The Essential Edith Wharton Collection, all in one book:<br><br>Sanctuary <br>The Fruit of the Tree <br>The Glimpses of the Moon <br>The Greater Inclination <br>The House of Mirth <br>Ethan Frome <br>The Age of Innocence <br>In Morocco
Edith Wharton was an American novelist, poet and short story writer whose works display her mastery over the realistic fiction genre. Although she grew up in a world of refined manners and fashionable people, she was also aware of its superficiality, a theme that frequently appeared in her works. She began writing short stories and poetry at a young age, impressing such literary figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Dean Howells. Her stories range widely from powerful social commentary to titillating ghost stories that made Wharton extremely popular beyond her living years. This collection includes: The Early Uncollected Stories (1891-1896), The Greater Inclination (1899), Early Uncollected Stories (1900), Crucial Instances (1901), The Descent of Man (1904), Uncollected Stories (1904-1908), The Hermit and The Wild Woman and Other Stories (1908), Tales of Men and Ghosts (1910), Xingu (1916), and an Uncollected Story (1919).
"Ethan Frome" is considered by many to be one of Edith Wharton's greatest literary accomplishments. Set in rural New England, «Ethan Frome» is the story of its title character who marries Zenobia, a nagging hypochondriac of a woman, and finds himself trapped in an unfulfilling life. When Zenobia's young cousin Mattie Silver comes to live with them, Frome falls in love with her. Ethan Frome is the story of forbidden love and its tragic consequences.
"The Age of Innocence" is Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, which depicts the bygone era of 1870s New York upper class society. The novel is the story of Newland Archer, a lawyer and heir to one of New York's most prominent families. Newland is planning to marry the young, beautiful and sheltered May Welland, however when May's exotic thirty-year-old cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska, appears on the scene he begins to question these plans. A classic and romantic story, «The Age of Innocence» depicts the demands of upper class society to maintain outward appearances and the reputation of the family, sometimes with tragic consequences.
Edith Wharton was born in 1862 into an aristocratic New York family. Educated by the best governesses and tutors, Wharton profited from an exceptional education. She began her writing career with short stories before moving to novels. Collected in «Ethan Frome and Selected Stories,» are the best of both. In her 1911 novel «Ethan Frome» a young engineer on assignment in a small New England town becomes fascinated by the deformed and troubled local Ethan Frome. This fascination leads him on a quest to unravel Frome's unique history while discovering a great deal about the society around him. In the short story «Afterward,» a dirty business transaction comes back to haunt one family in this dynamic ghost story. The humorous short story «Xingu» follows a group of posh pseudo-intellectuals who host literary luncheons when one day one of their favorite authors pays a visit. Also included are «The Pretext» and «The Legend.» Edith Wharton may be most recognized for her novels but it is in her short stories that her panache, spirit, and intellect come shining through with unavoidable delight.
First serialized in 1920 in the “Pictorial Review” magazine, “The Age of Innocence” is Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, which depicts the bygone era of 1870s New York upper class society. It is the story of Newland Archer, a lawyer and heir to one of New York’s most prominent families. Newland is planning to marry the young, beautiful, and sheltered May Welland, a match, which because of May’s social position, he views as highly desirable. However, when May’s exotic thirty-year-old cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska, appears on the scene, he begins to question these plans. Newland is intrigued by Ellen’s exotic worldliness and begins to fall in love with her. Noted for Wharton’s attention to the details of late 19th century America, “The Age of Innocence” is an incredibly accurate portrayal of how the upper class lived on the East coast during that time. A classic and romantic story, the novel brilliantly depicts the demands of society to maintain outward appearances and the reputation of the family versus the demands of the heart to pursue true love.
A naive girl from a humble background meets an ambitious city boy, and a torrid romance ensues. Despite her pride, independence, and honesty, Charity Royall feels shadowed by her past–especially in her ardent relationship with the educated and refined Lucius Harney. Can passion overcome the effects of heredity and environment?With its frank treatment of a woman's sexual awakening, Summer created a sensation upon its 1917 publication. Edith Wharton — the author of Ethan Frome and a peerless observer and chronicler of society — completely shattered the standards of conventional love stories with this novel's candor and realism. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author declared Summer a personal favorite among her works, and liked to refer to it as «the Hot Ethan.» Nearly a century later, it remains fresh and relevant.
Burdened by poverty and spiritually dulled by a loveless marriage to Zeena, his older and ailing wife, Ethan Frome is emotionally stirred by the arrival of their youthful cousin, Mattie Silver, who becomes employed as household help. Mattie's presence not only brightens a gloomy house but also stirs long-dormant feelings in Ethan. However, their growing love for each other is discovered by the embittered Zeena, and it presages an ending to the tale that is both shocking and savagely ironic.
Lily Bart enjoys an equitable standing within the New York City elite. Although she desires a comfortable life and has received generous proposals from wealthy suitors, Lily remains single with hope for an honest and loving marriage. However, her life takes an unexpected twist when a nasty bit of gossip instigates her long descent down the social ladder. With her reputation plummeting, Lily escapes the city by joining an acquaintance on a European cruise. But this, too, causes irreparable damage to her reputation, and soon Lily finds herself disowned and friendless.
Set in the 1870s, Edith Wharton examines the American elite culture on the East Coast. Newland Archer is a lawyer and heir to one of New York City's most prominent families. He is arraigned to be married to May Welland. Newland is pleased with the prospect, under he meets Countess Ellen Olenska, May's older cousin. Suddenly, Newland begins to doubt his arranged marriage and society's shallow rules as his attraction to Ellen increases.