The touchstone

To whom (or what) does the title refer? Margaret Aubyn? Flamel? Alexa? The letters? All of them? Did your opinion of Glennard match his own, or were you easier or harder on him than he was on himself? Did Wharton intentionally name Flamel after Nicholas Flamel of philosophers stone fame? What is everyone thinking? (I have many quotes highlighted in this one, some of which I‘ll share in the comments.)

Lcsmcat @Graywacke @batsy @jewright @Louise @Sace @Tamra @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 @Tanisha_A @emilyhaldi @rubyslippersreads @KathyWheeler @llwheeler @CarolynM Let me know if you want off this list. 3y

llwheeler I hadn't thought much about the title until you posted this, an interesting question. I think it's the letters. And I also think flamel is an uncommon enough name that the associations with alchemy must be intended. 3y

Lcsmcat So, the promised quotes. Starting with ones I highlighted because I thought they illustrated Glennard‘s character. “his remorseful tenderness for her memory was complicated with a sense of irritation against her for having given him once for all the measure of his emotional capacity.” 3y

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Lcsmcat “He understood now that, at the moment of selling the letters, he had viewed the transaction solely as it affected himself” 3y

Lcsmcat “What he wanted now was not immunity but castigation: his wife‘s indignation might still reconcile him to himself.” 3y

Lcsmcat And some that I marked simply in admiration of Wharton‘s ability to turn a phrase. “Genius is of small use to a woman who does not know how to do her hair.” 3y

Lcsmcat “There are times when the constancy of the woman one cannot marry is almost as trying as that of the woman one does not want to.” 3y

Lcsmcat “one felt that if she had been prettier she would have had emotions instead of ideas.” 3y

Lcsmcat “So much did this endear Mrs. Aubyn to the university ladies that they were disposed from the first to allow her more latitude of speech and action than the ill-used wife was generally accorded in Hillbridge, where misfortune was still regarded as a visitation designed to put people in their proper place and make them feel the superiority of their neighbors.” 3y

Lcsmcat I almost get some Austen vibes from Wharton‘s language. I think she must have been a very keen observer of other people‘s foibles. 3y

Lcsmcat @llwheeler I think she must have meant us to see Flamel as almost a reagent- the alchemy that sent Stephen Glennard spinning first up, then suddenly down. 3y

llwheeler I love her prose too, great quotes you pulled. And yes, I agree about Flamel. He's the catalyst... Glennard had all the potential to act as he did within himself, but couldn't act without the push (and sought out that push) 3y

batsy This month has gotten away from me though it's only just started... Will pop back in with comments when I read it, which I hope is soon 🙈 3y

Lcsmcat @batsy It‘s been that kind of month! But it‘s a fast read so I hope we‘ll hear from you soon. 3y

arubabookwoman @llwheeler I think the letters were the "touchstone" as well. @Lcsmcat genius being of little use to a woman who does not know how to do her hair is one of the quotes I marked too, and I too was struck by how "Austenesque" this book was. Hope to come back with further comments soon. 3y

Louise I‘m afraid I‘m with @batsy on this one, despite best intentions. Not yet finished with the book. Loving Wharton‘s prose! Will comment further when I finish. ☺️ (edited) 3y

Graywacke I couldn‘t make any sense of the title, so glad you set some ideas up. And I didn‘t connect anything to Flamel‘s name other than that it stood out. Lots of other thoughts… i‘ll try to list them. 3y

Graywacke 1. Bitterly feminist and resigned to its hopelessness (its not a point here so much as a color). 2. Glennard was despicable. 3. And yet Alexa saves him from himself. 4. Something real in how this marital drama plays out - the miscommunication and false dark imaginations. 5. So Alexa becomes something heroic in just decently salvaging her marriage. 6. Henry James everywhere? 7. She had a lot to get off her chest. 8. And yet the end … (edited) 3y

Graywacke …softens it all and really pales a lot of good stuff. It‘s all wrapped in a nice pretty bow. 3y

