Tea at Trianon: Rediscovering Ferber

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Rediscovering Ferber

Some thoughts from author Regina Doman about the American novelist Edna Ferber.

More about Edna Ferber, HERE. Share

4 comments:

Rupert said...: Being a classic movie buff, I have enjoyed so many films made as adaptions of Edna Ferber classics including SO BIG (both the Barbara Stanwyck and Jane Wyman versions) and GIANT.

Rupert; July 6, 2009 at 8:50:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Welcome, Rupert. GIANT is one of my favorites. I enjoy SHOW BOAT, too, all the versions.; July 6, 2009 at 8:52:00 AM EDT
Rupert said...: Thank you so kindly Elena. I didn't list GIANT because believe it or not, I've never seen either version, though the 1936 version is on my "to-see" list, as I'm a big fan of Irene Dunne. ;)

Rupert; July 6, 2009 at 8:57:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Irene Dunne is, I believe, one of the most talented actresses who ever lived. She was not only an excellent dramatic actress but could sing, dance and was a marvelous comedienne.; July 6, 2009 at 9:02:00 AM EDT