From the Lists: #26 The Wings of the Dove

My love / hate relationship with Henry James culminates in The Wings of the Dove (1902). A story about Kate, a beautiful, but down-and-out social climber, who pimps her fiance, Merton, to Milly, a rich, terminally ill, American orphan, in the hope that he will inherit her fortune upon her death.  (How's that for Jamesian sentence structure?)

Like James' other novels, there are really no good girls or boys in this story of having and wanting. Even the idealistic love between Kate and Merton, a journalist, is eventually corrupted by the societal machinations of Kate's Aunt Maud and Milly's traveling companion Mrs. Stringham - who, coincidentally, were school mates back in the day.

While Kate is willing to throw off Aunt Maud's "sponsorship" to be with Merton, she is also keenly aware of her struggling father and sister who look to her marriage prospects as benefit to themselves:  "...[T]he more one gave oneself the less of one was left. There were always people to snatch at one, and it would never occur to them that they were eating one up. They did that without tasting."(p. 23) Of course it's easy for Kate to disdain the grasping of others when later justifying her own grasping, manipulating, lying, and betrayal as serving your "higher" purposes.

It appears that a fabulously wealthy, orphaned, American heiress with only a few months to live, really brings out the local London aristocracy. Upon her arrival, balls, dances, dinners are suddenly arranged. The Spring season is extended and the Summer exodus from London is postponed, all for a chance to meet and woo this heiress. What's most interesting for the reader, is that James gives you no clues as to who is in on the plot, who are pawns, and who are the victims.

In many ways, while reading this novel, I was reminded of Downton Abbey - particularly Cora's marriage to Lord Grantham, which included a dowry large enough to save the estate. In Milly's case, the lucky man would only need be married a few months at most, and a fortune would be at his command. Not a bad deal for a slightly tarnished estate or unlanded title holder. Yet, with all these suitors, Milly only has eyes for a poor, secretly engaged, journalist, who coincidentally is our male romantic lead, Merton.

In the end, this is a morality tale about love and greed, innocence and guilt, faith and compromise, which makes it all the more sad. The novel's first act is filled with love, innocence and faith as evidenced by the vows Kate and Merton exchange to conclude the first act, "I pledge myself to you forever." Merton exultant replies, "And I pledge you - I call God to witness! - every spark of my faith; I give you every drop of my life." Sadly, because this is literature, the lesson is not going to be eternal joy and bliss. Instead, the tale will end with a harvest of fruits planted, tilled, and fertilized with greed, compromise, and guilt.

Thinking about Henry James

In reading The Golden Bowl (#32), The Ambassadors (#27), and now The Wings of the Dove, I found myself settling into the parlors and receiving rooms of upper middle class London at the turn of the century. There is a bit of a scandalous undercurrent to all of these stories, there are unreliable narrators, internal dialogs, as well as character types and places his readers would have known or heard about. I think that being a part of and/or understanding this segment of society provided James with some shortcuts that the present day reader is lacking. Once I fell into the habit of reading between the lines and not fully trusting James' narrators, I think I took on more of the persona of his original audience. After all, why write something down when your reader's imagination will add the perfect amount of scandal and spice for the book to provide a rush of titillation in addition to the pleasure of moral superiority?

Next up: #24 Winesburg Ohio

From the Lists: #27 The Ambassadors

Bon vivant - aka gay expat

After reading Henry James' The Golden Bowl, I was not eager to spend the next several weeks delving into the "vulgar and perverse" lives of the early 20th century English aristocracy; long tracts of thoughts, page after page of internal turmoils, everyone wondering what someone else is thinking, but too polite to ask. Even our omniscient narrator seemed confused by his character's motives.

Perhaps my long hours of reading and re-reading paragraphs chocked full of subordinate clauses, so full in fact that I would often forget which character initiated the dialog at the beginning of the paragraph. Regardless, I was better prepared for #27, The Ambassadors (1903), that, or this book was actually a lot better than The Golden Bowl.

The book opens with our rather nervous hero, Strether arriving in England on a mission to rescue Chad, the wayward son of his wealthy, New England fiancee, from the clutches of a wicked European woman of questionable morals. While Strether makes a small effort to remain true to his straitlaced Puritan heritage, he is determined to complete his task of saving Chad and returning him to Massachusettes to take over the family business. From the start, there is some urgency in completing this task as well as an indication that Strether's future (and fortune) depends on the success of his mission. 

As with all good stories there are obstacles along the way that make Strether reconsider his mission - among them are the pleasures of the Parisian Spring, the city's life, food, music, theater, as well as the delightfully cultured denizens of its art world with whom Chad is ensconced. Streather immerses himself in Chad's world and in so doing. Strether begins enjoying himself, develops a bit of a crush on Chad's "girlfriend," and begins maneuvering to extend his stay in Paris by discouraging Chad from returning to the bosom of his family.