Graywacke 9. Nothing is straightforward. Wharton seems to need to pull everything out of some underlying contradiction. 10. Lots of psychologically. (Proust might have appreciated the twists and back and forth contradictory waves of the emotion and thought) 3y

rubyslippersreads Could his wife be the touchstone? It‘s her good opinion Glennard cares most about. I also immediately noticed the name Flamel (thanks, Harry Potter). (edited) 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat thanks for the quotes. I distinctly remember at least three them, including the doing her hair one. The first line is brilliant - Aubyn give him his measure - and it‘s a small amount. The “if she had been prettier” quote is stinging. Perfect example od what i meant with my thought #1 above. (And I forgotten it. Thanks for posting that.) 3y

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads i like that idea. (Glennard wipes Alexa out as a nothing, overlooks her. Literally doesn‘t see her. And yet…) 3y

Graywacke 11. (long list, sorry) - this is an interesting intro to Wharton. It‘s not, in my opinion, an amazing novella. But there is a lot here - in style, subject, the underlying anger, the complicated and contradictory psychology, feminism, deep domestic exploration, the discomfort with this culture, the fronting of her own intelligence. Whatever comes next, these are some of the things I‘ll carry over and have in mind going forward. 3y

Lcsmcat @rubyslippersreads I lean towards Alexa or Margaret as the touchstone. He cares so much about her perception of him, and the third quote I posted, about wanting her castigation, seems to point that way. 3y

Graywacke 12 (sorry again) thinking more about Margaret and Alexa. Margaret is basically ugly and oozes intelligence and pours it out onto a misogynist world and wins it over. Alexa is also super intelligent, and yet she keeps it all inside. It‘s invisible. She‘s all humble wife outwardly. And she‘s very pretty. Stephen rejects Margaret and hurts her, and he marries Alexa… 3y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I think both Alexa and Margaret yielded power in the only way open to them. I don‘t think either would have necessarily chosen that way, had they lived in a different world. But I can‘t fault either of them for it. That said, did Alexa actually save anything? I didn‘t find the ending “wrapped in a nice pretty bow.” Alexa spouted the things “nice women” are supposed to say, but Glennard is left in despair. 3y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I agree that Wharton is exploring psychological motivations and consequences. Nothing actually happens to Glennard to precipitate his downward spiral except his self-perception changes. It‘s an interesting look at the beginnings of a new kind of fiction. And one I believe she will continue to explore. 3y

Lcsmcat I also think Wharton may have put something of herself into Margaret. She had published The Decoration of Houses by this point, and her own marriage as faltering. So “if man is at times indirectly flattered by the moral superiority of woman, her mental ascendency is extenuated by no such oblique tribute to his powers” made me think she was commenting on how her “society” valued women‘s intelligence. As did the hair quote. 3y

TEArificbooks The only saving Grace to this book is it was short. 100 pages of a man beating himself up for making some money so he could marry. I would think less of him if he didn‘t feel some guilt, but I almost throw the book across the room multiple times. One, he never shut up about it. Two, he treated his wife and friend horribly. He was way to hard on himself and I got tired of hearing about. Plus I like Cather‘s prose better. 3y

Lcsmcat @mdm139 😂 Yes, Glennard was a piece of work! Cather and Wharton have very different voices, but this is also early Wharton, so I hope you won‘t give up on her. 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat my thoughts on the end are that Alexa saves Glennard from his worst impulses. He was a wreck and she managed it and resolved a lot and she did it…despite how poorly he treated her. I should revisit the last parts again. 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat i‘m also thinking about how this all might have played with her real life. Her husband basically had a emotional breakdown, as I understand. Glennard is having something like this too. And Margaret could not help him, as he was intimidated by her intelligence and that she had the real and limited measure of him. So Margaret as a kind of Edith is interesting. Alexa becomes, in my head, an idealized perfect (🤢) wife Edith could never be. 3y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke And I think Wharton was a little contemptuous of Alexa. Certainly Glennard was, but I think W. felt that way about the “nice women” who only had the opinions they were supposed to have. 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat Rereading the end, Alexa is playing psychologist. She is resolving his guilt. He guiltily celebrates “She‘s given me you in return” (for all the shitty things he did to her.) And Alexa responds, “she‘s given you to yourself.” I think this ends with Alexa healing his (contrived - see @mdm139 ) despair. 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat I‘m not sure W was contemptuous of Alexa. Stephen was. But Stephen is an a$$. I think W saw Alexa as invisibly impressive - in my head that is a feminist rant in the sense that W is saying women must be strong but also invisible, like Alexa, to make men happy. If i got that right - it‘s a bitter commentary. 3y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke Does W. believe we must be invisible to each other to be happily married? “Only the fact that we are unaware how well our nearest know us enables us to live with them.” G. started falling apart not when he published the letters, but when he thought others knew/suspected he had. Just a thought. 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat nice apt quote and an interesting theme. Maybe. !! 3y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat the idea that - there is a lot hidden underneath the surface - comes to mind. 3y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke Yes! And from what I‘ve read of Wharton previously, we‘re in for a lot of that. 3y

