Monumental Short Fiction

Setting a story in Rome is no easy task. A city so rooted in mythology, grandiosity, and other multi-syllabic words has a way of marginalizing its inhabitants. And so it is the task of Roman Fever to not let the bright lights of Rome outshine its dynamic characters. Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade, two American women reunited in Rome as aging chaperones to flighty teenage daughters, represents such characters. The women, modestly described as "ripe but well cared for middle age" sit quietly on "a lofty terrace" at an unnamed Italian restaurant, overlooking historical Roman sites including the Palatine, the Forum, and the Coliseum.

"And this is where mommy was promiscuous"

While considering the metaphorical, stylistic reasoning for including these Roman monuments, it must first be considered that these monuments serve merely as background fillers. They help paint the picture and create depth to juxtapose with the static nature of the action. The artsy fartsy writer in me disagrees. I have read way too many Dan Brown novels (insert Dan Brown joke here) to not go all conspiracy theory on Roman Fever.

Rome finds its origins at the Palatine, where Romulus and Remus were found as infants. The significance of the site may be metaphorical, in that the two women's history, for the sake of the story, begin in Rome. This is where Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley found themselves. The Palatine overlooks the Forum, considered to be the center of ancient Rome. How fitting that these two women are overlooking the heart of the city while hashing out what has been the heart of their relationship. The most recognizable monument included by Wharton is the Roman Coliseum. Again, the nihilist in me believes that the inclusion of such landmarks is a business decision. Include sites readers are more likely to recognize and the story is more likely to be accepted commercially. Considering Wharton's popularity at the time of publication, I cannot put it past her to have simply injected Roman Fever with some arbitrary Italian spice.

Wharton was a game changer, though. Her fiction really opened the floodgates on characterization, probably Modernism's greatest contribution to literature. An understudy of Henry James, Wharton too focused on revealing situations as opposed to solving plots. Those monuments are as much tied into those characters as the words falling out of their mouths.

The Coliseum is encompassing. Gladiators were stuck inside with little hope of escaping. Similarly, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade seem incapable of escaping the past, forever battling until the end. As well as the Coliseum is maintained, it is dated and decaying. It is a mere shadow of what it used to be. The same can be said for the two women. These comparisons may be a stretch for some, but in understanding what the monuments and the women have in common, it becomes clearer as to what the women are supposed to represent.

I believe that Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley are monuments of Rome. We can observe them and take from them whatever it is we feel, but they are forever bound to that terrace, to the Coliseum, to Rome. In this sense, Edith Wharton's Roman Fever is a traveler's guide to characterization.

Colosseum Picture © 2006 by James Martin, Europe for Visitors