to the Algonquin Hotel for a benefit performance of a new musical based on Edith Wharton's Jazz Age novel, Glimpses of the Moon. We are so very excited and grateful to the producers of the show for putting on this performance, which will directly benefit the Save the Mount campaign. Please see their website (http://www.glimpsesofthemoon.com/) for more information or call us directly at 413.551.5104 to reserve tickets.

The Mount

Update from the Mount

2008-11-10T15:08:00.000-05:00

As you can see by our website, we are happy to extend our hours into the fall again this year. We will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 21, from 10am to 4pm, with the Bookstore open those same hours as well. Please come visit and do some early holiday shopping. And we are working on decking the halls with some holiday decor, we will post more details and dates on this soon. And speaking of dates, opening day for the 2009 season is scheduled for Friday, May 1!

However, we are still dependent on your continued support and successful agreement with the banks, so please continue to spread the word and visit us during November and December.

Thanks,
The Staff and Volunteers at The Mount