Graydon Carter called the Duchess of Sussex ‘the Undine Spragg of Montecito’
For several years, Sofia Coppola tried to convince AppleTV to finance one of her dream projects: a miniseries adaptation of Edith Wharton’s _The Custom of the Country_. Considering how AppleTV blows through money on so many projects no one watches, it was always so bizarre to me that they wouldn’t finance that adaptation from an Oscar-winner. All of which to say, I’ve never read the book and I was actually looking forward to familiarizing myself with the story via Coppola’s adaptation. Well, Graydon Carter is familiar with the Edith Wharton novel, and he referenced it in his Interview Magazine Q&A. Obviously, they asked him about the Duchess of Sussex again as he shills his memoir, and this is what he said:
> **Interview: THE MURDOCHS**
> Carter: “Iris.”
>
> **MEGHAN MARKLE**
> “The Undine Spragg of Montecito.”
>
> **PAGE SIX**
> “Glorious to read; often terrifying to be in.”
>
> **TIKTOK**
> “I have a 16-year-old, and I can see why it’s completely addictive.”
[From Interview]
Undine Spragg is the heroine/antiheroine of The Custom of the Country. In Page Six’s coverage of Carter’s latest attack on Meghan, they claim that Carter “bulldozes Meghan in five words.” Of course, they also got the name of the book wrong and misspelled Edith Wharton’s name, but hey. Would you like to hear what Sofia Coppola thinks of Undine Spragg? From a piece Coppola wrote for LitHub when she was adapting the book for a now-canceled Apple series:
> Until I read The Custom of the Country, I had never met a literary character quite like Undine Spragg, nor encountered such an in-depth portrait of a classic antiheroine. Yet, we’ve all met women like her. We all know women who have transformed and reinvented themselves. Undine follows the trends carefully, without having anything unique to add, and unabashedly markets herself at the center of the world of high society that she longs to belong to.
>
> I’ve always loved Edith Wharton’s writing, but The Custom of the Country is my favorite, and I think her funniest and most sly. As I’ve worked on adapting it into a screenplay, I’ve found it interesting to hear some men say that Undine is so unlikable, while my women friends love her and are fascinated by her and what she’ll do next. We’ve all seen her before, the way she walks into the room, her focus on men, and her ease with their gaze. We admire and are annoyed by her. While I’ve often worked on stories with more sympathetic characters, it’s been so fun to dive into Undine’s world and pursuits.
>
> Published in 1913, originally in serial form for Scribner’s Magazine, each book of The Custom of the Country ends with anticipation for what and who’s next on Undine’s social-climbing quest. Wharton paints the picture of the ultimate nouveau-riche climber. We watch her like a car crash while at the same time we root for her. She does things we would never dream of doing, and it’s such a delight to follow along. Mixed with empathy and disdain, Wharton manages to keep us captivated, and makes us look at ourselves along the way.
[From LitHub]
While Undine sounds like a delight, her story does not sound much like the Duchess of Sussex. It’s funny that Coppola writes that men encounter the character with disdain, and maybe Carter’s comments are a larger reflection of how men perceive women and characters who succeed by their wits, intelligence, charm, beauty and vivacity. There’s this consistent false narrative that Meghan somehow “ensnared” Harry or that she threw herself into his path or social-climbed in his direction. In reality, Harry saw her on a friend’s video and did everything he could to throw himself IN HER PATH. He was the one chasing her!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
159945, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – December 4 – Graydon Carter attends 2017 Breakthrough Prize December 4th 2016 at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA (Photo – Drew Altizer Photography),Image: 513334552, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Drew Altizer, PacificCoastNews/Avalon
159945, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – December 4 – Graydon Carter attends 2017 Breakthrough Prize December 4th 2016 at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA (Photo – Drew Altizer Photography),Image: 513336327, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Drew Altizer, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
DEN HAAG, 15-014-2022, Zuiderpark De Invictus Games is een internationaal sportevenement voor fysiek en mentaal gewonde militairen.Deze editie is in Nederland Zuiderpark, Den Haag. FOTO: The Invictus Games is an international sporting event for physically and mentally injured soldiers. This edition is in Nederlasnd Zuiderpark, The Hague. The Invictus Games is an international sporting event for physically and mentally injured soldiers. This edition is in Nederlasnd Zuiderpark, The Hague. Op de foto: Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,Image: 683324627, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: (c) beschermde foto en verplichte volledige naamsvermelding tenzij anders voorafgaand overeengekomen of vermeld,geen gebruik zonder toestemming, alleen eenmalig gebruik, opslag in databank verboden, / Caption in file Info, Copyright marked, stricktly one t, Model Release: no, Credit line: Patrick van Emst / Avalon
DEN HAAG, 15-014-2022, Zuiderpark De Invictus Games is een internationaal sportevenement voor fysiek en mentaal gewonde militairen.Deze editie is in Nederland Zuiderpark, Den Haag. FOTO: The Invictus Games is an international sporting event for physically and mentally injured soldiers. This edition is in Nederlasnd Zuiderpark, The Hague. The Invictus Games is an international sporting event for physically and mentally injured soldiers. This edition is in Nederlasnd Zuiderpark, The Hague. Op de foto: Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,Image: 683324648, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: (c) beschermde foto en verplichte volledige naamsvermelding tenzij anders voorafgaand overeengekomen of vermeld,geen gebruik zonder toestemming, alleen eenmalig gebruik, opslag in databank verboden, / Caption in file Info, Copyright marked, stricktly one t, Model Release: no, Credit line: Patrick van Emst / Avalon
The Hague, NETHERLANDS – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, on the Yellow Carpet ahead of the Invictus Games. The Invictus Games will take place from 16 to 22 April 2022 at the Zuiderpark and are intended for soldiers and veterans in the service who have been psychologically injured Robin Utrecht. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 15 APRIL 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
The Hague, NETHERLANDS – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, on the Yellow Carpet ahead of the Invictus Games. The Invictus Games will take place from 16 to 22 April 2022 at the Zuiderpark and are intended for soldiers and veterans in the service who have been psychologically injured Robin Utrecht. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 15 APRIL 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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