About Connections: Love it or hate it, history is a map. Those who hate history think it irrelevant; many who love history think it escapism. In truth, history is the clearest road map to how we got here: America in the 21st century.
In the mid-19th century, a literary critic complained that there are no dramas played out among the teacups and the conservatory ferns; that is, no American domestic novel. Like the novels of Jane Austen, it would be set in a woman’s world. It would not be a novel of heroism in war, but in a domestic squabble — not triumph over a broken body but over a broken heart.
There was a time in our history when you could not even find the first name of an American woman. She was more commonly identified as Mrs. John Jones. She was not allowed to own property separate from her husband nor was it considered automatic, or sensible, for her to inherit from her husband. She was discouraged, and often forbidden, from speaking in public. She could not hold office or vote. What then would inspire a novel?
In the late 19th century, Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879-1958) wrote about women who, she believed, may be considered worthless but were, in fact, of worth. Old Aunt Mehetabel was one such woman. A spinster, she was considered the least valuable member of the family. When the story begins, one can find little of merit to say about her, and she seems too frightened to offend to even open her mouth.
“She dared do nothing in the household where she was dependent without asking permission.”
But this is a story, like many of Fisher’s, that seeks to strip away the stereotypes and misconceptions to reveal the worth of the real person — stories about the sort of courage it takes to find your voice and claim your rights; not the triumph of powerful armies or powerful men, but the triumph of the neglected. This is story of a journey equally harrowing to a journey across a battlefield: a journey across social obstacles to self-respect and the admiration of others.
“She [Aunt Mehetabel] was downtrodden, taken for granted, and unskilled except in quilting.”
The actress Michele LaRue is a spiritual sister of Fisher’s, dedicating herself to the resurrection of the American author who has been neglected and forgotten: Fisher presents Aunt Mehetabel and LaRue presents Fisher.
“The Bedquilt” — old New England stories — is a one-woman show presented by the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum, in which LaRue brings all Fisher’s characters and more to life. When these stories were written, authors anticipated they would be read aloud. Before television and radio, and long before the internet, families came together in the evenings and listened to the written word.
On Saturday, Oct. 5, at 3 p.m. at the Adams Free Library, 92 Park St. in Adams, LaRue will repeat this tradition and read aloud to you. It is an oral-interpretation style in which LaRue plays all the characters. There will also be at least one quilt on display. For more information, call the library at (413) 743-8345 or call the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum at (413) 743-7121.
LaRue calls the stories she presents “Tales Well Told.” They come from our past, from the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era that followed. LaRue offers a pair of stories that continue the theme of quilting. The other is called “A Quilting Bee in our Village.”
Quilting bees brought women together. Recreating a quilting bee was a way for the author to introduce all her characters, the ethos of the whole village and the flavor of the times. “The Bedquilt” was written in 1906 by Fisher. The second piece, “A Quilting Bee in our Village,” written eight years earlier by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman continues the theme of quilting and introduces a whole new cast of characters. A quilting bee offered good work, good food and good gossip as it stitched together a quilt and the community of women.
“They were observant and they [the women] didn’t hide the flaws but they were never mean about it.” LaRue pauses to marvel at truth without petty meanness.
Then she adds, “These women are recognizable today. People don’t change. We are as we were even with all the technology. These characters are totally recognizable over one hundred years later.”
Imagine these stories being read in the family circle illuminated by flickering candlelight or gas light. Imagine these authors wrote for the ear. Settle back and enjoy the show. Imagine the family discussion afterward, the lesson learned: Don’t dismiss people because they are not rich and powerful.
