Edith Wharton in Popular Culture

While looking for Edith Wharton in popular culture in class the other day, I stumbled across an interesting tidbit. Julian Fellowes, the creator of "Downton Abbey," is not only a Wharton fan, but claims that Wharton's works have influenced his own writing and even helped in his creation of the hit show. It was interesting to find out that Fellowes favorite Wharton book is The House of Mirth. Along with this information I discovered the Edith Wharton Lifetime Achievement Award which Fellowes was awarded this year.

While looking into the Edith Wharton Achievement Award I discovered it is put on by The Mount (or at least the people on the committee who are in charge of The Mount). The award has been used to honor artists such as Martin Socrsese, Eurdora Welty, Alice Munro, Brooke Astor, Kati Marton, and Anne Cox Chambers since 1996. Julian Fellowes received it this year for his extraordinary accomplishments in his field of writing, acting, and film directing. It is fitting that The Mount should host this award as it helped influence Wharton's own writing and it has helped influence many more artists since she lived and wrote there.

In Fellowes acceptance speech he attributed his success and the success of "Downton Abbey" to Wharton. He also mentioned how he first read Wharton as a young man and how the first time he read The House of Mirth he fell in love with it. He was quoted saying that the reason for the success of the series is the characters, "[I am] kind to them in their weakness, kind to them...in the error of their ways...it is a lesson I learned directly from Edith Wharton, from her tolerance and her humor, even as she brings out the rod. I consider myself most fortunate to have made her acquaintance" (Rogovoy).

I found it interesting that Wharton had influenced Fellowes writing as much as she has. I always think it is interesting to see how other authors are influenced by authors of the past and this is no exception. The next time I am watching Downton Abbey I think I will be paying closer attention to the characters Fellowes has created and how they react to things in their environment as well as to what their weaknesses are. I know my writing is influenced by the authors I read and it is always fun to see how other writers are influenced in the same way I might be.

source: http://rogovoyreport.com/2012/11/07/downton-abbey-creator-the-mount/