The College Scene: “Damsels in Distress” as A Correction to “Charlotte Simmons”

Thomas Hibbs has an appetizing preview of Whit Stillman’s new film Damsels in Distress over at NRO. Lots on the importance of dancing, the reason why with suicide, “prevention is ten-tenths of the cure,” and Hibbs’ interesting observation that Stillman’s college scene is a more realistic portrayal than that found in Thomas Wolfe’s I Am Charlotte Simmons , precisely because it shows us that the idealistic students are still around, and that they’re fighting, somewhat haplessly, against the dominant tides of vulgarian nihilism.  I.e., that’s part of the contemporary college scene, too. And I suspect we’re going to see more of it in the years ahead.

Meantime, any damsels out there, remember, there will always be guys like Jonathan Richman , and canny courtship advisors like Jane Austen.