Jump to content

Three Weeks (book): Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→In popular culture: condensation
m adding "1907 novel by Elinor Glyn" as short description via DescDash
 
(43 intermediate revisions by 31 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|1907 novel by Elinor Glyn}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox book
{{Infobox book
| name = Three Weeks
| name = Three Weeks
| title_orig =
| title_orig =
| translator =
| translator =
| image =
| image = Three Weeks (1907) Dust Jacket 1st Edition (cropped).jpg
| caption =
| caption = 1907 cover
| author = [[Elinor Glyn]]
| author = [[Elinor Glyn]]
| illustrator =
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| cover_artist =
| country = United Kingdom
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| language = English
| genre = [[Erotic romance]]
| genre = [[Erotic romance]]
| publisher = [[Gerald Duckworth]]
| publisher = [[Gerald Duckworth]]
| release_date = 1907
| release_date = 1907
| media_type = Hardcover
| media_type = Hardcover
}}
}}
'''''Three Weeks''''' is a 1907 [[erotic romance]] novel by [[Elinor Glyn]].
'''''Three Weeks''''' is a 1907 [[erotic romance]] novel by [[Elinor Glyn]].


==Plot==
==Plot==
Paul Verdayne, wealthy English nobleman in his early twenties is caught embracing the [[parson]]'s daughter. His parents decide to send him away to France and then Switzerland. In Switzerland, he sees a woman referred to only as "the Lady". The Lady is older, in her thirties. After several days of exchanging lustful glances, they actually meet. She invites him to her apartment where they share a sexual relationship for three weeks. Eventually, Paul learns that the Lady is actually the queen of a Russian dependency and that her husband, the king, is abusive towards her. She disappears after the titular three weeks and Paul is upset and returns to England. Paul later finds out that the Lady has given birth to their son. With his father's assistance, he finds out the Lady's identity; however, before they can meet again, she is murdered by her husband. Paul is upset and spends the next five years wandering around from country to country until he decides to make preparations to meet his son.
Paul Verdayne, wealthy English nobleman in his early twenties, is caught embracing the [[parson]]'s daughter. His parents decide to send him away to France and then Switzerland. In Switzerland, he sees a woman referred to only as "the Lady". The Lady is older, in her thirties. After several days of exchanging lustful glances, they actually meet. She invites him to her apartment, where they share a sexual relationship for three weeks. Eventually, Paul learns the Lady is actually the queen of a Russian dependency and her husband, the king, is abusive towards her. She disappears after the titular three weeks; Paul is upset and returns to England. Paul later discovers that the Lady has given birth to their son. With his father's assistance, he finds out the Lady's identity; however, before they can meet again, she is murdered by her husband. Paul is upset and spends the next five years wandering around from country to country, until he decides to make preparations to meet his son.


==Reception==
==Reception==
Critical reception was negative in the United Kingdom and USA. The book was described as disjointed, "dull and stupid", "boring, vulgar and extremely silly". Critics also made personal attacks on Glyn saying she was complacent, her writing immature, and she was "indifferent to her own reputation".<ref>''Academy'', June 29, 1907.</ref><ref>''[[Athenaeum (British magazine)|Athenaeum]]'', June 22, 1907.</ref><ref>''[[Literary Digest]]'', October 26, 1907.</ref><ref>''[[Nation]]'', October 10, 1907.</ref><ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F40F17F8345417738DDDA10A94D1405B878CF1D3 "Prurient and Worse Yet---Dull"], ''[[New York Times]]'', September 28, 1907. ([[Portable Document File|PDF]])</ref><ref>''[[Saturday Review (London)|Saturday Review]]'', June 15, 1907.</ref>
Critical reception was negative in the United Kingdom and United States. The book was described as disjointed, "dull and stupid", "boring, vulgar and extremely silly". Critics also made personal attacks on Glyn, saying she was complacent, her writing immature, and she was "indifferent to her own reputation".<ref>''Academy'', June 29, 1907.</ref><ref>''[[Athenaeum (British magazine)|Athenaeum]]'', June 22, 1907.</ref><ref>''[[Literary Digest]]'', October 26, 1907.</ref><ref>''[[Nation]]'', October 10, 1907.</ref><ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/09/28/104996107.pdf "Prurient and Worse Yet---Dull"], ''[[New York Times]]'', September 28, 1907. ([[Portable Document File|PDF]])</ref><ref>''[[Saturday Review (London)|Saturday Review]]'', June 15, 1907.</ref>


