Xingu

Imagine meeting a celebrity for the first time, and trying to impress them while surrounded by your friends, all fighting for attention. Now imagine trying to hold a conversation with this celebrity when you have no idea what to say. In “Xingu,” a comical short story by American writer Edith Wharton, that is exactly what happens to the six ladies of the Lunch Club. And then, the quiet Mrs. Roby utters a single word that changes everything.

The story centers on a snooty women’s luncheon club, devised and designed by its members as a way for all of them to discuss and keep up with what is modern. For three or four winters, the Lunch Club has established itself a reputation in the fictional town of Hillbridge, during a time of women's liberation. The club is composed of the president, Mrs. Ballinger, and several other “indomitable huntresses of erudition” (Wharton 3). These women are Ms. Plinth, Miss Van Vluyck, Mrs. Glyde, Mrs. Leveret, and Mrs. Fanny Roby.

Occasionally, the ladies host distinguished guests, and the first chapter begins with their decision to invite the glamorous, renowned novelist, Osric Dane, to tea. Maintaining high social status amongst ladies of Hillbridge is central to the Lunch Club, so naturally, the decision of where to host this very notable tea date with Ms. Dane was a careful one; however, being the president, Mrs. Ballinger decided that it would be the perfect opportunity for her to shine by holding the luncheon in her room.

Envy and the upkeep of a good reputation also play a large role for the members of the Lunch Club, so choosing what to talk about is an ordeal as well, until Miss Van Vluyck proposes that they talk about the author's newest book, “The Wings of Death.” Because she suggests this a week before the author’s arrival, each member reads the new novel and prepares to talk about it - everyone except Mrs. Roby, that is, which does not bode well for her in the eyes of the others. “Mrs. Roby alone had abstained from profiting by the opportunity [of reading the book]; it was now openly recognized that, as a member of the Lunch Club, Mrs. Roby was a failure” (4).

Mrs. Roby, the newest member of the Lunch Club, is already at odds with the women. Her membership is attributed only to the recommendation of a biologist, Professor Foreland, after coming back from a journey to an exotic country - “a place where the other ladies no longer took the trouble to remember where” (5). For him, Mrs. Roby is “the most agreeable woman he had ever met” (5); however, Miss Van Vluyck assumes that Professor Foreland gave the recommendation simply because of the way she does her hair. The club is also bothered that Mrs. Roby seems to live on the intellectual bounty of the others (6).

As for the president, Mrs. Ballinger, the Lunch Club represents a reflection of her ego, and she therefore desires for even Mrs. Roby to leave a good impression behind nonetheless. In order to do so, Mrs. Ballinger insists that Mrs. Roby know at least a little bit about Ms. Dane’s first book, “The Supreme Instant.” Fortunately, Mrs. Roby has heard of the book; however, she claims that the book had gone overboard while on a boat trip in Brazil and, therefore, she could not read it. This story does not help her standing among the other ladies; “The picture evoked by this anecdote did not increase Mrs. Roby's credit with the club, and there was a painful pause” (6). Fortunately for Mrs. Roby, she does not care much for the others‘ opinions, and this confidence is one that foreshadows the story’s later events. The chapter ends alongside the ladies’ realization of Mrs. Roby’s “hopeless unfitness to be one of them” (11).

The second chapter begins with the anticipated arrival of the famous novelist. As always, Mrs. Leveret arrives early to collect her thoughts, as she feels especially nervous for today’s special meeting. One can tell that Mrs. Leveret takes the club meetings seriously because she also carries a pocket lexicon in case of emergencies. “It was an admirable little volume, compiled to meet all the social emergencies… its students need never be at a loss for a pertinent reference” (11).

