1AnnieMod
In December 2021, we are going to be discussing Edith Wharton (1862–1937) - an American author
She wrote a lot of everything - novels, stories, poetry, non-fiction
She is the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Literature (in 1921) for The Age of Innocence. Known for her depictions of the Gilded Age (1870-1900 in USA). She had 6 books in the 1001 list (the 2006 edition; later editions dropped some of them).
So what do you plan to read from her?
And as a lot of her books had been made into films - had you watched or do you plan to watch any of them?
PS: If you had been here long enough, she was our August 2010 author as well: https://www.librarything.com/topic/96152 - the old thread may give you some ideas.
She wrote a lot of everything - novels, stories, poetry, non-fiction
She is the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Literature (in 1921) for The Age of Innocence. Known for her depictions of the Gilded Age (1870-1900 in USA). She had 6 books in the 1001 list (the 2006 edition; later editions dropped some of them).
So what do you plan to read from her?
And as a lot of her books had been made into films - had you watched or do you plan to watch any of them?
PS: If you had been here long enough, she was our August 2010 author as well: https://www.librarything.com/topic/96152 - the old thread may give you some ideas.
2kac522
I'll be re-reading Ethan Frome.
One of her more interesting books that I read was a non-fiction: Fighting France. Wharton went to France during WWI to report on the war and this is a collection of loosely connected essays; some of her observations on the condition of French villages after the troops have left is eye-opening. I read a 2010 edition issued by Hesperus Modern Voices, which included an interesting introduction by Colm Toibin about Wharton's work during the war.
One of her more interesting books that I read was a non-fiction: Fighting France. Wharton went to France during WWI to report on the war and this is a collection of loosely connected essays; some of her observations on the condition of French villages after the troops have left is eye-opening. I read a 2010 edition issued by Hesperus Modern Voices, which included an interesting introduction by Colm Toibin about Wharton's work during the war.
3Tara1Reads
My plan is to read The Age of Innocence. I have never read it.
4Yells
Doh, I guess I got a head start because I am in the middle of The Glimpses of the Moon. I started it last month by mistake.
Note to self… Waugh and Wharton are not the same…
Note to self… Waugh and Wharton are not the same…
5BookConcierge
I love her writing! Though I'm not likely to read another any time soon. I've already read The Age of Innocence, The House of Mirth, and Summer.
6Yells
Finished Glimpses of the Moon and quite enjoyed it. I was all prepared to hate these two moochers and their marriage of convenience, but dang it, they made me fall in love with them by the end. I've read a few Wharton books and I think this is actually my favourite. It's a much more straightforward & simple story, but there's just something heart-warming about these two accidently falling in love with each other.
7Maura49
>5 BookConcierge: I have also read the books you mention; I found The House of Mirth so devastating that I do not think I could read it again. I have a small list of books that affect me in this way. Jude the Obscure is another.
8john257hopper
I have Ethan Frome down for a December read. Never read anything by her before so thought I'd try this as it's a novella I understand.
9dianelouise100
I have two collections of Edith Wharton’s short stories on my shelves, Roman Fever and Other Stories and The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton. I’m planning to read one—maybe both—for this month’s theme.
10john257hopper
>9 dianelouise100: I was going to read The Ghost Stories but decided on Ethan Frome for a shorter read, as she is a new author to me.
11AnnieMod
>10 john257hopper: Ethan Frome can be frustrating so I’d keep the Ghost Stories close by in case it does not work for you. :)
12edwinbcn
Today I started reading Old New York. Four novellas. These four novellas of 70 - 90 pages each, was first published in 1924.
The four novellas are:
False dawn: the Forties
The old maid: the Fifties
The spark: the Sixties
New Year's Day: the Seventies
I finished reading the first novella about a father-son relationship that goes awry. A typical generation conflict in the scene of the new wealthy, the son is not just misunderstood by his father, but far ahead of his contemporaries. Not as suave as novellas by Henry James, but an entertaining story, nonetheless.
The four novellas are:
False dawn: the Forties
The old maid: the Fifties
The spark: the Sixties
New Year's Day: the Seventies
I finished reading the first novella about a father-son relationship that goes awry. A typical generation conflict in the scene of the new wealthy, the son is not just misunderstood by his father, but far ahead of his contemporaries. Not as suave as novellas by Henry James, but an entertaining story, nonetheless.
13EllenBeu
My favourite Edith Wharton is "The Customs of the Country". It is perhaps a lesser known Wharton, but I feel that the "heroine" Undine Spragg must have had an influence on Margaret Mitchell in GWTW. Undine is selfish and rather amoral in furthering her unadulterated desire for wealth and a place in society.
