February 04, 2010
The End of the Affair (1893)
While George Bernard Shaw’s marriage was never consummated, that didn’t mean the Irish playwright was a virgin. In 1885, when he was a poor 28-year-old unsuccessful novelist with an interest in music and socialism, he entered into a passionate affair. met Mrs. Jenny Patterson. The 44-year-old widow was quickly drawn to the tall, red-bearded Irishman with his fascinating conversation.For months, they would spend many evenings together. When he bought a packet of rubbers, he examined them and recorded in his diary that they “extraordinarily revolted me.” Nevertheless, a week later, he marked his 29th birthday with “a new experience” and took Jenny to bed.
But it was not a happy relationship. The sex seemed to intrigue and revolt Shaw. He tried to break it off, but the possessive Jenny would refuse to let him go. The result were long nights of talk that sometimes led to a reconciliation in bed.
But Jenny went ballistic when Shaw became close to an actress, Florence Farr. The jealous Jenny broke into Shaw’s rooms and steal copies of his letters, and he had to chase her down and get them back.
Events came to a head on this day when, while Shaw was visiting Florence, Jenny burst in. A violent argument followed, and Shaw had to send Florence away to keep from being attacked. It took several hours of talking to get Jenny home, and several hours more before he could leave her. He finally got home about 4 a.m., and fell exhausted into bed.
Shaw made sure that was the last time they met. But the experience wasn’t wasted. He used Jenny as a model for Blanche Sartorius in his first play, “Widower’s Houses,” and for Julia Craven in “The Philanderer.”
Born: John Bachman, naturalist, minister, Rhinebeck, N.Y., 1790; William Ainsworth, historical novelist, Manchester, England, 1805; Jacques Prévert, poet, screenwriter, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 1900; Charles Lindbergh, aviator, memoirist, Detroit, Mich., 1902; McKinlay Kantor, historical novelist, journalist, Webster City, Iowa, 1904; Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian, Breslau, Prussia, 1906; Gavin Ewart, poet, London, 1916; Betty Friedan, author, feminist leader, Peoria, Ill., 1921; Russell Hoban, novelist, children's author, Lansdale, Penn., 1925; Robert Coover, novelist, Charles City, Iowa, 1932; Stewart ONan, novelist, short-story writer, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1961.
Died: Edward Sapir, linguist, anthropologist, New Haven, Conn., 1939; Gilbert H. Grosvenor, National Geographic editor, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1966; Neal Cassady, Beat inspiration, memoirist, San Miguelde Allende, Mexico, 1968; Louise Bogan, poet, essayist, critic, New York City, 1970; Patricia Highsmith, novelist, Locarno, Switzerland, 1995; Betty Friedan, author, feminist leader, Washington, D.C., 2005.
Quote for the Day: “I am happiest when I am idle. I could live for months without performing any kind of labor and feel fresh and vigorous enough to go right on in the same way.” — Armetus Ward
- Mark Twain Accused of Plagiarism (1889)
- Oscar Wilde Blows It (1894)
- Stephen Crane’s Bitter Heart (1895)
- Stephen Crane: I Fought the Law and the Law Won (1896)
- Jack London catches gold fever (1897)
- Proust Fires First (1897)
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