"Boston post-Civil War. A generation of American men are just…dead. Husbands, fathers, fiancés, brothers, sons. Which means that there is a generation of women who have come into wealth that might otherwise have been under the direct control of a man or earmarked for a man. A generation of widows and orphans, not quite heiresses, but, perhaps with more control over their financial destinies than they might have otherwise had."
"Women are, in the wake apocalyptic shattering of the Civil War, remaking society or attempting to remake society and effect change."
This is interesting American sociology cause & effect that a reader can find embodied in the life of Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
At the beginning of this year, I read a bunch of her biography, and was surprised to learn that she came from the New England area & era like the above and she explains how her family was full of strong matriarchs, and strong women in general made her character which continues on to her relocation to South Florida where she was at the early Miami Herald in the Roaring 20s -- shortly after being conned by a deadbeat older guy/former husband. Fast forward and she lived a long life full of literature basically independent or a part of some Boston marriage type arrangements. Her influence continues well into today in profound ways in a state that is deep South.
My grandmother's aunt, "The Duchess" lived with her lady cousin for 50 years -- they ran a Catholic Settlement house and were devoted to one another. The Duchess wore bespoke outfits -- mens suit on top, straight skirt, brogues -- while Mary looked more like a regular lady. Henry James era -- she lived from 1880-1967
I got to see an opera production for The Turn of the Screw in Geneva this summer. It was awful. The performers were fantastically talented, but the score and adaptation was terrible, and the audience laughed at the scariest moments (i.e. a kleenex tissue blowing across the stage = "frightening" ghost). As a lifelong Henry James fan and opera singer, my expectations were far too high. All this is to say that if any Henry James novel were to be adapted as an opera, The Bostonians would have been a much better choice!
Gosh yours is my favourite Substack❤️I look forward to it and will reread this post latter at my leisure with a cup of tea. Henry James. What a trippy writer🤭
Great post! I love Henry James. He is quite a mouthful at times and I have to not speed read and carefully digest his words. They are not to be taken lightly!
Well, I went to a girls' school, and lots of the lady teachers lived together, and it set a very good example!
"Boston post-Civil War. A generation of American men are just…dead. Husbands, fathers, fiancés, brothers, sons. Which means that there is a generation of women who have come into wealth that might otherwise have been under the direct control of a man or earmarked for a man. A generation of widows and orphans, not quite heiresses, but, perhaps with more control over their financial destinies than they might have otherwise had."
"Women are, in the wake apocalyptic shattering of the Civil War, remaking society or attempting to remake society and effect change."
This is interesting American sociology cause & effect that a reader can find embodied in the life of Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
At the beginning of this year, I read a bunch of her biography, and was surprised to learn that she came from the New England area & era like the above and she explains how her family was full of strong matriarchs, and strong women in general made her character which continues on to her relocation to South Florida where she was at the early Miami Herald in the Roaring 20s -- shortly after being conned by a deadbeat older guy/former husband. Fast forward and she lived a long life full of literature basically independent or a part of some Boston marriage type arrangements. Her influence continues well into today in profound ways in a state that is deep South.
My grandmother's aunt, "The Duchess" lived with her lady cousin for 50 years -- they ran a Catholic Settlement house and were devoted to one another. The Duchess wore bespoke outfits -- mens suit on top, straight skirt, brogues -- while Mary looked more like a regular lady. Henry James era -- she lived from 1880-1967
I got to see an opera production for The Turn of the Screw in Geneva this summer. It was awful. The performers were fantastically talented, but the score and adaptation was terrible, and the audience laughed at the scariest moments (i.e. a kleenex tissue blowing across the stage = "frightening" ghost). As a lifelong Henry James fan and opera singer, my expectations were far too high. All this is to say that if any Henry James novel were to be adapted as an opera, The Bostonians would have been a much better choice!
Bravo! BRAVO!!
Gosh yours is my favourite Substack❤️I look forward to it and will reread this post latter at my leisure with a cup of tea. Henry James. What a trippy writer🤭
Great post! I love Henry James. He is quite a mouthful at times and I have to not speed read and carefully digest his words. They are not to be taken lightly!