Books by Edith Wharton

With an essay by Hermione Lee.'It was characteristic of her that she always roused speculation, that her simplest acts seemed the result of far-reaching intentions'A searing, shocking tale of women as consumer items in a man's world, The House of Mirth sees Lily Bart, beautiful and charming, living among the wealthy families of New York but reluctant to finally commit herself to a husband. In her search for freedom and the happiness she feels she deserves, Lily is ultimately ruined by scandal. Edith Wharton's shattering novel created controversy on its publication in 1905 with its scathing portrayal of the world's wealthy and the prison that marriage can become.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

Charity Royall lives unhappily with her hard-drinking adoptive father in a village, until a visiting architect awakens her sexual passion and the hope for escape. Exploring Charity's relation to her father and her lover, this title delves into dark cultural territory: repressed sexuality, small-town prejudice, and, in subtle hints, incest.

Nick Lansing and Susy Branch are two young and attractive, but penniless New Yorkers. They decide to marry, but realize their chances of happiness are slim without the wealth, taken for granted by their more privileged friends. Nick and Susy agree to separate if either of them encounters a more eligible proposition and set out on a lavish honeymoon in Europe, funded by their wealthier friends. Unexpected feelings and jealous passions ensue, set against a backdrop of exquisite villas, palazzos and chateaus in Europe’s glittering 1920s. A highly enjoyable page-turner, "The Glimpses of the Moon" was Edith Wharton’s last completed novel.Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was an American author, best known for her sharp stories about the upper-class society into which she was born. Her major works include "The Age of Innocence" (1920), "Ethan Frome" (1911), and "The House of Mirth" (1905). She wrote over 40 books, which beyond novels included authoritative works on architecture, gardens, interior design, and travel. She was the first woman awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for "The Age of Innocence" in 1921.

Wharton's 1917 novella Summer, like her more famous work Ethan Frome, is set in a very small rural New England town. Charity Royall longs to escape the claustrophobic confines of North Dormer and the inappropriate advances of her guardian Mr. Royall, who adopted her as a child from the nearby Mountain community. Hope arrives in the form of city boy Lucius Harney, who has come to research the architecture of the region; but will his presence in Charity's life mean her salvation or her undoing?

Ethan Frome is a novel published in 1911 by the Pulitzer Prize winning American author Edith Wharton. It is set in the fictitious town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. The novel was adapted into a film, Ethan Frome, in 1993. Ethan Frome tells the story of a tragic love triangle. Set in the highly symbolic wintry landscape of Starkfield, Massachusetts, the narrative centers on the title character's fraught relationships with his "sickly, cantankerous" wife Zeena and his young, beautiful cousin Mattie Silver.

Edith Wharton became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction with this 1920 novel about Old New York society. Newland Archer is wealthy, well bred, and engaged to the beautiful May Welland. But he finds himself drawn to May's cousin Ellen Olenska, who has been living in Europe and who has returned following a scandalous separation from her husband.

The Glimpses of the Moon' (1922) is about Nick and Susy Lansing, both of whom live a decadent life in Europe by sponging off wealthy friends. They marry out of convenience and have an 'open' relationship, but are unprepared for where their feelings will take them.

Munterhedens hus handler, som så mange af periodens store romaner, om penge og social status. Handlingen udspiller sig i de øverste samfundslag i New York, hvor den unge smukke Lily Bart dygtigt navigerer rundt i selskabslivet i håbet om at finde sig en rig ægtemand, der kan være den økonomiske redning for hendes luksuriøse levevis. Men mens Lily Bart, efter flere fatale fejltrin, må se sin agtelse dale i takt med, at sladderen om hende tager til, er der andre, der stiger i samfundet. Den unge forretningsmand Rosedale gennemskuer hurtigt det overfladiske iscenesatte miljø og foreslår Lily Bart en handel, hun er nødt til at tage op til overvejelse. For er man ikke en del af sæsonens fastlagte mønster, svæver man sfæreløs rundt i et tomrum af selskabelig ikke-eksistens."Kærligheden gjort til socialt instrument, til personligt værdipapir. Ensomheden ud over giftegrænsen skildret som regulær 'konkurs'. Wharton leverer, fra et uvant miljø, knivskarpe og farverigt underholdende illustrationer af, hvad Marx mente med, at pengene i klassesamfundet umenneskeliggør forholdene mellem mennesker." – Søren Vinterberg, Politiken"Edith Whartons psykologiske sans, hendes detaljerede kendskab til sit miljøs for- og bagsider, hendes fint afbalancerede satiriske indfaldsvinkel og hendes stilistiske mesterskab gør hende til en væsentlig forfatter i det tyvende århundredes litteratur …" – Lars Ole Sauerberg, Jyllandsposten"Jeg er en meget stor beundrer af Wharton, og hvor moderne og forfriskende skamløst dyster hun er." – Jonathan Franzen

Uskyldens år finder sted i de øverste samfundslag i 1870'ernes New York. Her møder vi Newland Archer og May Welland, der er det perfekte par. Han er en rig, ung advokat, og hun er en yndig ung kvinde. De planlægger bryllup, deres omgangskreds er begejstret for giftermålet, og alt tyder på en lykkelig fremtid. Men da Mays kusine Ellen Olenska vender tilbage til New York fra Europa uden sin mand, skaber det røre i de fornemme kredse, der forarges over hendes beslutning om at forlade sin mand. Newland tiltrækkes af den stærke og selvstændige Ellen, der ligeledes tiltrækkes af ham, og han føler sig mere og mere splittet. På den ene side tynger omverdenens forventninger samt hans egne æresbegreber, og på den anden side vokser hans lidenskabelige følelser for Ellen."Edith Whartons bog er en af de smukkeste, der nogen sinde er skrevet om smerten ved at give afkald." – Harald Engberg, Politiken"Jeg er en meget stor beundrer af Wharton, og hvor moderne og forfriskende skamløst dyster hun er." – Jonathan Franzen

På en ensom gård i et koldt, snedækket New England arbejder Ethan Frome hårdt for at kunne forsørge sig selv og sin svagelige kone Zeena, som han har giftet sig med af frygt for at blive ensom efter sine forældres død. Deres ægteskab er ikke lykkeligt, og Zeena er både beregnende og manipulerende. Da Zeenas livlige, unge kusine, Mattie Silver, flytter ind hos dem for at hjælpe med husholdningen, knyttes et stærkt bånd mellem hende og Ethan. I takt med at deres forhold udvikler sig, vokser Zeenas bitterhed, og da de alle tre er afhængige af hinanden, ender dette trekantsdrama i en hårdknude, der kulminerer i en overraskende og ironisk slutning."Historien om [Ethan Frome] og hans ulykkelige ægteskab er skrevet med et formelt mesterskab, der er uden sidestykke i forfatterskabet." – Gunilla og Staffan Bergsten, Verdens litteraturhistorie, Politikens Forlag"En af Amerikas fineste og mest intense fortællinger … Mark Twain sagde, at en klassiker var 'en bog, som folk roser, men ikke læser.' Dette er åbenlyst ikke tilfældet med bogen, du her har fået i hånden. Det er en klassiker, og den læses stadig både flittigt og velfortjent." – Doris Grumbach i forordet til Penguin-udgaven af Ethan Frome"Jeg er en meget stor beundrer af Wharton, og hvor moderne og forfriskende skamløst dyster hun er." – Jonathan Franzen