When the novel was published in the USA by [[Duffield & Co.]], it was quite popular, 50,000 copies were sold in the first three weeks. After that, it sold on average about 2,000 copies per day for the next three months.<ref>Dawn B. Sova. ''Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Sexual Grounds'', [[Facts on File|Facts on File Inc.]], 1998. 193</ref> The book's subject matter made it a specific target of the [[Boston]]-based [[Watch and Ward Society]]'s anti-vice campaigns.
When the novel was published in the United States by [[Duffield & Co.]], it was quite popular, selling 50,000 copies in the first three weeks. After that, it sold on average about 2,000 copies per day for the next three months.<ref>Dawn B. Sova. ''Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Sexual Grounds'', [[Facts on File|Facts on File Inc.]], 1998. 193</ref> The book's subject matter made it a specific target of the [[Boston]]-based [[Watch and Ward Society]]'s anti-vice campaigns.


==Adaptations==
==Adaptations==
''Three Weeks'' was made into a motion picture in 1914, directed by [[Perry N. Vekroff]] and starring [[Madlaine Traverse]] and [[George C. Pearce]].<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0004698/ ''Three Weeks''] at the [[Internet Movie Database]]</ref> It was adapted again in the [[Three Weeks (film)|1924 version]], made by [[Samuel Goldwyn]], directed by [[Alan Crosland]] and starring [[Conrad Nagel]] and [[Aileen Pringle]].
''Three Weeks'' was first made into an American motion picture {{ill|Three Weeks (1914 film)|it|3=Three Weeks (film 1914)|lt=in 1914}}, directed by [[Perry N. Vekroff]] and starring [[Madlaine Traverse]] and [[George C. Pearce]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0004698/ ''Three Weeks''] at the [[Internet Movie Database]]</ref> In 1917 a Hungarian version titled ''Három hét'' was directed by [[Márton Garas]].<ref name="Horak">{{cite journal |last=Horak |first=Laura |title="Would You Like to Sin With Elinor Glyn?" Film As a Vehicle of Sensual Education |journal=[[Camera Obscura (journal)|Camera Obscura]] |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=75–117 |publisher=Duke University Press |location=Durham, North Carolina |year=2010 |url=https://www.academia.edu/358844 |url-access=registration |issn=1529-1510 |doi=10.1215/02705346-2010-003 |access-date=2020-09-14}}</ref> It was adapted again in the [[Three Weeks (film)|1924 version]], made by [[Samuel Goldwyn]], directed by [[Alan Crosland]] under the supervision of Glyn,<ref name="Horak"/> and starring [[Conrad Nagel]] and [[Aileen Pringle]].


==In popular culture==
==In popular culture==
* A sexual scene in ''Three Weeks'' inspired the [[doggerel]]:
* A sexual scene in ''Three Weeks'' inspired the [[doggerel]]:
:''Would you like to sin''
::''Would you like to sin''
:''With Elinor Glyn''
::''With Elinor Glyn''
:''On a tiger skin?''
::''On a tiger skin?''
:''Or would you prefer''
::''Or would you prefer''
:''To err with her''
::''To err with her''
::''On some other fur?''<ref>{{cite book |last=Glyn |first=Anthony |title=Elinor Glyn: a Biography |publisher=Doubleday |year=1955 |location=Garden City, New York |page=26 }}</ref>
:''On some other fur?''

⚫
* Among the funniest of [[S. J. Perelman]]'s writings is his series of pieces ''Cloudland Revisited'', in which, as a middle-aged man, he re-reads and describes the ''risqué'' novels that had thrilled him as a youth. ''Tuberoses and Tigers'' deals with Glyn's ''Three Weeks''. Perelman described it as "servant-girl literature" and called Glyn's style "marshmallow". He also mentions the 1924 film version of the book in which he recalled Goldwyn's "seductive" image of Pringle "lolling on a tiger skin..."<ref>Perelman, S. J. (1949), ''Listen to the Mocking Bird'', pp. 70–78, London: Reinhardt and Evans {{worldcat|oclc=335837|name=''Listen to the Mocking Bird''}}.</ref>