Upon entering Mrs. Ballinger’s drawing-room, Mrs. Leveret immediately recognizes that her host, Mrs. Ballinger, is nervous, too. This inference is made by noting the fact that the books on Mrs. Ballinger’s shelves are disorganized, when they are usually placed in order; “A number of more mature-looking volumes were adroitly mingled with the primeurs of the press – Karl Marx jostled Professor Bergson, and ‘The Confessions of St. Augustine‘ lay beside the last work on ‘Mendelism‘” (13). Mrs. Leveret sees that Mrs. Ballinger doesn’t know in the least what Osric Dane is likely to talk about and, therefore, read her novels in preparation.

Miss Van Vluyck is the next to arrive, and much like the other two women, her mind seems to revolve around the day’s premeditated conversation topics. Upon Mrs. Ballinger’s suggestion to “leave [the conversation] to circumstances” (14), a surprised Miss Van Vluyck argues against the idea, voting that they choose a topic beforehand so that Mrs. Glyde will not take control of the conversation as usual. At this instant, Mrs. Plinth appears and enters the conversation; for her, it is obvious that the women will talk about Osric Dane’s latest novel. The ladies are then in the middle of discussing how to best lead into a conversation like that, when they are abruptly interrupted by the parlour-maid and the author herself: “And at this instant, heralded by the fluttered parlour-maid, Osric Dane appeared upon the treshold” (15).

The entrance of Ms. Dane seems to Mrs. Leveret “as though she were about to be photographed for a new edition of her books” (15). The author’s entrance produces a sense of discouragement among the club members, but nevertheless, increases the members’ enthusiasm to please her. In addition to this, “a shudder of awe [runs] through them” (15), because the celebrity is led into the dining room by none other than Mrs. Fanny Roby.

The Lunch Club’s first impression of Ms. Dane is spoiled during the luncheon, as she eats her meal quietly and quite pompously, without saying a word. Before the luncheon, Mrs. Roby had previously mentioned what a brute she is (14), and the luncheon only confirmed her impression of the author. After lunch, the seven ladies go back into the drawing-room where the atmosphere becomes tense, as each lady is waiting for the other to speak. To break the ice, Mrs. Ballinger tries to start a conversation with a dull question, asking if this is Ms. Dane‘s first visit to Hillbridge. A shallow question such as this only makes matters worse, and even Mrs. Leveret is conscious that this is a bad beginning (16).

Although the women are snooty, it remains common courtesy that the members help each other, so Mrs. Glyde and Mrs. Plinth try to rescue the conversation that Mrs. Ballinger has immediately jeopardized. But despite their efforts, the author relentlessly poses counter-questions, making the ladies all the more uncomfortable and unsure of what to say.

In an attempt to get a conversation rolling, the ladies bluff and tell Ms. Dane that they, and the representatives of the town, stand for art, literature, and sociology: “Our goal is to stand for what is highest in art, literature and ethics” (17). All seems fine until Ms. Dane, who we now see is clearly there to cause them trouble, challenges the women by asking: “What ethics?”

Not one of the ladies have an appropriate answer to this question, so they feel relief when Mrs. Glyde tries to guide the conversation toward a topic which they are actually prepared for: “The Wings of Death.“

“You must excuse us, Mrs. Dane, for not being able, just at present, to talk of anything but ‘The Wings of Death‘” (17).

At this point, all of the ladies, (except for Mrs. Roby, of course) try to add to the conversation, but the conversation doesn‘t carry for long. When Mrs. Ballinger asks about Ms. Dane’s “objective method” for writing the story (18), she is harshly interrupted by the writer. “How do you define objective?“ (18) is Ms. Dane‘s only response to the host’s leading question. Once again, Ms. Dane manages to lead the conversation away from her book and causes the ladies to feel uncomfortable with her bored manner and abrupt questions, leaving the conversation well dry and the room awkwardly silent. Each member of the club “secretly deplore[s] the distressing inefficiency of the others” (19), however, Mrs. Roby sits comfortably among them, calmly drinking her glass of French liqueur. By now, the reader is aware of Mrs. Roby’s lack of desire to be like the rest of these ladies.

