Autres Temps

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Year of Publication:

1911 under the title "Other Times, Other Manners"

1916 under the title "Autres Temps"

First published in:

1911: Century Magazine

1916 in Xingu

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Setting:

Utopia, New York, Barkley´s house near Lenox

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Plot:

Imagine you are about to again face the society that once ostracized you because you got divorced. Nowadays, this exact scenario is hard to imagine because divorce has become a normal part of many people's lives - but “Autres Temps” is set at a time when divorce was seen as an inexcusable scandal. T he protagonist of the story finds herself in the situation described above, about to .

Mrs. Lidcote travels from Italy to New York City by ship. The reason for her journey is the divorce of her daughter Leila from Horace Pursh and her remarriage to Wilbour Barkley. Mrs. Lidcote worries about Leila because in the past, she herself had been divorced, and for this reason been expelled from New York upper class society. She is able to deal with her own past reasonably and without illusions, even though it often closes in on her through conversations with acquaintances or strangers, at events. However, she fears Leila will experience the same ridicule Mrs. Lidcote herself did. She also feels guilty for having been a bad example and for having bestowed her bad dispositions on her daughter.

On the eight-day journey, Mrs. Lidcote tries to find out about the current attitude of New York's upper class society towards divorced women. By listening to the conversation of two young women who frequent the same circle of acquaintances as Leila does, Mrs. Lidcote gets the impression New York's inhabitants have changed their attitude to a more tolerant and liberal way of thinking.

This, however, is inconsistent with the denying behavior of Mrs. Lidcote's acquaintance from former times in New York - the ambassadress Mrs. Lorin Boulger, whom she meets on the ship. On the Utopia , Mrs. Lidcote is also reunited with her old friend Franklin Ide, who confirms the assumption of an altered New York City and shortly reports on the changes in society, but still Mrs. Lidcote is doubtful. The fact that Leila doesn't pick her up at the harbour and instead sends Susy Suffern - a family member and Mrs. Lidcote´s informant about family issues during her inhabitation in Italy - reinforces her apprehension that Leila is suffering from societal discrimination as a consequence of her divorce. In the midst of these thoughts and fears, elapsed romantic emotions re-emerge between Mrs. Lidcote and Franklin Ide, and they arrange to meet again later that evening.

In a long conversation with Susy Suffern, Mrs. Lidcote is finally convinced of the extraordinary changes in New York City. This is due to the changes she sees in Susy Suffern, who used to be the typical representative of New York's upper class members and their beliefs towards Mrs. Lidcote. Mrs. Boulger, on the other hand, is happy and excited about the reforms but also feels lonely because she doesn´t know her own place in this new society yet since, as a result of these reforms, Leila doesn´t depend on her help or protection as a consequence of the divorce. Due to the fact that she wants to see Leila as soon as possible, Mrs. Lidcote refuses to spend the next Sunday with Susy Suffern in Ridgefield, albeit Leila has already invited guests for this day and therefore won´t be able to spend time with her mother alone.

During her encounter with Franklin Ide, Mrs. Lidcote tells him about Susy Suffern's words and how she has changed, as well as her own mixed feelings about the new situation. Franklin Ide proposes that the two of them should continue the romantic attachment that they used to share in the past. He argues that the societal changes and Leila's maturing and independence will enable Mrs. Lidcote to start a new life together with him. He gives her the time and opportunity to convince herself about this by meeting Leila before she accepts or refuses his proposal.

The next day Mrs. Lidcote travels to Leila, who stays at the house of Wilbour Barkley's, her second husband's, family. During the first part of the journey Mrs. Lidcote travels alone by train and thinks about her meeting with Franklin Ide the night before. During the following part of the journey, in which she is accompanied by Susy Suffern, Franklin Ide's words frequently cross her mind and cause a feeling of security and affection within her. Additionally, she learns about Leila's and Wilbour Barkley's future plans to live abroad, and about their good relationship with Horace Pursue from Susy Suffern . Within her the hope arises that in the course of all changes her own situation has changed as well.

Every other feeling except affection and well-being are momentarily forgotten when she meets her daughter. To Mrs. Lidcote, Leila's and Wilbour Barkley's relationship appears to be solid, and rather rational.