Strether, seduced by Paris and its inhabitants, and possibly a tad bit in love, comes to the realization that his practical life has not been a life of happiness. He explains to a young acquaintance:

It's too late. And it's as if the train had fairly waited at the station for me without my having had the gumption to know it was there. Now I hear its faint receding whistle miles and miles down the line. What one loses one loses; make no mistake about that.... Still, one has the illusion of freedom; therefore don't be, like me, without the memory of that illusion. I was either, at the right time, too stupid or too intelligent to have it; I don't quite know which. Of course at present I'm a case of reaction against the mistake; and the voice of reaction should, no doubt, always be taken with an allowance. But that doesn't affect the point that the right time is now yours. The right time is any time that one is still so lucky as to have. You've plenty; that's the great thing; you're, as I say, damn you, so happily and hatefully young. Don't at any rate miss things out of stupidity.... Do what you like so long as you don't make my mistake. For it was a mistake. Live! 

Of course the remainder of the narrative rests on whether Strether will take his own advice and pursue his own happiness or return to New England. Will he do as his fiancee wishes or will he return home, empty handed, knowing he made the right decision? The book's ends before there is a resolution, so scholarly debate continues as to Strether's choice. 

Middle Age Reminiscence

As I live through my middle years, I sometimes think about missed opportunities for happiness and the choices I sometimes made with my head instead of my heart. Like Strether, I may have come late to the banquet, but I am determined to enjoy all that life offers. I just have to make sure I get to the train station on time. Live! 

From the Lists: #48 & 49: A Little DH Lawrence Anyone?

1st Edition

I continue my effort to make it through the list of 100 Best English-Language Novels of the 20th Century and D. H. Lawrence comes in at both #48 and #49. Oddly, other entries on the list that include multiple books in a series are presented as a single entry (#70 The Alexandria Quartet, #23 The USA Trilogy, #57 Parade's End). In this case, The Rainbow and Women in Love are listed separately. Perhaps the reason for this is Lawrence's radically different approach to describing the various forms of love in each.

Many of Lawrence's novels are devoted to the exploration of love outside the bounds of popular romantic Victorian novels. As such, The Rainbow (1915) was initially banned and printed copies were burned in the UK due to the frank discussion of sexual fulfillment and its importance (primacy) in relationships. The three generations of Brangwens introduced in this work, do not find themselves in particularly happy or romantic love matches. Instead, their relationships are based mainly on grudging respect, desire, and physical satisfaction. Mind you, there is no cheating, adultery, or other shenanigans presented in the text, but the idea of relationships based purely on physical needs was evidently insulting to the prim British reading public of the time. By today's standards, this work is extremely tame; however, the suggestive use of "verdant, fecund, turgid, pulsating, and burning" language when describing the mundane lives of these characters can be quite entertaining.

Women in Love (1921) picks up with the two oldest Brangwen daughters, Ursula and Gudrun, and their love interests, Rupert and Gerald. The girls fall in love at first sight with the two male characters. The men, on the other hand, are oblivious and seem to be just a bit (a lot, really) in love with each other. Some critics have suggested that this novel was intended to be Lawrence's "gay" novel, but due to the public outcry following the release of The Rainbow (i.e. bonfires), he dialed back the relationship between the two men. Where the previous novel explored physical love, this novel focuses on the various ideals of love each character strives to fulfill:

• Ursula wants to be cherished as the center of her husband's attention
• Gudrun is an artist who thinks she wants a powerful domineering lover only to discover that she feels smothered in his presence
• Rupert is looking for a separate but equal love, similar to the love he feels for his best friend Gerald (see sexy, naked wrestling scene - WOOF)
• Gerald enjoys the attentions of everyone, but feels pressure to settle down with a woman in order to fulfill his role as the eldest son of local gentry. 

Obviously, the story's tension arises from the mismatched couples - a little girlfriend swapping or a simple threesome would solve all their problems. Actually, Rupert does suggest the threesome option to Gerald - who ultimately refuses. In my opinion, the subject matter of this novel is much racier than that of the previous work. It is possible that the British public lost some of its Victorian innocence following the hardships of WWI and was more open to exploring love in all its myriad forms.

Recommendation: It is not necessary to read both books as each stands on its own merits. They are both relatively easy reads, but there is quite a bit of internal dialog and soul searching as each character navigates through their desires, emotions, hopes, and personal inventories in search of companionship and happiness. The Rainbow does not appear to have much of a defined story arc other than an extended family history of turbulent lusty relationships. Women in Love is more traditionally limited in its plot, but quite modern in its treatment of the subject matter. If you only have time for one - I suggest Women in Love.

PS - Women in Love is coming up soon in my Netflix queue. It received a slew of awards in 1968. I am really interested in seeing how the director presents the subject matter. With that said, I think that there were many more movies with challenging subjects produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s before the advent of super-quick film cuts and inexpensive special effects (for example The Graduate, The Godfather, Last Tango in Paris, Lolita, Midnight Cowboy, The French Connection, Chinatown, etc.).

