Mary C. M. Phillips

Looking forward to May for several reasons: warmer weather, longer days, and Sarah Emsley’s tribute to Mansfield Park.

Sarah Emsley

Friday, May 9th is the big day for the launch of my series of guest posts celebrating 200 years of Mansfield Park . I am absolutely delighted that Lyn Bennett is going to kick things off that day by writing about the opening paragraph of the novel. Lyn teaches in the Department of English at Dalhousie University and she’s the author of Women Writing of Divinest Things: Rhetoric and the Poetry of Pembroke, Wroth, and Lanyer (2004).

And I am very happy to tell you about all the wonderful people who’ve agreed to write for the series. In January I wrote about the first few contributors, and I’ve talked to several people since then. Here’s the full list (so far) of contributors: Elaine Bander, Deborah Barnum, Elizabeth Baxter, John Baxter, Lyn Bennett, Diana Birchall, Lorrie Clark, Jennie Duke, Natasha Duquette, Lynn Festa, Susan Allen Ford, Margaret Horwitz, Syrie James, Theresa…

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I’ve been spending much of my time getting my house in order… literally.

Ridding my humble abode of clutter — whether it be via donating clothes to Good Will, selling items on EBAY, or listing vintage items on Etsy — has truly been helpful for me in terms of gaining a better sense of inner peace.

Less clutter in the house, less clutter in my mind! 

It’s a win-win.

While organizing, selling, and purging, I’ve also been reading Edith Wharton’s first published book, The Decoration of Houses.

Although the book primarily deals with the history of interior design, it has some timeless truths on simplifying.  One could certainly say that she was ahead of her time in the minimalist design movement.

Here are some of her thoughts on interior design:

• One of the first obligations of art is to make all useful things beautiful: were this neglected principle applied to the manufacture of household accessories, the modern room would have no need of knick-knacks.  

• A well-designed bookcase with glass doors is a valuable factor in the training of children.  It teaches a respect for books by showing that they are thought worthy of care…

• When a room is to be furnished and decorated at the smallest possible cost, it must be remembered that the comfort of its occupants depends more on the nature of the furniture than the wall-decorations or carpet. 

Yes, to all of the above!

The book is a bit outdated (with references to ballrooms, boudoirs, and drawing rooms), but for me…it’s the perfect read during this particular phase of my life.

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For those of you planning to attend our Edith Wharton Tribute at the The Malverne Public Library on March 10th, please register here.

Roman Fever by Edith Wharton

John B. Tamburello and I will be discussing four of Wharton’s books:  The House of Mirth, The Custom of the Country, and Ethan Frome.

In addition, we’ll be discussing one of Wharton’s most celebrated short stories, Roman Fever (you may want to consider reading it before March 10th, so you’ll be able to participate and thoroughly enjoy the discussion).

Here’s an online version of Roman Fever.  Make sure you read it to the very end though.

You will not be disappointed.

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