Contains four novels by Edith Wharton, including "The House of Mirth" in which an orphaned child prepares a campaign to marry for money; "Ethan Frome" in which a farmer is married to a hypochondriac; "The Custom of the Country" about social climber Undine Spragg; and "The Age of Innocence" which portrays New York society in the 1870s.
complete text with introduction, historical contexts, critical essays
Wharton, Edith
2000
Presents Edith Wharton's early twentieth-century novel in which she portrays New York in the 1870s as a society in which money counts for less than manners and morals, and includes contextual materials, as well as critical commentary and analysis.
New York socialite Newland Archer has found his perfect match in sweet-tempered and stable May Archer, his fiance, yet finds himself drawn to Countess Elena Olenska, a socially ostracized divorcee.
Kate returns to New York after abandoning her family years earlier and finds that her daughter is planning to marry a man Kate once was, and still is, in love with.
Susy and Nick Lansing, a couple with good social connections but no money, find themselves living way beyond their means as they try to gain acceptance.
