Edith Wharton's Prisoners of Consciousness: A Study of Theme and Technique in the Tales

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The metaphor of life as prison obsessed Edith Wharton, and, consequently, the theme of imprisonment appears in most of her 86 short stories. In the last several decades, critical studies of Wharton's fiction have focused on this theme of imprisonment, but invariably it is related to biographical considerations. This study, however, is not concerned with such insights and influences; rather, it concentrates on Wharton's skill as a craftsman in consciously and carefully fitting her narrative techniques to the imprisonment theme. Representative tales from Wharton's early period (1891-1904), her major phase (1905-1919), and her later years (1926-1937) have been examined and divided into four categories: individuals trapped by love and marriage, men and women imprisoned by the dictates of society, human beings victimized by the demands of art and morality, and persons paralyzed by fear of the supernatural.

Reviews

Although not all of Wharton's tales concern imprisonment, some do and Fracasso has brought them to light with a knowledgeable hand.-Choice
"Although not all of Wharton's tales concern imprisonment, some do and Fracasso has brought them to light with a knowledgeable hand."-Choice

Author Bio

EVELYN E. FRACASSO is currently Professor of English at Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Connecticut. She is the author of articles on Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, Joan Didion, and William Faulkner.