14john257hopper
I enjoyed Ethan Frome. This was my review:
"This novella was my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. I enjoyed her writing style, which is quite straightforward, with evocative descriptions of the landscape. In the first chapter Ethan Frome is a broken middle aged man, and the rest of the book explores the his past twenty years earlier, his relationship with his bitter wife Zeena, and his passion for her cousin, Mattie. In the end, this passion results in tragedy, leaving a sad ending for all concerned. Quite moving and a good read."
"This novella was my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. I enjoyed her writing style, which is quite straightforward, with evocative descriptions of the landscape. In the first chapter Ethan Frome is a broken middle aged man, and the rest of the book explores the his past twenty years earlier, his relationship with his bitter wife Zeena, and his passion for her cousin, Mattie. In the end, this passion results in tragedy, leaving a sad ending for all concerned. Quite moving and a good read."
15sparemethecensor
I have never liked Ethan Frome (tried twice), but I truly love and highly recommend The Age of Innocence. It has so much to say as well as being an enjoyable read. I also liked The House of Mirth though I agree with >7 Maura49: that it is a devastating read. Worth reading once, for sure, but perhaps you need to be in the right mood to reread.
I got delayed with holiday prep, but I do plan to read The Custom of the Country after my current nonfiction read finishes in the next day or two.
I got delayed with holiday prep, but I do plan to read The Custom of the Country after my current nonfiction read finishes in the next day or two.
16edwinbcn
I finished reading Old New York. Four novellas. about two weeks ago, and I am currently reading The Age of Innocence.
I hope I will be able to post some comments before the end of the month,
I hope I will be able to post some comments before the end of the month,
18edwinbcn
125. Old New York
Finished reading: 5 December 2021
Describing the same scene as in The age of innocence is Old New York. Four novellas. These four novellas of 70 - 90 pages each, was first published in 1924.
The four novellas are:
False dawn: the Forties
The old maid: the Fifties
The spark: the Sixties
New Year's Day: the Seventies
The four novellas were published in separate volumes in a boxed set, later often together in one volume. Not as suave as novellas by Henry James, but an entertaining story, nonetheless.
The first novella is about a father-son relationship that goes awry. A typical generation conflict in the scene of the new wealthy, the son is not just misunderstood by his father, but far ahead of his contemporaries. The second novella "The Old Maid" is considered the best, while the fourth story is widely considered the weakest. Personally, I felt the first and second were the best.
"Old New York" does not refer to the place name. These novellas are not specifically about old-time New York city. In American upper-class parlance "Old New York" refers to the upper crust oldest and wealthiest families "Old Money" families in New York, the Rockefellers of the 19th century.
Just like The age of innocence, these four novellas are about the moral values of these Old Families. It was a theme Henry James has often suggested her to write about.
It isn't entirely clear why Wharton suggests each novella belongs to a decade, the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Edith Wharton was born in 1862, so in a sense these stories are historical fiction. Not exactly written from her own experience, although the stories would be set in the time of her mother or grandmother's youth, a time she might still be sufficiently able to glean from first-hand narratives by contemporaries. Nothing suggests that the succession of these decades involves a development.
Of the four novellas two are about men, and two are about women. The two novellas about young men, "False dawn" and "The spark" are both about inspiration, a glimmer that lights up in the minds of these young men. In each case, this new idea is sparked by art, in "False Dawn" it is the art of the renaissance, itself an expression of a new way to viewing man, that sets the young man on a new path, breaking with the conventionalism of his father, while in "The spark" the young soldier is inspired by a chance meeting with the American poet, Walt Whitman.
The two novellas about women, "The old maid" and "New Year's Day" are about sacrifices that the two women make in social situations that are strongly disapproved of by society.
In my opinion, the two novellas about the women are better than the two novellas about the men, and I think the four novellas should be read as a quartet. With the exception of "The old maid" I would hardly believe the stories would carry much conviction. I also think that Old New York. Four novellas is stronger and more convincing than The age of innocence. The four novellas were published two years after the novel. They seem to be more focused and thematically stronger.
Not as suave as the novellas by Henry James, I think this collection is still worth while reading.
Other books I have read by Edith Wharton:
Ethan Frome, and other short fiction
The custom of the country
Ethan Frome
Summer
Finished reading: 5 December 2021
Describing the same scene as in The age of innocence is Old New York. Four novellas. These four novellas of 70 - 90 pages each, was first published in 1924.
The four novellas are:
False dawn: the Forties
The old maid: the Fifties
The spark: the Sixties
New Year's Day: the Seventies
The four novellas were published in separate volumes in a boxed set, later often together in one volume. Not as suave as novellas by Henry James, but an entertaining story, nonetheless.
The first novella is about a father-son relationship that goes awry. A typical generation conflict in the scene of the new wealthy, the son is not just misunderstood by his father, but far ahead of his contemporaries. The second novella "The Old Maid" is considered the best, while the fourth story is widely considered the weakest. Personally, I felt the first and second were the best.
