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Xingu

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Xingu

Written by: Edith Wharton
Narrated by: Anne Hancock
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About this listen

In this gem of a short story, Edith Wharton's talent for satire shines.

Mrs. Ballinger and the ladies of the Lunch Club, that exclusive group dedicated to literature and erudition, are eagerly anticipating a visit by the noted novelist Osric Dane. Her books have been read by all the members except their newest, Mrs. Roby, whose idea of a perfect novel is one that entertains and preferably ends with marriage for the hero and heroine. It's painfully clear to Mrs. Ballinger and the others that Mrs. Roby is not on their intellectual plane.

The excitement of Osric Dane's arrival is soon quelled by that lady's bored, disdainful manner. She refuses to be drawn into a discussion of her books and "the sense of discouragement produced by her entrance, visibly increased the Lunch Club's eagerness to please her". Each member endeavors to impress their guest with the club's studies of art, sociology, ethics, and psychology.

When queried by the great lady as to which branch of psychology, no one is quite able to recall, and they lamely suppose this is because they have been so absorbed in....

A dreadful silence.

"In Xingu?" Mrs. Roby gently prompts.

Public Domain (P)2021 Anne Hancock Anthologies & Short Stories Classics Short Stories
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The little social world of the Lunch Club looked down upon Mrs.Roby when she said that she hadn't read Osric Dane. Her friends praised the novelist effusively.
These ladies urged the authoress Osric Dane to drop in for a quiet talk as a guest of honour. When they were introduced to the author, they looked at her with an interest and a curiosity which they could hardly conceal.
Yet, nothing they could do for Miss Dane was too much. She was not interested in their opinion of her books. They couldn't get any enthusiasm out of her. It really was very tiresome.
Determined to be cool and civil, Mrs.Roby gave a neat turn to the discussion and saved their faces. Now, the other members got jealous of her influence over Osric Dane.

The little social world of the Lunch Club

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