* The 1915 film ''Pimple's Three Weeks (Without the Option)'', starring British comedian [[Fred Evans (comedian)|Fred Evans]], is a burlesque of the novel.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0005895/ |title=Pimple's Three Weeks (Without the Option) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=IMDb |publisher=IMDb.com, Inc |access-date=13 August 2022}}</ref>
⚫
* In [[S. J. Perelman]]'s series of pieces ''Cloudland Revisited'', he re-reads and describes the ''risqué'' novels that had thrilled him as a youth. ''Tuberoses and Tigers'' deals with Glyn's ''Three Weeks''. Perelman described it as "servant-girl literature" and called Glyn's style "marshmallow". He also mentions the 1924 film version of the book in which he recalled Goldwyn's "seductive" image of Pringle "lolling on a tiger skin..."<ref>Perelman, S. J. (1949), ''Listen to the Mocking Bird'', pp. 70–78, London: Reinhardt and Evans {{worldcat|oclc=335837|name=''Listen to the Mocking Bird''}}.</ref>
* In the 1924 silent movie ''[[The Family Secret (1924 film)|The Family Secret]]'', the nurse maid for Baby Peggy's character reads the book to her as part of reading time, but Kerry sneaks away.
* The 1925 silent movie ''[[Seven Chances]]'' shows a telephone operator reading the book on the job between calls.
* In the 1930 Disney short ''[[The Shindig]]'', [[Clarabelle Cow]] is shown reading the novel; as a result, ''The Shindig'' was banned in Ohio.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Regulated Rodent |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=February 16, 1931}}, quoted in {{cite book |editor1-last=Apgar |editor1-first=Garry |title=A Mickey Mouse Reader |date=2014 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1628461039}}</ref>
* In [[Evelyn Waugh]]'s 1952 novel ''Men at Arms'' (the first of the ''[[Sword of Honour]]'' trilogy), an ([[RAF]]) [[Air Marshal]] recites the poem upon spotting a polar bear rug by the fire in a London club, of which he has just wangled membership (p.&nbsp;125). To this, another member responds: "Who the hell is Elinor Glyn?" The Air Marshal replies: "Oh, just a name, you know, put in to make it rhyme." This was both a snub to the Air Marshal and a literary snubbing of Glyn by Waugh.
* In [[Evelyn Waugh]]'s 1952 novel ''Men at Arms'' (the first of the ''[[Sword of Honour]]'' trilogy), an ([[RAF]]) [[Air Marshal]] recites the poem upon spotting a polar bear rug by the fire in a London club, of which he has just wangled membership (p.&nbsp;125). To this, another member responds: "Who the hell is Elinor Glyn?" The Air Marshal replies: "Oh, just a name, you know, put in to make it rhyme." This was both a snub to the Air Marshal and a literary snubbing of Glyn by Waugh.
* In the 1973 film ''[[Blood for Dracula]]'' directed by [[Paul Morrissey]], the character Rubinia (a potential "bride" of the Count) mentions that she is reading ''Three Weeks''. This is used as a subtle comedic touch, as the Count is searching for a virginal victim.
* In the 1962 film adaptation of the musical ''[[The Music Man (1962 film)|The Music Man]]'', the librarian asks Mrs. Shinn if she wouldn't want her daughter reading a classic rather than Elinor Glyn. Mrs. Shinn replies that "What Elinor Glyn reads is her mother's problem."


==References==
==References==
Line 45: Line 52:


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://archive.org/search.php?query=Three%20Weeks%20Elinor%20Glyn Digitized copies of ''Three Weeks''] at [[Internet Archive]]
* [https://archive.org/search.php?query=Three%20Weeks%20Elinor%20Glyn Digitized copies of ''Three Weeks''] at [[Internet Archive]]
* {{librivox book | title=Three Weeks| author=Glyn}}


[[Category:1907 novels]]
[[Category:1907 British novels]]
[[Category:Romance novels]]
[[Category:Erotic romance novels]]
[[Category:British romance novels]]
[[Category:British romance novels]]
[[Category:Gerald Duckworth and Company books]]
[[Category:Gerald Duckworth and Company books]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into films]]


{{1900s-romance-novel-stub}}

Latest revision as of 00:15, 8 June 2024

Three Weeks
1907 cover
AuthorElinor Glyn
LanguageEnglish
GenreErotic romance
PublisherGerald Duckworth
Publication date
1907
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typeHardcover

Three Weeks is a 1907 erotic romance novel by Elinor Glyn.

Plot

[edit]

Paul Verdayne, wealthy English nobleman in his early twenties, is caught embracing the parson's daughter. His parents decide to send him away to France and then Switzerland. In Switzerland, he sees a woman referred to only as "the Lady". The Lady is older, in her thirties. After several days of exchanging lustful glances, they actually meet. She invites him to her apartment, where they share a sexual relationship for three weeks. Eventually, Paul learns the Lady is actually the queen of a Russian dependency and her husband, the king, is abusive towards her. She disappears after the titular three weeks; Paul is upset and returns to England. Paul later discovers that the Lady has given birth to their son. With his father's assistance, he finds out the Lady's identity; however, before they can meet again, she is murdered by her husband. Paul is upset and spends the next five years wandering around from country to country, until he decides to make preparations to meet his son.