Seeing Leila's security evokes a feeling of insecurity in Mrs- Lidcote because she is still uncertain of her own status. This feeling is replaced by desperation and sadness for her lost past ,and then by hope for her own future and her desire to acquire certainty in her case. Therefore, she tries to evaluate the behavior of Leila´s guests towards herself but cannot draw a conclusion from their formal politeness. Solely the talk with Charlotte Wynn, the daughter of a former close friend, reminds her of the life as a member of New York's upper class that she once lived in New York City. More guests arrive, but Mrs. Lidcote doesn't meet them because she is staying in her room in order to have a rest; instead of going for a ride with Wilbour Barkley as Leila suggested.

Leila is often busy during her mother's visit, but they manage to have a private talk eventually. Leila is anxious about Mrs. Lidcotes well-being. Mrs. Lidcote enjoys her daughter´s affection but is also perplexed by her daughter's assumption that she does not want any contact with other people except for Leila, Wilbour Barkley and Susy Suffern. When Leila sends Susy Suffern to convince Mrs. Lidcote not to have tea with the other guests, she starts to be suspicious that she is undesired at her daughter's party. Susy Suffern's nervous behavior and the fact that she reveals that, although many old acquaintances of Mrs. Lidcote are among the visitors, Leila has not told them about her mother's presence, strengthens Mrs. Lidcote's apprehensions. She also finds out that the celebration has been arranged to convince the ambassadress Mrs. Lorin Boulger of Wilbour's qualification to be appointed to Rome. After several unsuccessful attempts to prevent Mrs. Lidcote from joining the party, Susy Suffern finally capitulates and leaves Mrs. Lidcote, who feels abandoned, in her room.

Immediately afterwards Leila herself interrupts Mrs. Lidcote's styling process and comes into her room to persuade her to remain in there for the evening. Although Mrs. Lidcote is, due to her daughter´s stammering and blushing, at this point definitely convinced that Leila does not want her to encounter the dinner guests, she does not take her make any accusations but pretends to prefer to stay absent herself from the festivity.

The process of the party is successful and Mrs. Lorin Boulger is enthusiastic about Leila and Wilbour and it is almost certain that they will move to Italy soon. Consequently the atmosphere at the Barkley's house is joyful but troubled by Mrs. Lidcote's decision to return to Italy almost immediately. Neither Leila nor Wilbour seem to understand but Mrs. Lidcote is longing for the shelter of her apartment in Florence after all the latest disappointments. Even though Leila's affection prevents Mrs. Lidcote from feeling unhappy, she is relieved when she finally stays at a hotel in New York alone.

Although she has promised to contact Franklin Ide, she does not feel able to cope with him and therefore decides to write him a letter but he precludes her plans and visits her at the hotel. In the following conversation, he tries to assure Mrs. Lidcote that her ideas are absurd and only based on her imagination but she persists in her viewpoint and presents her explanation for the situation: Her case has become time-barred so that society is not able to correct it's judgments anymore. When he accuses her that she is the reason for her own exclusion, she is close to concede, but recollects herself and decides to prove that she is right by confronting her old acquaintance Margaret Wynn with her presence. Franklin Ide's reaction resembles Leila's: He starts stammering and blushes. As they look into each other's eyes, Mrs. Lidcote feels sympathy instead of anger for Franklin Ide. The knock of a member of the hotel´s staff on the door interrupts the situation and the story closes with Mrs. Lidcote focusing on the planning of her journey back to Italy.

Sources, Research articles and further reading:

  • McFarland Pennell, Melissa (2013): Student Companion to Edith Wharton. Greenwood Pub Group Inc: Westport. p. 47-51

online version available

  • Barrish, Phillip (2005): White Liberal Identity, Literary Pedagogy, and Classic American Realism. Ohio University Press: Columbus. p. 22-28

online version available

  • Sneider, Jill (2012): Edith Wharton: Vision and Perception in Her Short Stories. (Dissertation) p. 160-178

online version available

Image(s) used:

John Singer Sargent: Portrait of Mrs. Asher B. Wertheimer. 1898. New Orleans Museum of Art. Public Domain.