"Old New York" does not refer to the place name. These novellas are not specifically about old-time New York city. In American upper-class parlance "Old New York" refers to the upper crust oldest and wealthiest families "Old Money" families in New York, the Rockefellers of the 19th century.
Just like The age of innocence, these four novellas are about the moral values of these Old Families. It was a theme Henry James has often suggested her to write about.
It isn't entirely clear why Wharton suggests each novella belongs to a decade, the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Edith Wharton was born in 1862, so in a sense these stories are historical fiction. Not exactly written from her own experience, although the stories would be set in the time of her mother or grandmother's youth, a time she might still be sufficiently able to glean from first-hand narratives by contemporaries. Nothing suggests that the succession of these decades involves a development.
Of the four novellas two are about men, and two are about women. The two novellas about young men, "False dawn" and "The spark" are both about inspiration, a glimmer that lights up in the minds of these young men. In each case, this new idea is sparked by art, in "False Dawn" it is the art of the renaissance, itself an expression of a new way to viewing man, that sets the young man on a new path, breaking with the conventionalism of his father, while in "The spark" the young soldier is inspired by a chance meeting with the American poet, Walt Whitman.
The two novellas about women, "The old maid" and "New Year's Day" are about sacrifices that the two women make in social situations that are strongly disapproved of by society.
In my opinion, the two novellas about the women are better than the two novellas about the men, and I think the four novellas should be read as a quartet. With the exception of "The old maid" I would hardly believe the stories would carry much conviction. I also think that Old New York. Four novellas is stronger and more convincing than The age of innocence. The four novellas were published two years after the novel. They seem to be more focused and thematically stronger.
Not as suave as the novellas by Henry James, I think this collection is still worth while reading.
Other books I have read by Edith Wharton:
Ethan Frome, and other short fiction
The custom of the country
Ethan Frome
Summer
19edwinbcn
128. The age of innocence
Finished reading: 26 December 2021
For more than 20 years Henry James suggested to Edith Wharton to write about the social circles she grew up in. DO NEW YORK, he told her. When finally she did, she produced The age of innocence, about, in American upper-class parlance "Old New York", the upper crust oldest and wealthiest families or the "Old Money" families in New York, the Rockefellers of the 19th century.
The age of innocence is about the moral values of these Old Families. The moral dilemma in this novel is the same as that in James's The portrait of a lady, published 30 years earlier, but Wharton's style is much lighter, and the treatment of this theme much more frivolous.
Countess Olenska is a still young American woman, who left the US to get married to a Polish Count. Unhappy in her marriage she shows up in New York, in an attempt to return her family in America. There she meets Newland Archer, who is engaged to get married with her cousin May Welland.
Written from the point of view of Newland, Countess Olenska is the young, exotic new belle on the block, making his newly-wed wife May look dull. It isn't until the very last part of the book that the conservative, conventional morals of Old New York, the family and all their friends become clear. A married woman should stay with her husband, no matter what.
The age of innocence is much drawn out and rather unfocussed, with its main theme not becoming fully clear until the end. It would probably have been much more forceful if it was a novella, of less than half its number of pages.
Other books I have read by Edith Wharton:
Ethan Frome, and other short fiction
The custom of the country
Ethan Frome
Summer
Old New York. Four novellas
Finished reading: 26 December 2021
For more than 20 years Henry James suggested to Edith Wharton to write about the social circles she grew up in. DO NEW YORK, he told her. When finally she did, she produced The age of innocence, about, in American upper-class parlance "Old New York", the upper crust oldest and wealthiest families or the "Old Money" families in New York, the Rockefellers of the 19th century.
The age of innocence is about the moral values of these Old Families. The moral dilemma in this novel is the same as that in James's The portrait of a lady, published 30 years earlier, but Wharton's style is much lighter, and the treatment of this theme much more frivolous.
Countess Olenska is a still young American woman, who left the US to get married to a Polish Count. Unhappy in her marriage she shows up in New York, in an attempt to return her family in America. There she meets Newland Archer, who is engaged to get married with her cousin May Welland.
Written from the point of view of Newland, Countess Olenska is the young, exotic new belle on the block, making his newly-wed wife May look dull. It isn't until the very last part of the book that the conservative, conventional morals of Old New York, the family and all their friends become clear. A married woman should stay with her husband, no matter what.
The age of innocence is much drawn out and rather unfocussed, with its main theme not becoming fully clear until the end. It would probably have been much more forceful if it was a novella, of less than half its number of pages.
Other books I have read by Edith Wharton:
Ethan Frome, and other short fiction
The custom of the country
Ethan Frome
Summer
Old New York. Four novellas
20sparemethecensor
I finished The Custom of the Country. An enjoyable read though notably saying less than both Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth. A solid choice for a Wharton fan. Otherwise, read her more famous works -- they are, rightly, more lauded.
