module 2: Edith Wharton, “Roman Fever”

As Barbara and Jenny have a conversation as they leave the restaurant, Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley overhear scraps of it. According to the girls, what pastime are mothers supposed to pursue?

knitting

Why do Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade remain at the restaurant through the afternoon until early evening?

because they want to enjoy the beautiful view of the Palatine ruins from the restaurant’s terrace

How did Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley first meet one another?

They were young girls when they met in Rome.

What happens to Mrs. Slade after the death of her husband, Delphin?

She loses the social status that her husband’s position as a prominent lawyer had given her.

How do the four generations of women, from Mrs. Slade’s and Mrs. Ansley’s grandmothers down to their own daughters, view Rome?

as progressively safer and thus less thrilling

How did Mrs. Ansley catch a near-fatal chill when she was a young girl in Rome?

She had met her lover at night in the Colosseum.

How does Mrs. Slade know the contents of the letter Mrs. Ansley received from Delphin Slade inviting her to the Colosseum for a late-night rendezvous?

Mrs. Slade wrote the original letter pretending to be Delphin to trick Mrs. Ansley.

What surprising act does Mrs. Ansley commit after recovering from the chill that nearly killed her as a young girl?

She married Horace Ansley in Florence so quickly that is was practically an elopement.

Why was Delphin at the Colosseum to meet Mrs. Ansley if he didn’t write the letter?

Mrs. Ansley responded to the letter so Delphin knew she would be meeting him.

What was the result of Delphin’s and Mrs. Ansley’s meeting at the Colosseum?

Mrs. Ansley conceived Barbara during the couple’s secret tryst.