Reception

[edit]

Critical reception was negative in the United Kingdom and United States. The book was described as disjointed, "dull and stupid", "boring, vulgar and extremely silly". Critics also made personal attacks on Glyn, saying she was complacent, her writing immature, and she was "indifferent to her own reputation".[1][2][3][4][5][6]

When the novel was published in the United States by Duffield & Co., it was quite popular, selling 50,000 copies in the first three weeks. After that, it sold on average about 2,000 copies per day for the next three months.[7] The book's subject matter made it a specific target of the Boston-based Watch and Ward Society's anti-vice campaigns.

Adaptations

[edit]

Three Weeks was first made into an American motion picture in 1914 [it], directed by Perry N. Vekroff and starring Madlaine Traverse and George C. Pearce.[8] In 1917 a Hungarian version titled Három hét was directed by Márton Garas.[9] It was adapted again in the 1924 version, made by Samuel Goldwyn, directed by Alan Crosland under the supervision of Glyn,[9] and starring Conrad Nagel and Aileen Pringle.

[edit]
  • A sexual scene in Three Weeks inspired the doggerel:
Would you like to sin
With Elinor Glyn
On a tiger skin?
Or would you prefer
To err with her
On some other fur?[10]
  • The 1915 film Pimple's Three Weeks (Without the Option), starring British comedian Fred Evans, is a burlesque of the novel.[11]
  • In S. J. Perelman's series of pieces Cloudland Revisited, he re-reads and describes the risqué novels that had thrilled him as a youth. Tuberoses and Tigers deals with Glyn's Three Weeks. Perelman described it as "servant-girl literature" and called Glyn's style "marshmallow". He also mentions the 1924 film version of the book in which he recalled Goldwyn's "seductive" image of Pringle "lolling on a tiger skin..."[12]
  • In the 1924 silent movie The Family Secret, the nurse maid for Baby Peggy's character reads the book to her as part of reading time, but Kerry sneaks away.
  • The 1925 silent movie Seven Chances shows a telephone operator reading the book on the job between calls.
  • In the 1930 Disney short The Shindig, Clarabelle Cow is shown reading the novel; as a result, The Shindig was banned in Ohio.[13]
  • In Evelyn Waugh's 1952 novel Men at Arms (the first of the Sword of Honour trilogy), an (RAF) Air Marshal recites the poem upon spotting a polar bear rug by the fire in a London club, of which he has just wangled membership (p. 125). To this, another member responds: "Who the hell is Elinor Glyn?" The Air Marshal replies: "Oh, just a name, you know, put in to make it rhyme." This was both a snub to the Air Marshal and a literary snubbing of Glyn by Waugh.
  • In the 1973 film Blood for Dracula directed by Paul Morrissey, the character Rubinia (a potential "bride" of the Count) mentions that she is reading Three Weeks. This is used as a subtle comedic touch, as the Count is searching for a virginal victim.
  • In the 1962 film adaptation of the musical The Music Man, the librarian asks Mrs. Shinn if she wouldn't want her daughter reading a classic rather than Elinor Glyn. Mrs. Shinn replies that "What Elinor Glyn reads is her mother's problem."

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Academy, June 29, 1907.
  2. ^ Athenaeum, June 22, 1907.
  3. ^ Literary Digest, October 26, 1907.
  4. ^ Nation, October 10, 1907.
  5. ^ "Prurient and Worse Yet---Dull", New York Times, September 28, 1907. (PDF)
  6. ^ Saturday Review, June 15, 1907.
  7. ^ Dawn B. Sova. Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Sexual Grounds, Facts on File Inc., 1998. 193
  8. ^ Three Weeks at the Internet Movie Database
  9. ^ a b Horak, Laura (2010). ""Would You Like to Sin With Elinor Glyn?" Film As a Vehicle of Sensual Education". Camera Obscura. 25 (2). Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press: 75–117. doi:10.1215/02705346-2010-003. ISSN 1529-1510. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  10. ^ Glyn, Anthony (1955). Elinor Glyn: a Biography. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. p. 26.
  11. ^ "Pimple's Three Weeks (Without the Option)". IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  12. ^ Perelman, S. J. (1949), Listen to the Mocking Bird, pp. 70–78, London: Reinhardt and Evans Listen to the Mocking Bird in libraries (WorldCat catalog).
  13. ^ "Regulated Rodent". Time. 16 February 1931., quoted in Apgar, Garry, ed. (2014). A Mickey Mouse Reader. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1628461039.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Three_Weeks_(book)&oldid=1227821464"