The Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen (The Pretext)

After Mrs. Margaret Ransom decides for herself that Guy Dawnish loves her and shows it through his silence, or rather by not writing about his engagement to her, she finds new interest in daily tasks and in the subjects of the Higher Thought Club. She reads about English Gothic and lays her eyes on “the folio pages of ‘The Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen.’” (Lewis, 1968, p. 649). After searching different sources and purchase options it turned out it is a series of books showing and explaining seats of noblemen and gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. It contains information about the history, location and architecture of these seats.

The two pictures show two different editions of The Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen. It is not stated which edition Mrs. Margaret Ransom reads in the short story or if it even is the right book but since it is about architecture it matches the interests of on the one hand Mrs. Margaret Ransom and on the other hand the subjects of the Higher Thought Club. Furthermore, there are some information of the publication dates of the series which date back to the 19^th century (see sources of pictures).

Source:

Lewis, R. W. B. (1968). The Collected Short Stories of Edith Wharton. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.