femme

 

do you remember x-files fbi agent gillian anderson's unexpected and acclaimed appearance in the period drama THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, that sharp observation of higher society against personal desires, set in the late nineteenth century in the united states? she plays the part of lily bart, a woman who's torn between her love for a white no gooder and a wealthy fellow whom she despises. i fully remember her unconventional behaviour in that time setting as none too different to specific social conduct in western societies today. ofcourse, i fell for the character of lily. in life, i have chosen individuality above economy myself. i have paid a price for that.

 

this week again, taken by surprise, by WASHINGTON SQUARE, in which jennifer jason leigh's character of excentric catherine sloper stupefies me. a little overdramatic at times, understandably wicked : the relationship between a stubborn and wealthy father, and his mindset daughter. love can but rule when all the boxes are ticked off (well, depending on the boxes...). both stories were based on powerful books by edith wharton and henry james, coincidentially 'society writers', both having been subject to ami(c)able social backgrounds, observing their own kind and lesser. and recounting those impressions, in a rather realistic way. it's food for thought no less, even if the stories feel a little eerie, cut off from the real world outside, peculiar even.

subsequently such stories make me wonder about the position of women in society today, as opposed to a century, two centuries ago. and have (feminist) standards in modern  societies improved at all? not in the least wanting to proclaim a manifesto (i'm too a-political for that), there's a whole lot of sentiment going on when confronted with such themes. woolf fought her battle, as did her sister vanessa bell (have to honour the woolfenbell spirit, no? ☻). so many unnamed women before us though, grafting their way through an agreeable enough life, trying to raise a voice. ripples in the water, or milestones? and all those after us?