The 1700-1939 Book Club! discussion

This is for the discussion of Summer by Edith Wharton (Ch 1-9).

Just in case anyone is interested, tantor audio has this audio book for free to US customers right now.

I have to admit that this is not a favorite of Wharton's for me. I am not enjoying it as much as some of her other works I have read. For one it seems much lighter than previous books by her, perhaps a bit to much romancy for my usual taste.

And I find that I really do not like Chastity. I do not think she comes across as particularly sympathetic, and I find she can be rather irritating. Though I am curious about this hole "coming from the Mountain" and what that is all about. While it seems to refer to an actual place, it also sounds as if there is some metaphorical meaning behind it. At first I was not sure if it was literally meant, or was some euphemism for Chastity's birth (supposing that perhaps she was illegitimate)

I did not like Chastity either. It has been several weeks since I read the book and I can't really recall anything about her worth liking. Enough said since no one else has finished it yet.

I read it about a week ago. I liked Chasity as a character but I don't think I would like in 'real life'. And I didn't particularly like the choices she made in her life.

It wasn't me favorite of Wharton's, but I did like it and I'm glad I've read it.

In my ediition it says that it was Wharton's own favorite!

I've just started it, but I love the prose:

e.g., "The little June wind, frisking down the street, shook the doleful finges of the Hatchard spruces, caught the straw hat of a young man just passing under them, and spun it clean across the road into the duck-pond." (From p. 1)

That is beautiful Casceil. I plan to start the audio tomorrow. I cannot wait, this will only my 3rd Edith Wharton.

I read that Summer was her favorite because it reflected her love affair with Morton Fullerton in 1906-9.

They met in the summer of that year after being introduced by mutual friend Henry James. She undoubtedly considered him the love of her life, describing him as her "ideal intellectual partner". However they were never 'officially' together, as Wharton was already married and Fullerton's highly promiscuous personality prevented him from ever marrying or committing to a serious relationship.

After the affair ended, Wharton, who was fiercely guarded when it came to her private life, requested that Fullerton destroy every letter she had ever sent him in order to avoid any scandal. The affair itself, although suspected, was not confirmed until the 1980s. Fullerton had ignored Wharton's request and had kept all of her letters, which were eventually published as a book, The letters of Edith Wharton http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Edith-W..., in 1988.

Casceil wrote: "I've just started it, but I love the prose:

I agree. The prose is wonderful. So wonderful that it can flow by unnoticed. It just nestles into the story line.
I had never read anything by her until joining this book club so thank you Jamie for starting it.

Carol wrote: "I read that Summer was her favorite because it reflected her love affair with Morton Fullerton in 1906-9.

They met in the summer of that year after being introduced by mutual friend Henry James. S..."

Very interesting!

Sorry I have been MIA. I am going to start reading this week!

The beginning of Chapter Five is a glorious description of June in Eagle County:

"There had never been such a June in Eagle County. Usually it was a month of moods, with abrupt alternations of belated frost and mid-summer heat; this year, day followed day in a sequence of temperate beauty. Every morning a breeze blew steadily from the hills. Toward noon it built up great canopies of white cloud that threw a cool shadow over fields and woods; then before sunset the clouds dissolved again, and the western light rained its unobstructed brightness on the valley. On such an afternoon Charity Royall lay on a ridge above a sunlit hollow, her face pressed to the earth and the warm currents of the grass running through her. Directly in her line of vision a blackberry branch laid its frail white flowers and blue-green leaves against the sky. Just beyond, a tuft of sweet-fern uncurled between the beaded shoots of the grass, and a small yellow butterfly vibrated over them like a fleck of sunshine. This was all she saw; but she felt, above her and about her, the strong growth of the beeches clothing the ridge, the rounding of pale green cones on countless spruce-branches, the push of myriads of sweet-fern fronds in the cracks of the stony slope below the wood, and the crowding shoots of meadowsweet and yellow flags in the pasture beyond. All this bubbling of sap and slipping of sheaths and bursting of calyxes was carried to her on mingled currents of fragrance. Every leaf and bud and blade seemed to contribute its exhalation to the pervading sweetness in which the pungency of pine-sap prevailed over the spice of thyme and the subtle perfume of fern, and all were merged in a moist earth-smell that was like the breath of some huge sun-warmed animal."


Wharton, Edith (1994-09-01). Summer (p. 19). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.

Things I love about this section:

The way nature is a living force, and verbs are used to make nature an actor: "the Western light rained its unobstructed brightness on the valley"; "canopies of white cloud that threw a cool shadow . . . then before sunset the clouds dissolved again, and the western light rained its unobstructed brightness on the valley"; "a blackberry branch laid its frail white flowers and blue-green leaves against the sky."