Currey @Lcsmcat @Graywacke I did read the novella and struggled a bit with Wharton‘s voice and bitter undertone but loved reading all your thoughts and commentary on the work at the end of my very long day. Thank you 3y

CarolynM Love those quotes you shared @Lcsmcat I highlighted many of them as well as many others. I liked the genius/hair quote so much I read it out to my husband😆 There is a lot in this for such a short novel. Firstly I was struck by the sad state of a society in which a person with a good job did not believe he earned enough to marry. I wondered what this really meant, especially as Alexa was used to being frugal, but I assume servants were essential👇 3y

CarolynM 👆Also, marriage seemed to be more of a social convention than a union of hearts and minds. Stephen and Alexa seemed to operate at the level of acquaintances rather than even friends, let alone intimates. There seemed to be no communication between them except for the most practical. They certainly weren't sharing feelings, except at the end as @Graywacke describes. Interesting that Wharton's marriage was in trouble at the time she was writing👇 3y

CarolynM ?I agree with @rubyslippersreads Alexa was the touchstone. Stephen's major concern throughout was how he perceived her & how he thought he appeared in her eyes which then fed back into his view of himself. I almost see this story as an illustration of the quote from Hamlet "There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so" Stephen spent so much time in his own head he by turns deified & demonised himself, Margaret, Alexa & Flamel? 3y

CarolynM 👆Stephen was an unpleasant character so why was a woman of Margaret's gifts so attached to him? A triumph of youthful attraction over mature considerations or an intentional flaw in a great woman? I liked that the relationship between Alexa & Flamel was so shadowy. Overall I enjoyed Wharton's prose. At first I thought we were being invited to laugh at the characters which was fine, but I liked that the story got darker. 3y

Lcsmcat @CarolynM I was struck too by how little Stephen & Alexa knew each other. Wharton didn‘t let the reader really know A. either, which kept us in his head and feeling his turmoil, even as we were able to objectively see that he was actually “thinking it so.” (Great quote!) 3y

Lcsmcat @CarolynM I hadn‘t thought much about why Margaret had been attracted to him, but that‘s a great point. Was she just horrible at choosing men? Her husband was so bad that even “the university ladies” felt more pity than judgment. Or, as a writer, did he change that much once he got into “society”? Wharton is pretty critical of the NY society crowd. 3y

Lcsmcat @CarolynM Your observation on having enough to get married reminded me of the first time I met my husband‘s grandparents. We were in high school and had driven up to West Virginia with his parents, and I was nervous, as one is at that age. And the first thing his grandfather said to me was “When are you going to get married? Two can live as cheaply as one.” How do you answer that at 17! 3y

Louise Chiming in a few days late—sorry! All of you have made interesting comments! A couple of things that struck me: 1) Echoes of Poe‘s The Telltale Heart as Glennard cannot escape the letters. “The detested words leaped at him from the folds of the evening paper. The air seemed full of Margaret Aubyn‘s name…They lay on the table before him like live things that he feared to touch…little broken phrases fled across the page like wounded animals…”. ⬇️ (edited) 3y

