Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / Sept. 7, 2000, edition 1 / Page 4
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Page 4 The Blue Banner September 7,2000 Features Wolfe’s angels put on film John Locke Staff Writer Although Thomas Wolfe titled his last novel “You Can’t Go Home Again,” the Asheville native is re ceiving a warm posthumous wel come on the centennial anniversary of his birth. A photography exhibit by Helga Wilde Bessent, entitled “Thomas Wolfe’s Angels,” is currently on display at the Pack Place Exhibit Hall. Bessent’s photos depict 11 statues of angels in Western North Caro lina cemeteries that date back to the period of Wolfe’s life in Asheville. The author’s father, William Oliver Wolfe, a stonecutter who primarily made tombstones, im ported many of the statues from Italy. “Look Homeward, Angel,” takes its title from Milton’s“Paradise Lost,” but the inspiration for it was his father’s failing in his profession. While the elder Wolfe’s work was known for its technical and aes thetic excellence, he was never able to carve an angel statue to his satis faction, always failing to capture the precise yet indefinable quality that he felt was essential to the face of an angel. The search for this quality is ex pressed in such passages as “Re membering speechlessly we seek the great forgotten language, the lost lane-end into heaven, a stone, a leaf, an unfound door.” His father’s futile attempts to real ize his vision serves as a recurrent symbol of this unknown longing and its own marble signifiers, stand ing in various cemeteries in WNC, are a primary source of interest for those interested in Wolfe’s life and wntmg. COURTESY OF JOHN LOCKE Bessent's photos depict eleven angel statues from WNC. Bessent’s project, which will be on display until Oct. 3, grew out of her studies in American literature. She collaborated on this four-year project with Bill Wilkerson, a Durham graphic designer who “en hanced and enlarged” Bessent’s photos. The photos are representational and spare in style, depicting monu ments that were created between the mid-1890’s and 1914, span ning the period ofWolfe’s Asheville boyhood. Many could be called portraits of the statues - they are framed by their surroundings in such a way that they are the clear subjects of the pictures, separate from a vague and shadowy background. Most of the statues are known to have been imported by W. Oliver Wolfe, although the origins of sev eral are not certain. The monuments pictured include the “Hendersonville Angel,” im ported by Wolfe’s father in 1905, which is thought to be the model for the angel described in his first book. This statue, which sat on the porch of W. Oliver Wolfe’s shop on Pack Square, was described in “Look Homeward, Angel. ”11 came from Carrara in Italy, and it held a stone lily delicately in one hand. The other hand was lifted in bene diction, it was poised clumsily upon the ball of one phthisic foot, and its stupid white face wore the look of some soft stone idiocy.” Also included is the “Lucy Ann Cliff Angel,” named after the woman whose grave it marks. Erected in 1914, the Asheville Times mistakenly connected this monument with the one in Wolfe’s first novel, although the Hendersonville Angel resembles the above description more closely. The author expressed his out rage over this misconception in 1936’s “The Story of a Novel.” Ten other statues are included in the exhibition, including a monu ment which now resides in a cem etery in Old Fort which W. Oliver Wolfe lost in a 1901 poker game. Bessent is a professor of Ger manic literature at Duke Univer sity. Although Bessent grew up in Germany and attended Goethe University in Frankfurt, she re ceived her master’s degree in American literature from Vanderbilt University and said ,“although I was born and raised in Germany, in my heart I feel I am a true Southerner.” Wolfe’s reputation in Germany has been better than in any other country. As he wrote in a letter, “In Germany I am called the American Homer.” Wolfe has held an uneasy place in local history. “Look Homeward, Angel” is one of the most autobio- See ANGELS page 6 Wildflower a fresh new bloom BridgetteOdom Staff Writer There is a new restaurant in Asheville, Wildflower, which offers something different and is definitely a place you will want to visit. Wildflower is located at 900 Hendersonville Road next door to the Forest Manor Inn. The restau rant (5 on the second floor of the complex with parking in the back. This restaurant is a welcomed change from the usual Applebee’s fare, but the prices are much higher. Lunch entrees range from $7.50 for the chicken pot pie to $12.95 for Atlantic salmon and the sandwiches are $5.95 for soup and sandwich to $7.50 for the classic burger. If you decide to go to Wildflower for a nice evening out, bring the credit card. Unique appetizers like hearts of palm and medallions of tuna were priced between $6.95 to $8.95. The exquisitely prepared dinner entrees like Wildflower crab cakes and grilled Veal chop will cost about $20 per plate. The restaurant opened about four months ago and caters mostly to the Biltmore Forest crowd