Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome: A Reference Guide

(Hardback)

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Description

A patrician who wrote most often of the fashionable 19th-century New York society she knew so well, Edith Wharton was inspired to write the novel Ethan Frome after spending summers at her home in Lenox, Massachusetts. Born during the Civil War and dying near the start of World War II, Wharton experienced the transformation of American society from a rural republic to an industrial power. Her experiences are reflected in her writing, and Ethan Frome is widely studied at all levels. This book is a systematic introduction to her novel. The guide draws upon Wharton's autobiography and letters to trace her literary and artistic development. In addition to a detailed plot summary, the book gives special attention to the influence of Nathaniel Hawthorne and other writers on her work. It also analyzes Wharton's style and themes and overviews the critical reception of her novel.

Reviews

Published in 1911, Ethan Frome is easily the best known work of Edith Wharton's long and distinguished career. This guide for students and educated general readers offers a thorough introduction to the novel and its author. Fournier illuminates the work's most important themes and symbols and analyzes its place in the American literary tradition. The book's critical reception is also discussed, with generous quotation from newspapers and journals of the period. * Reference & Research Book News *

Author Bio

Suzanne J. Fournier is Assistant Professor of English at Providence College.