At this point, among agonising pauses, Mrs. Ballinger tries to find the right words to continue a conversation, but cannot seem to think of a topic that they have been absorbed in this summer.

"Well, really, you know, it was last year that we took psychology, and this winter we have been so absorbed in -- " She broke off, nervously trying to recall some of the Club's discussions; but her faculties seemed to be paralyzed by the petrifying stare of Osric Dane. What had the club been absorbed in lately? Mrs. Ballinger, with a vague purpose of gaining time, repeated slowly: "We've been so intensely absorbed in -- " (19).

It is at this moment that Mrs. Roby offers a pivotal, yet surprising answer: the club has been absorbed in “Xingu.”

At first, the other ladies think her mad, but when Osric Dane shows genuine interest, they turn a gaze of relief on what is believed to be their rescuer, and scramble to join in the conversation. Though Mrs. Roby is the only woman in the room who actually knows what Xingu is, the other members aim to avoid their own embarrassment by falsely stating that they have indeed been absorbed in Xingu. The ladies try adding vague comments to the conversation in an effort to appear well-informed, but the truth is, not one of the women seem to be familiar with the concept, including Ms. Dane. The ladies do not know it yet, but the single word that Mrs. Roby uttered has managed to make her just as challenging and sly as the author had been during the first half of the luncheon.

As the discussion develops, the reader can begin to gather details that might uncover the mystery of Xingu, and the ladies of the Lunch Club begin to think about the true meaning as well. Mrs. Roby mentions that some people might say that one of Ms. Dane’s novels is saturated with it (21). To this, Ms. Dane questions which book it is that she is referring to, but Mrs. Roby, who is humorous in nature, is not shy about showing her lack of interest in Ms. Dane‘s novels. “That’s just what I want you to tell us-” said Mrs. Roby, “Because although I was present [in the conversation earlier], I didn’t actually take part” (22). Mrs. Roby then continues to pressure Ms. Dane on the subject, and the other ladies observe joyfully.

As time goes on, the oblivious members begin to rattle off more statements regarding the topic of Xingu. Mrs. Glyde claims to know cases where it has changed a whole life (23), and according to Mrs. Leveret, “Xingu” has done her “worlds of good“ (23). The ladies are blind, and Mrs. Roby is in full control of the conversation. The riddling discussion continues, with Mrs. Roby saying that the hardest of Xingu is that it is time consuming; “One must give up so much time to it, as [Xingu] is very long” (23). She even expresses that sometimes “one must just wade through.” Here, in an attempt to sound elite, Mrs. Ballinger sarcastically remarks: “I would hardly call it wading“ (23), and, motivated by the chance to embarrass Mrs. Ballinger, Mrs. Roby asks if she found that it went “swimmingly” (23). The two banter back and forth, with Mrs. Ballinger adding commentary that proves to be laughable by the end of the story.

The ladies continue to dig for clues, and when Mrs. Roby is asked if she has ever been to the origin of “Xingu,“ Mrs. Roby’s answer gives a shudder throughout the room. “A friend, a very brilliant man did, and he said it was best for women - not to…“ (24). Because this was during a time of women’s liberation, her answer especially peaks Ms. Dane’s interest.

The novelist, who is eager to learn if Mrs. Roby’s friend was right, is interrupted by a jealous Mrs. Ballinger, who cannot stand that a lady like Mrs. Roby is getting all of the attention. Mrs. Ballinger once more tries to segue towards “The Wings of Death,“ and it is at this time that Mrs. Roby rises from her seat, ready to leave the luncheon. “I’m so sorry… I think I’d better run away… I haven’t read her books, so I should be at a terrible disadvantage among you all, and besides, I have an engagement to play bridge” (26).