although the classy decor would make any one feel welcome. The food choices are varied. They serve mostly traditional foods, like steak and chicken, but they do offer selections unique to Wildhower, such as herb-crusted Yellowfm tuna and maple- grilled pork chops. This is a great place to go with your parents when they come to Asheville for Founder’s Day Week end. It is also the perfect place to go for a peaceful and classy dinning experience. If you are looking for a nice date restaurant Wildflower will soon be on the top ofyour list. The mood of the restaurant is very subdued. PHOTO BY PATRICK BRASWELL Wildflower serves up savory dishes in a sedate setting. When you walk in there is a fully stocked bar on the right and two large fluffy couches and four high back chairs to wait in. Our waiter told us that it is best to make reservations, especially on the weekends. If you forget, the wait is usually less than thirty minutes on a Saturday night. My lunch experience v. as so pleas ant that I would go back despite the fact that the prices are out of my usual price range. The exceptional quality of the food and the overall experience was ap propriate for the level of prices at Wildflower. Our waiter, Tim, was very friendly. He never let our drinks get less than half empty, and he was able to explain some of the items on the menu we did not know, such as capers. In case you do not know, a caper is a small green Mediterra nean berry. The service was prompt. When we looked at the menu to order, everything looktd so good that we could not make up our minds. While we decided, we enjoyed fresh French bread with a garlic herb butter sauce. It was so good that we asked for a second basket. After we made our choices, the food was served piping hot about ten minutes later. Once we had tasted our selections, our waiter came back to make sure we did not need anything and to find out what we thought of the food. I ordered creamy chicken pesto pasta, which was good. The sauce was a little bland, but the chicken was some of the best I have had. My lunch companion was also im pressed with the food. He ordered the fried chicken with capers, which came with mashed potatoes and sliced carrots. The meal was very satisfying and the portions were more than enough. I could not finish my large bowl of pasta, but my friend was filled by his selection. Our waiter said that the dinner entrees are served with about two times more food than the lunch sizes. If you go for dinner, be prepared to get a doggie bag for the leftovers, and make sure to save room for Wildfiower’s superb des sert menu. Once we finished the meal, our waiter promptly cleared our plates and asked if we wanted dessert. See FLOWER page 6 "Bannockburn” comes to UNCA i The Players bring the life of "Bannockburn." Seth Horner Staff Writer A preview of the play “Bannockburn” will be held at Lipinsky Auditorium at UNCA from Sept. 8-10. “Bannockburn” is a play presented by The Players, an Asheville theat rical production company. Accord ing to Jane Paige, member of The Players and author of “Bannockburn,” this is the world premier of the theatre produc tion. The play was inspired by the historyofthein- teraction between Scotland and En gland during the 13th century, ac cording to Paige. The Scots were always conflicting with the English because they felt they should be their own country. COURTESY OF THE PLAYERS Robert the Bruce to Lipinsky Auditorium Sept. 8-10 in Preview King Edward the 1st of England wanted to rule Scotland during a time when their king had died sud denly, according to Paige. The kingdom had six heirs to the throne, leaving the country without a leader. When King Edward the 1st in vaded Scotland, Robert the Bruce led the Scots in their battles to fort him off. During the invasion. King Ed ward the 1st assassinated three of Bruce’s brothers, leaving him no choice but retaliate against the En glish. “What I have done is a world pre mier of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland’s fight for freedom against the mighty forces of England,” said Paige. Robert the Bruce was faced with overwhelming odds against the En glish. Bannockburn was the battle where the Scots faced the English and is the inspiration for Paige’s play. “Robert the Bruce’s fight for free dom and the independence of the nation of Scotland culminated in the battle of Bannockburn, where 6,000 Scots defeated 25,000 En glish,” said Paige. “[Bruce’s] brilliance in the arts of war and tactics gave him the ad vantage for the Scots to be able to defeat the English,” says Paige. Bruce maneuvered the English in such a way that the English were not capable of using their horse men or their archers. Bruce’s brilliance in the art of battle was shown through his use of Scottish topography. He used the land in a way that made it difficult for the English to use their heavy horses and other instruments of war, according to Paige. Robert the Bruce went on to reign Scotland for another fifteen years. See SCOTS page 6 MCAT Taking the MCAT? Start Preparing Now! Weekend classes in Greenville Beginning September 23'^''. 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