The dear friend of mine who suggested that I start a blog recently posted an entry on her own blog called On Glancing Backward. Basically it's an excerpt from Edith Wharton's memoir, A Backward Glance. I actually had to google Edith Wharton, and now I have a whole bunch of new books to add to my never-ending reading list. Thanks, Voracious T!
However, the excerpt eloquently says what I have long thought. I am SO glad to hear that someone else finally said what I have been trying to for so long, but have been unable to articulate well. (I especially like "though the years are sad, the days have a way of being jubilant") I have always thought that life, if not really sucky most of the time, was a lot of aggravation and hard work with very little reward. There are definite rays of sunshine and moments of brilliance, but I am not convinced that these jubilant days actually balance out the sad years. Which I consider unfortunate. However, I feel slightly better, after reading a few sentences of Wharton's, knowing that at least I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Yes! I *love* Edith Wharton! I don't think you should start with "A Backward Glance," since it's kind of ... chatty ... but here's my recommendation:
ReplyDelete"The Age of Innocence" (she won the Pulitzer for it)
"The House of Mirth" (my favorite - Wharton said that you should judge a society by what it destroys)
"Ethan Frome" (depressing as hell)
And if you want a bit more Wharton, check out "Custom of the Country," which was a bit angry for me. And that's saying a lot!
Enjoy!
And it's "excerpt," isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYes! Chris and I knew I had picked the wrong word, but for the life of us, we couldn't figure out what I was looking for. I gave up and just went with it. I'll make the change now! It's a good thing I have smart friends!
ReplyDelete