The use of alliteration that makes this read so much like poetry. Look at this sentence, and note the b's and then p's and then s's and then m's: "Every leaf and bud and blade seemed to contribute its exhalation to the pervading sweetness in which the pungency of pine-sap prevailed over the spice of thyme and the subtle perfume of fern, and all were merged in a moist earth-smell that was like the breath of some huge sun-warmed animal."

I started this last night and am to chapter 6. So far I like it but it is different than any other Wharton book I have read. Once I get to chapter 9 I'll read your comments and join the discussion!

Jamie, you would actually be safe reading the comments in this section now. There aren't any spoilers that I can see. We're mostly discussing her prose style.

Casceil wrote: "Jamie, you would actually be safe reading the comments in this section now. There aren't any spoilers that I can see. We're mostly discussing her prose style."

Great thanks Casceil!

Casceil wrote: "I've just started it, but I love the prose:

e.g., "The little June wind, frisking down the street, shook the doleful finges of the Hatchard spruces, caught the straw hat of a young man just passin..."

I agree. I am not too far in to decide if I like Chastity or not. Right now I feel like I would be the same type of person she is, wanting more in life and feeling alone. The way she has grown up greatly influences her actions and personality. The one thing I do like of her, and maybe it is the prose and more the narrator's personality shining through, is her connection/the towns with nature. It talks about there being no shade like having no relief in the small town, maybe in reference to the lack of culture and the outside world. Also, she comes from the mountain which rises above the valley. I think it mentioned casting a shadow on the village. The mountain does have a negative and somewhat ominous feel (could be an interesting metaphor). I also like how Chastity likes to just lay in the grass on a hill to get away from life, don't we all need a place like that!

Diane wrote: "Casceil wrote: "I've just started it, but I love the prose:

I agree. The prose is wonderful. So wonderful that it can flow by unnoticed. It just nestles into the story line.
I had never read anyth..."

Thanks Diane! You guys deserve greater thanks for keeping the group alive!

Carol wrote: "I read that Summer was her favorite because it reflected her love affair with Morton Fullerton in 1906-9.

They met in the summer of that year after being introduced by mutual friend Henry James. S..."

I would love to read those!

Casceil wrote: "The beginning of Chapter Five is a glorious description of June in Eagle County:

"There had never been such a June in Eagle County. Usually it was a month of moods, with abrupt alternations of be..."

I so glad you post this so I could reread and enjoy the beauty of that passage!

Adding to my idea of how the weather is a metaphor to the town and may possibly be used as foreshadowing this passage could show how Chastity is feeling having Lucius Harney in town. The warmth and perfection of a beginning love affair. But didn't Liff Hyatt step on the branch she was looking at right after breaking the perfection of the moment.

Yes, I believe Liff did step on the branch she had been admiring. Possible foreshadowing?

I read this at the beginning of last month, and just now found my reading notes!

At the end of Chapter 8 I began to feel a bit more sympathetic towards Mr. Royall, he knew that he had done something terrible, and the advice that he gave Charity was absolutely correct- if Lucious had wanted a proper relationship, he would have made a move for it.

As far as the prose goes, I've now read Summer and Ethan Fromme, which my friends insists are the "two odd ducks" in Whartons library. Although, I've enjoyed them both well enough. I love the stark feeling of her prose, I feel that it plays into the town itself.

I haven't read Ethan Fromme, but the prose in Summer certainly seems starker than Age of Innocence. Both books have wonderful prose, but they have very different settings and produce vastly different moods. The Age of Innocence seems to focus more on the internal landscapes of the characters' minds, while in Summer, the outdoors, and nature, seem to come to life like a person.

I personally preferred Ethan Frome over summer, I think that Ethan Frome was a bit bleaker than Summer, is and a bit less of a romance and well I do usually tend towards the darker stuff. Though I agree that one of the things which keeps me reading this book is the prose as I do not find the story itself that interesting, and cannot say I care much for any of the characters. But some of the prose is quite good.

In regards to Mr. Royal I find that my opinion of him tends to sway back and forth. At times I do find him quite sympathetic, and think that Chastity treats particularly awful, considering he had taken her in and raised her, and does seem to have her own best interests at heart. But at other times he can come off as being quite despicable and I find some of his behavior rather repulsive.

This is my first read by Wharton and I am enjoying it. There's a nice flow to her writing - not too wordy while still allowing the setting to seep into the story.
I'm torn on how to feel about Charity. Her willfulness is sometimes annoying. And it feels like a constant rollar coaster of doubt and confidence in herself.

She is at an age where it is common to be on that roller coaster.