“In spite of illness, in spite even
of the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of
disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual
curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways." - Edith Wharton, born January 24, 1862
My first encounter with Edith Wharton was during my junior
year of high school. For an assignment in American Literature, we were tasked
to choose a book and write chapter summaries. I don’t remember why I picked The House of Mirth, but it was probably
because it fit the criteria and it was in my parents’ library. However, it was
the best book I could have plucked off that shelf. I was seduced by the atmosphere
of Gilded Age America and entranced by Lily Bart, a spoiled but naïve heroine
who tries to navigate New York society on her own. It remains one of my
favorite books and the one I recommend the most when asked to recommend Edith
Wharton.
I believe in soul mates, sort of, for authors and readers, the
kind of reading relationship that even lifelong readers find only once in a
blue moon. You read a handful of pages and have to stop because it’s like this
writer was inside your head while penning this book. Your ideas of and outlook on
life sync up so well that it becomes impossible to remember a time before you’d
discovered this writer. And it’s reciprocal, because, after gleaning all the
wisdom and empathy possible, you go out and recommend this book and this writer
to all your friends. You can’t stop talking about it. It sneaks into every conversation.
The House of Mirth
was such an experience for me. I devoured a number of her other novels, though
I still have a long way to go, as she was quite prolific. Among my favorites
are: Ethan Frome, The Glimpses of the Moon, The Children, and The Buccaneers.
But she didn’t write only novels. An accomplished gardener
and amateur architect, she wrote books such as The Decoration of Houses and Italian
Villas and their Gardens. Also, this is her estate, The Mount, located in
Lenox, Massachusetts, which she designed herself:
I’ll leave you with a few interesting tidbits.
- She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921 for The Age of Innocence and was the first female
recipient.
- She wrote ghost stories.
- She moved to France later in life (and wrote about it).
The street on which she lived is now called rue Edith Wharton.
- She was given an honorary doctorate from Yale, and the
Yale library has a collection of her letters and manuscripts.
- She was good friends with Henry James.
- The Mount is thought to be haunted. Ghost Hunters filmed an episode on it.
- She was rewarded the Chevalier Legion of Honour for her relief
and refugee work in France during World War I.
Because I am a literary enthusiast and a major dork, I celebrate
her birthday every year, usually by making cupcakes. This year's weren't a culinary masterpiece, but being happy in small ways is a healthy thing. :)