Of course, this excuse is usually not accepted by the other ladies, but because Mrs. Roby has saved their conversation for the day (or so they think), Mrs. Ballinger bites her tongue and politely says farewell. The other ladies become ready to engage in a shared conversation with the author, but unfortunately for them their famous guest has other plans in mind. Ms. Dane stands up, following Mrs. Roby, and scrambles to say good bye, as well.

“‘Oh wait - do wait, and I’ll go with you!’ she called out to Mrs. Roby; and, seizing the hands of the disconcerted members, she administered a series of farewell pressures with the mechanical haste of a railway-conductor punching tickets” (26).

The second chapter closes with the simultaneous departure of Mrs. Roby and the distinguished guest.

Of course, the other ladies are upset about what has just happened. Not only do they feel embarrassed, but they feel they have been cheated without exactly knowing how or why (27). The five women are silent, until Miss Van Vluyck voices that she doesn‘t consider Osric Dane’s departure to be a great loss (27). The other members can only agree, but Mrs. Plinth, of course, has her own opinion as to why Ms. Dane displayed such an attitude towards the Lunch Club. According to her, disaster always happens when one is not intellectually prepared for their guest. Although Mrs. Ballinger suggests that they were indeed prepared, she agrees that they were unprepared in the topic of Xingu, and reasons that Ms. Dane was only so furious because they each seemed to know much more information than she. The irony here is that the women were bluffing, therefore not only fooling Ms. Dane, but each other as well.

Neither Mrs. Plinth nor Mrs. Glyde expect such a brisk answer from Mrs. Ballinger, because the two of them are grateful to Mrs. Roby for introducing the topic: “It may have made Osric Dane furious, but at least it made her civil“ (28). The ladies feel that they did Ms. Dane a favor by teaching her about Xingu, which gives them some satisfaction, only they are most surprised that Fanny Roby was the one to do it (29). As the ladies continue to talk more about it, they begin to realize that they have not truly learned of Xingu, and feel that they should educate themselves right there in Mrs. Ballinger’s home.

Mrs. Ballinger, their hostess, proposes that they ought not to be afraid to discuss the topic among themselves, seeing as being uninformed that day put them into a position of discomfort: “We shall not be placed again in the humiliating position of finding ourselves less informed than Fanny Roby” (31). In order to get to the bottom of things, Mrs. Plinth asks for a copy of “it,“ as she is under the impression that Xingu is a book; however, Mrs. Glyde believes it to be a religion. The conversation grows into a wild debate in which not one of the ladies can get a word in, and all of the proper manners from the luncheon seem to be off the table. After some while of arguing, the ladies agree that Xingu is neither a book nor a religion, but perhaps a philosophy. Miss Van Vluyck thinks differently, though: “Excuse me if I tell you that you’re all mistaken. Xingu happens to be a language“ (33). The ladies take turns agreeing and disagreeing when, as a last resort, Mrs. Plinth comes up with the idea to look it up.

Normally, as a rule, a suggestion like Mrs. Plinths' was ignored, and only resorted to the privacy of each member’s home (34). This time, however, the ladies want to know what stands behind Xingu and agree to utilize Mrs. Leveret’s pocket lexicon. “At this point the production of her treasured volume gave Mrs. Leveret, for a moment, the unusual experience of occupying the centre front” (34); she becomes the center of attention for a brief moment, but attention shifts when she cannot find anything about Xingu in her version. Impatiently, Miss Van Vluyck wants to know if her host has any useful books. Mrs. Ballinger answers indignantly that she has many useful books, which she keeps in her husband’s dressing-room (34). After some delay, one of the parlour-maids brings a W-Z volume of an encyclopedia to the ladies, and Miss Van Vluyck begins at the letter Z.

“There was a moment of painful suspense while Miss Van Vluyck rubbed her spectacles, adjusted them, and turned to Z; and a murmur of surprise when she said: ‘It isn’t here.‘” (34).

