Edith Wharton was a famous and gifted American writer and the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Some of her most famous writings were THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, ETHAN FROME and THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. Edith loved art, science, architecture, design and gardens. She traveled extensively and lived in many different countries. She was really a character. I would have loved to have known her. Her concise observations of human nature were things she wrote about...and the pursuit of happiness. From time to time, I think about this piece she wrote. It haunts me.
"I have sometimes thought that a woman's nature is like a great house full of rooms. There is the hall, through which everyone passes in going in and out; the drawing room, where one receives formal visits; the sitting room, where members of the family come and go as they list. But beyond that, far beyond, are other rooms, the handles to whose doors perhaps are never turned: no one knows the way to them; no one knows whither they lead; and in the innermost room, the holy of holies, the soul sits alone and waits for a footstep that never comes."
Previously posted in 2010
Previously posted in 2010
4 comments:
Is there room in there for a dog bed...must have a furry companion to guide my path...
My daughter just had to put her two old Irish setters down, I don't ever want to go through that again, she was devastated, they were the last connections to her deceased husband...that's a room that she holds all the memories in, an alone room that she alone will enter...poor kid, what next, it's getting kinda full in there for this young woman!
Springs a comin!!!
What a sweet thing to read. Loved the pic of her but then again I love any old photos. Have a great weekend, T
That IS hauntingly beautiful Donna... I cannot recall this passage. I think you for sharing it though. I do not live far from the old estate of Edith Wharton's here in Western Massachusetts. She has long been an inspiration to me. I am here... listening for the footsteps. Happy to have found your blog over at Ingrid's. Carol
Thanks Carol. I think it haunts me on many levels, but on one; I have dreamed of a large house for the last 20-30 years. I wander through the rooms: they are all different and have different meanings and decor, etc. Do others have these house dreams?
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