Louise 2) The alchemical theme: It‘s very possible that Wharton was aware of Theosophy at that time and the Mystery School tradition, as she puts Stennard through a kind of initiation experience. He meets the “Guardian of the Threshold”—seeing the darkness within himself and nearly drowning in his own narcissism and self-pity, but “the great renewals take effect as imperceptibly as the first workings of spring.” Over time, something new emerges. 🔽 3y

Louise Still on the esoteric theme, it‘s interesting that Glennard began to sense that he was “not alone”, that Margaret was in some way present. He mentions weapons forged by the dead. And the temples of the gods are mentioned earlier and then at the end. Wharton seems to have been drawing from the philosophies that were gaining public interest at the turn of the century. @Lcsmcat @mdm139 @CarolynM @Graywacke @batsy @Currey @rubyslipperreads @llwheeler (edited) 3y

Lcsmcat @Louise Ooh - great observations! The Poe analogy is so apt! I don‘t know much about Theosopy or the Mystery School, but I‘m going to check them out now. 3y

Louise @lcsmcat, I checked the dates for the theosophist Annie Besant, and Wharton could well have heard of her. She may have known of Rudolf Steiner, a former director of the Theosophical Society before founding Anthroposophy due to some disagreements. (edited) 3y

Graywacke @Louise great posts. I have some research to do now. And it may well play into her next book - The Valley of Decision. 3y

Louise @Graywacke @lcsmcat Do we have a date for the next book discussion? Looking forward! 3y

Lcsmcat @Louise @Graywacke The Valley of Decision is a longer work so we‘ll spread it out. I‘ll post a complete schedule later today or tomorrow, but the first discussion will be August 7th. 3y

Louise @Lcsmcat Thanks! 3y

Graywacke @Louise i looked a bit online for Wharton‘s philosophy. Interesting that most sources talk about how much she read on religion and philosophy but very few say anything else about it. There is a book and some publications by Carol J. Singley which appear to address this - but only some excerpts are free. Sounds like there is a lot there and but it‘s not easy to find guides. (Almost all critics focus on her social commentary.) 3y

Graywacke @Louise see tagged. (Also thanks again for highlighting this.)

Edith Wharton: Matters of Mind and Spirit

Louise @Graywacke Thanks for mentioning this book. I‘m going to see if our library system has a copy. It sounds like it would offer a lot of insight into Wharton‘s work. 3y

Lcsmcat @Louise @Graywacke Thanks for the pointers on this. I‘m going to look for that book! 3y

Graywacke Missing our tags. I‘m changing my vote to #whartonbuddyread 3y

Lcsmcat Next up is The Valley of Decision, which is longer, so we‘ll break it up. Posting a schedule now. 3y

CarolynM @Louise Such an interesting idea about the initiation experience. Do you think there is enough to indicate redemption, that he will be better in future? 3y

Louise @CarolynM Yes, I think the possibility of redemption is certainly there. He recognizes that the whole terrible experience has somehow given him back to himself. And there are indications that he is looking outside of himself and considering the effect of his actions on Alexa and even on Margaret. I keep thinking of that line: “the great renewals take effect as imperceptibly as the first workings of spring.” 🔽 3y

Louise Also, it seems to me that Wharton is writing about Love as a kind of prime mover, as the force that makes change possible. Wharton even uses the word “transmutation” in relation to Stennard‘s changing relationship with his wife. They reach a new level of honesty. And by the end of the book, he no longer sees Margaret‘s love as a bother but as a profound gift. Perhaps he will gradually become the kind of man these two women believe(d) he can be. 3y

Louise @CarolynM What do you think about Stennard‘s chances of becoming a better man? 3y

CarolynM @Louise I liked that he began to appreciate Margaret's devotion and I wonder if this is in part the answer to my question about why she was attached to him at all, if she saw good in him that was hidden by his immaturity and subsequent bad decisions. But I'm not really sure that I'm convinced he was going to behave much differently in future. 3y

Louise @CarolynM Interesting perspective. Women of today would say Margaret needed to get over him and move on! 😆 For Alexa‘s sake (and his), I hope Stennard‘s dark night of the soul leads to some change for the better! 3y

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