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

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

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)!

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

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"

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

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.