On Demand
Selected Shorts
Sunday, July 05, 2009
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You Just Don’t Understand: An Edith Wharton Celebration
"’You always hated, you know, to have things—happen’, she added incoherently. ‘You never would let them.’" – Edith Wharton , “The Dilettante,”
Two intricate tales of love and emotional manipulation by American master Edith Wharton.
This program offers two stories from the classic American writer Edith Wharton (1862-1937), probably best known for her novels Ethan Frome and The House of Mirth. Her acerbic and penetrating short stories portray men and women in conflict in the upper-class social milieu into which she was born.
In addition to her writing, Wharton was a well-regarded interior and garden designer, and the two stories on this program were recorded at The Mount, Wharton’s grand home and gardens in the scenic Berkshire Mountains town of Lenox, Massachusetts.
The first on this program, “The Dilettante,” is a sly and subtle tale about a man who tries to play things very carefully with two women in his life, but who is very possibly outmaneuvered. The reader is Brenda Wehle, whose Broadway credits include “Come Back, Little Sheba,” and David Hare’s “Stuff Happens.”
The second on the program, “The Muse’s Tragedy,” explores the relationship of a great poet and his inspiration, a job that’s not all it’s cracked up to be. The story is read by Oscar nominee David Strathairn (“GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK.”)
“The Dilettante,” by Edith Wharton, read by Brenda Wehle
“The Muse’s Tragedy,” by Edith Wharton, read by David Strathairn.
For additional works featured on SELECTED SHORTS, please visit Symphony Space We’re interested in your response to these programs. Please comment on this site or visit www.selectedshorts.org
In addition to her writing, Wharton was a well-regarded interior and garden designer, and the two stories on this program were recorded at The Mount, Wharton’s grand home and gardens in the scenic Berkshire Mountains town of Lenox, Massachusetts.
The first on this program, “The Dilettante,” is a sly and subtle tale about a man who tries to play things very carefully with two women in his life, but who is very possibly outmaneuvered. The reader is Brenda Wehle, whose Broadway credits include “Come Back, Little Sheba,” and David Hare’s “Stuff Happens.”
The second on the program, “The Muse’s Tragedy,” explores the relationship of a great poet and his inspiration, a job that’s not all it’s cracked up to be. The story is read by Oscar nominee David Strathairn (“GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK.”)
“The Dilettante,” by Edith Wharton, read by Brenda Wehle
“The Muse’s Tragedy,” by Edith Wharton, read by David Strathairn.
For additional works featured on SELECTED SHORTS, please visit Symphony Space We’re interested in your response to these programs. Please comment on this site or visit www.selectedshorts.org
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I recently heard a story (the Canoe) on selected shorts on WNYC 820am and am trying to find the author's name. I cannot find it in the archieves or by searching. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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