These beautiful words were written by Edith Wharton, an American novelist, short story writer, and designer who was born on 24 January 1862
She was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1921 for her novel “The Age of Innocence”
She loved dogs, although she seldom included them in her fiction: they were the only friends allowed in her bed where she spent her mornings scribbling. Dogs offered her consolation and companionship throughout her life, from her lonely childhood to her unhappy marriage.
Her Massachusetts estate had a cemetery with headstones for several of her dogs.
She wrote that her love for dogs “seemed to have its source in a curious sense of being somehow, myself, an intermediate creature between human beings & animals, & nearer, on the whole, to the furry tribes than to homo sapiens. I felt that I knew things about them—their sensations, desires & sensibilities—that other bipeds could not guess; & this seemed to lay on me the obligation to defend them against their human oppressors.” (1)
She also spoke of “the usness in their eyes … is so tragic a reminder of the lost age when we human beings branched off & left them: left them to eternal inarticulateness and slavery. Why? Their eyes seem to ask us” (2)
🐕 “Il mio piccolo cane – un battito di cuore ai miei piedi” 🐕
(1) Il suo amore per i cani “sembrava provenire nella curiosa sensazione di essere in qualche modo, io stessa, una creatura intermedia tra esseri umani e animali, e più vicina, nel complesso, alle tribù a quattro zampe che all’homo sapiens. Sentivo di sapere cose su di loro – le loro sensazioni, i desideri e la sensibilità – che altri bipedi non potevano indovinare; e questo sembrava impormi l’obbligo di difenderli dai loro oppressori umani “.
(2) “Il senso di ‘essere noi’ nei loro occhi … è il tragico promemoria di un’età perduta in cui noi esseri umani ci siamo ramificati e li abbiamo abbandonati: li abbiamo abbandonati all’eterna incapacità di articolare parole e alla schiavitù. Perché? I loro occhi sembrano chiedercelo “
Image: ‘The New Yorker’ 13 February 2012 – Photograph from Estate of Edith Wharton / Beinecke Library, Yale University
Quanta tenerezza e quanto mi piace leggere in inglese, nonostante abbia qualche difficoltà. Grazie🤗😘
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Grazie a te, carissima Paolina… e buona domenica 🌹😘🌹😘🌹
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Beautiful blog
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I’m so glad you like it!
Thank you for your generous feedback
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My pleasure
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🙏🌹🙏🌹🙏
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You have a wonderful ability to pick out such gems!!!
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I’m really glad you like my posts and I thank you for the positive feedback
As a rule, I check if the date indicates some interesting facts (events, births or death) , I do research and then write a post
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Oh yes, very much!! I enjoy them immensely. You write engagingly and pick topics that are of interest to me!! 🙂
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You are really kind and generous with your appreciation!
Heartfelt thanks ️🌹🌺🌹🌺
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You are so welcome!! 🙂
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I love her expression “heartbeat at my feet”. Some dogs are bed hogs, however.
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I’ve always had dogs. The one I have now, a female named Sissi, is a very sweet poodle that belonged to my mom. This is why I love her twice as much
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Doubly special. Years ago, I worked with a library technician who had never married and after her mother died, inherited her mother’s dog, Dude. She bought a silver car that exactly matched Dude’s fur. If Miss Jones was mad at you, Dude who was normally friendly would have nothing to do with you either, as long as his owner was also angry. Dude was a lovely silver/grey terrier.
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🙏That’s true,
Sissi has a deep empathy especially with my son🐕💙🐕
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Lucky dog lucky your son and lucky for you. that’s wonderful , I’m so glad for you. when I bought my home I thought I was going to get a German Shepherd that was trained in Germany that would also be my guard dog things don’t happen as you think they will ended up with five cats but they’re my family they’re the only family .I love your little poodle can you show some photos of him? that would be nice for all of us 🐩💖🐩💖
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Ok, Some time I will post some photos of her
🐕🦺🐕💜🐾
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The love of pets is understood when one has one. A story of pure tenderness. Have an excellent week
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I agree with you… and I have always had pets
Thank you💜🐕💜🐕💜
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You are welcome
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🧡🐕🦺🧡🐈🧡
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Che meraviglia 👏 Quanto amore per i nostri “veri” amici 💙
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🐕🐾🐈🐾🐕🦺🐾🐰
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Davvero tenero, quanto amore sono in grado di dare i nostri cani 🐶 🐕
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Sì, sincero e disinteressato🧡🐾🧡🐾🧡
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Sera e abbraccio ❤
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Io stessa intermedia tra animali e esseri umani 🐈
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anch’io!!!🙏🐾🙏🐾🙏🐾🙏
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🤗🐱🌹
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Una autrice delicata e profonda nelle analisi: L’età dell’innocenza è un libro Bellissimo@
lo sai che ne fecero anche un film ed io mi innamorai Michelle Pfeiffer perfetta nel personaggio?
Buona settimana cara Luisa Speriamo che non si allaghi ulteriormente la mia Roma.🌷🌷🌷
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Un film di Martin Scorsese, se non ricordo male … bellissimo🌹💕🌹
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Yes!😚
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Ps. Mi sono accorta che nella coppia Incolla il commento è sparita la parte più importante che riguarda i nostri amici a quattro zampe.
Pazienza cancellato tutto! ma cos’altro potrei dire di questi cuori generosi è troppo spesso vittime del loro stesso amore spesso incompreso se non bistrattato?
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Sinceri, generosi : non chiedono nulla in cambio se non di tenerli vicini ❤🐕❤🐈❤🐕🦺❤
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Amare un animale significa tanto. Non avere, prima di tutto, fissato il cuore solo agli umani. Poi han tanto da insegnarci…
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Oh sì. La compagnia della mia Sissi mi dà serenità e affetto 🐩
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Very sweet words.
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🐾🙏🐾🙏🐾🙏🐾
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[…] 🐕”My little dog – a heartbeat at my feet” 🐕 […]
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Thank you for reblogging! 🙏💚🐾
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Having the special love of an animal in your life is a blessing that cannot be compared ❤
Good day Luisa! 🙂
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I totally agree with you!
💚🐾💚🐾💚
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Absolutely, I agree with you, and I think we should always take responsibilty to take care of them despite the situation
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The love of a dog enriches us a lot. I think we must feel indebted for their affection, reciprocating them with the same sincerity
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[…] 🐕”My little dog – a heartbeat at my feet” 🐕 — words and music and stories […]
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Thank you for reblogging!🙏💜🙏
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[…] 🐕”My little dog – a heartbeat at my feet” 🐕 — words and music and stories […]
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Thank you so much for reblogging 🙏 🐩 🙏
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