We have read “A House on the Heights” by Truman Capote, and will discuss it this week. If you remember, Julie Golia, Public Historian at the Brooklyn Historical Society, showed us the house where Capote lived when he wrote the story. Rarely do we have this opportunity, and rarer still that we could look inside the house, but we can! 70 Willow Street is for sale, and the real estate listing is available via the New York Times Real Estate section. Notice in the description how the realtor uses the first line from Capote’s story to emphasize the importance of the house and the desirability of the location. The reference emphasizes how bold Capote’s opening line is, and reminds us that there were–and still are–those who would challenge such a claim that one would live in Brooklyn by choice. Think about how it is punctuated, and how that stylizes and emphasizes the message.
We can also now see some of what Capote describes in his essay when he describes the house. I found the pictures were well beyond what I had imagined from reading his descriptions. What do you think?
A short follow-up.
When I look at the real estate listing, there is a Google Map embedded. It shows a picture of a building on the street that is not 70 Willow Street, but is instead a building that we discussed on our walking tour. What is that building? It is referred to in Capote’s essay. What story does he tell about it?