They find their answer when Mrs. Ballinger advises Miss Van Vluyck to search again, this time under the letter X. The other ladies are devoured by curiosity as they insist that she tells them what Xingu is. Then, as they all slowly read and comprehend the entry, they feel a mutual feeling that they are not used to in the least. Embarrassment. Miss Van Vluyck tells the others that Xingu is a river located in Brazil, which prompts the women to wonder if Brazil is the place where Mrs. Roby had been vacationing for a while. This suggests that, had they shown interest in Mrs. Roby’s travels beforehand, they might not have been so misled during their luncheon conversation.

Mrs. Ballinger cannot really believe what she has just heard, but Miss Van Vluyck assures that it’s the only “Xingu“ in the Encyclopedia (36); it is at this time that the ladies finally discover that Mrs. Roby stultified the whole group. Not one of them wishes to take the responsibility for being so misled, so everyone other than Mrs. Plinth, (who admitted to knowing nothing of the original since the beginning), blames each other for continuing the conversation without having any true knowledge of the matter. The women are upset with one another for trying to bluff their way through the luncheon, as the conversation would not have been so pleasing to Mrs. Roby had they not allowed it to falsely continue. The ladies argue about whose fault it is that the conversation carried, until Mrs. Ballinger reasons that they were simply fooled by Fanny Roby, which places the blame on her.

Thinking about the preposterousness of this, Mrs. Glyde asks to reread the entry. As they listen even more closely this time, the women relive their conversation from earlier that afternoon and become speechless when they find that all of Mrs. Roby’s statements are indeed reflected in the explanation of Xingu. “This surprising reconstruction of the scene in which they had just participated left the members of the Lunch Club inarticulate” (38). The only thing that gives the ladies the least bit of satisfaction is that Mrs. Roby tricked the “brute,“ Ms. Dane, as well - although, the group still cannot believe that Mrs. Roby did it at their expense (38).

The five members begin to slander Mrs. Roby for creating a bad impression of their club’s standing, just to attract attention.

“Mrs. Roby monopolised her from the first. And that, I’ve no doubt, was her purpose – to give Osric Dane a false impression of her own standing in the club.” (39).

To make matters worse, the ladies start imagining that the author joined Mrs. Roby at her bridge party, where they are both having a great time making fun of the Lunch Club. Such a behavior is unbearable for Mrs. Plinth and the other members, and they vote that it is the president’s obligation to decide what will happen with Mrs. Roby. Beyond any doubt, Mrs. Plinth knows exactly what to do if anything of the kind had happened in her own house. “If anything like that were to happen in my house, (it never would have, her tone implied), I should have felt that I owed it to myself either to ask for Mrs. Roby’s resignation--or to offer mine” (40). At first, Mrs. Ballinger feels that this is harsh, but she is reminded by Mrs. Glyde that Mrs. Roby prompted her to say that she’d got on “swimmingly” in Xingu (41). She then knows that there is only one option.

Chapter three closes with each of the four ladies leaving their hostess’s house, and Mrs. Ballinger seated at her writing-desk, writing a letter to Mrs. Roby.

“The door of the drawing-room closed on the retreating backs of the Lunch Club, and the President of that distinguished association, seating herself at her writing-table, and pushing away a copy of "The Wings of Death" to make room for her elbow, drew forth a sheet of the club's note-paper, on which she began to write: "My dear Mrs. Roby—" (41).

Though it is not plainly written, the reader can assume that Mrs. Roby will no longer be a member of the pompous association.

Sources,Research articles and further reading:

Brivic, Sheldon. “The Lacanian Phallus and the Lesbian One in Wharton’s ‘Xingu’.” Journal of Modern Literature 35 2 (2012): 25-36.
Sneider, Jill, "Edith Wharton: Vision and Perception in Her Short Stories" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 728. 178-91.
“‘Xingu’: Edith Wharton’s Velvet Gauntlet.” Studies in American Fiction 12.2 (1984): 227-34.

Image(s) used:

At the Tea Table by Konstantin Korovin. 1888. Public Domain.