THE WAY WE LIVE NOWJenny, Brooke, Taylor

Adapted from chapter 97 “Mrs. Hurtle’s Fate” of Anthony Trollope’s The Way We Live Now. Mrs. Hurtle summons Paul Montague to have the last word on their relationship, essentially saying their final goodbyes.

Although Mrs. Hurtle is in far greater emotional distress, she controls herself in such a way to represent Paul as more distraught. We interpreted this scene to illustrate Mrs. Hurtle’s ability to be furiously in love.

Quick Introduction

“SET” INFO

The Scene A small, cluttered sitting room. Two chairs sit along one wall, with a small table resting between them. Paintings cover much of the walls, and china and candlesticks and fill every available inch of counter space.

Mrs. Pipkin’s House

The house with the red door is about what Mrs. Pipkin’s house would have been like. This is a modern picture of course, but the style of house would have been mostly the same.

Mrs. Hurtle’s Sitting Room

This small, cluttered room would have been part of the suite of rooms Mrs. Hurtle had for her personal use while she was staying with Mrs. Pipkin. She would have met with Paul here, rather than the bedroom, as a man and a woman alone together in a bedroom would have been dreadfully improper.

“COSTUME” INFODuring the 19th century, fashion circled around elaborate hats, shoes, and dresses. Mrs. Hurtle was known to wear all black, however, in this scene, she is dressed more casually and in a way that makes it appear that she “did not try”.

CharactersIn this scene, the readers are in Mrs. Pipkin’s home. The characters present are Paul and Mrs. Hurtle.

Mrs. Hurtle: over 30, American. Dark brown hair, blue eyes that could be soft or severe.. She was very beautiful, and she knew this; and she was one “whom years hardly seem to touch”

Paul: in his mid-twenties, “honest and well-conditioned”; had proposed to Winifred Hurtle in America after meeting on a train

Why this scene?

We thought that this scene was one that shows Mrs. Hurtle’s anguish, Paul’s character, and their complicated relationship. We also chose this scene because it is the “official” breakup scene between the two lovers.

Why adapt it in this way?

There is only so much that you can understand from reading in the novel. We believe that by reenacting this scene, viewers can get a better understanding of the emotions and passion that may not have been felt simply through reading.

Paul and Mrs. Hurtle

The following is a clip from the mini-series, The Way We Live Now. It is a rendition of chapter 26 (XXVI), Mrs. Hurtle.

In the novel, Paul is less emotional about his encounter with Mrs. Hurtle, and is more careful around her emotions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzZ_ZRrFYlc&list=PL4jchcZT6S2yb2INck7i3dkw6yUWbfEx0&index=9

3:40-8:40