Goodbye 2011 - Hello 2012

This morning, as I was lying in bed wondering if everyday of my 49th year was going to feel like a hangover, I reflected on the past year and started thinking about the year to come. One nice thing about having a birthday at the butt end of the year is that the retrospective holiday special includes all twelve of the previous months.

2011 was a year of travel beginning with our yearly Caribbean cruise in February with John and Jay from Fort Lauderdale, as well as with friends from Chicago, Germany, England, and other far-flung parts of the world. The ports were pretty boring in themselves this time out, but we kept busy with massages, excursions (ATV tour, zip lines, and Mayan ruins), parties, dinners, and trips to the shipboard clinic for John's crushed finger. This was followed by a trip to Chicago over Memorial day, an unexpected trip to Asia to visit the branch of the family taking root on the other side of the world, and a Thanksgiving excursion to visit John and Jay.

2011 was also a year of huge work projects as well as several large organizational changes that have left me feeling a bit rudderless. I was chatting with Alex last night and told him changes with my job were slowly sucking away my mojo - of course that comment could also be due to the end of the year blues, the slow progression of the years, or the gathering gravitational force of my sofa. Nonetheless, besides the several end of year trips I have taken, I have been quite the homebody over the past six months - early to bed, early to rise, and mostly hangover-free....

At Christmas dinner, my dear friend Clodagh asked everyone at the table about their new year resolutions. Since I had not started thinking of them as yet, I came up with the boring response of working to be more frugal while still maintaining my semi-fabulous lifestyle - hence my frenzy of retail therapy to close out 2011 - a boy has to shop after all!

This morning, between the pulsation of PBR-induced head pains, I conducted a more thorough inventory of the things I would like to work on in the coming year.

1. Break out of my comfort level and take more risks (career choices, relationships, spiritually)
2. Pay off my car by July (two years early) and increase my emergency fund by $5000
3. Have no credit card debt at the end of the year (The trip to Asia slammed my budget, I have two more big trips planned, but there are no regrets on that account)
4. Read at least 10 more of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century (only 31 to go)
5. Rearrange my work schedule to go to the gym in the morning before arriving in the office
6. Spend more time with cherished friends and make the effort to cultivate new friendships
7. Have at least two fully planned and executed parties for friends and family
8. Plan "Glenn days" for body and soul replenishment
9. Say "I love you" more often - but only when I mean it

It is going to be a busy year! Stay tuned.

Here's to wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2012.
Much love,
Glenn

Two Weeks On: Vacation in Retrospective

I was talking to my friend John on Friday and he asked me about my trip. Two weeks on, my perspective has changed a bit. The never-ending jet lag that resulted in two weeks of insomnia had eased and I was sleeping through the night again - well mostly. The fatigue of getting up at 3:30 AM to begin our 30 hour transit home, returning to the office the next day, and being committed to outside activities for seven evenings in a row was a hazy dreamy memory of something that could have occurred in the distant past.

So, in looking back....

I really miss my brother and sister-in-law.  I wish it were easier to see them and share the daily minutiae of our lives. Not to mention that I will have to recreate relationships with Ozzy and Sawyer when I next see them.

Planning a trip to meet the requirements of so many other people's schedules is difficult. Next time, I may have to depend more on my traveling companion or employ the assistance of a travel agent. It was a lot of work coordinating schedules and travel preferences with my brother and dad. Thank goodness for my brother's knowledge of the countries we visited and his eagerness to share his part of the world with us.

Never, never, never again will I update my Facebook status with happy (smug) updates about the empty seat next to mine. Karma is a bitch, and she repaid me by placing an extra large Hispanic man in the seat next to mine on the 15 hour flight home from Honk Kong (not counting the 2 hours of sitting on the ground waiting for electrical maintenance to be completed). After we spent the first hour and a half fighting for the armrest, I gave in and let him have it. Of course, I exacted my revenge by cuddling into his over-hanging largeness as I tried to stay warm and get a bit of sleep on the way home. Good times...

On my next trip to Asia I will plan more professionally conducted tours. Why not learn something new while you are on the other side of the world? I will also plan to take a side trip to Angkor Wat to see another of the wonders of the world - however, I do hear that there is a "roughing it" factor when traveling to Cambodia.

Food is a good thing. I will soon be purchasing my own rice cooker and learning how to make a tasty pho. I will also be pestering my brother for his curry recipes.

If my office opens a branch in Singapore - you can count me among those who are willing to pack up my things and head overseas. I adore that city.

Separate bedrooms may be a good idea to promote prolonged family happiness and harmony. Apparently dad has not spent the night with that many men, in that I expect my sleeping companion to snore, he does not. Middle of the night belching and farting however is still unacceptable.

And, looking back on the entire experience, now that all the bills have come in, I would not change a thing. It was a memorable trip filled with lots of laughs and a few happy tears. My only regret is that it did not last longer.

XOX
Glenn