Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton (1862-1937) penned 40 books in 40 years without any formal
education. With only the instruction of a governess and her self will,
Wharton remains one of the most famous female writers of all time. Her
novels, which include "The House of Mirth" and "Age of Innocence," accompany
numerous short stories as respected works in the American tradition.
Born to wealthy parents, Wharton grew up traveling and participating in the
fashionable society of New York. She spent many years abroad as a child and
later returned to the United States, where she began writing about home
decoration, architecture, and gardening.
In addition to these books, Wharton found success in her fiction, which was
filled with
irony, satire, and moral seriousness. Although she called herself a better
landscape artist than a novelist, Wharton earned accolades as the first
woman to earn a Pulitzer Prize in fiction, the first woman to receive an
honorary doctorate at Yale University, and the first female member of the
American Academy of Arts and Letters.
For more information about the life and works of Edith Wharton, visit the
following sites:
- Edith Wharton's World
Part of an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, this site offers an
extensive biography of the writer, as well as portraits of many of the major
characters and settings featured in her work.
- Edith Wharton e-texts
You'll find access to eight novels and 64 short stories at this site
dedicated to work of Wharton.
- Edith Wharton Society
An official gathering of scholars and interested people studying Wharton,
this site offers meetings, conferences and an online journal. The new
Student
Query section allows students writing papers on Wharton to post
questions and receive quick responses from the experts.
- Restoration of The Mount
Wharton's love for landscape resulted in "The Mount," her abode in
Lenox, Mass. that compares to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in its
reflection
of the soul of its owner. This informational site is gearing up for
The Mount's centennial celebration in 2002.
- Domestic Goddess
Celebrating women who wrote about domesticity in the late 19th and early
20th
centuries, this site offers insightful biographies and links to e-texts for
Edith Wharton and others.
- The Edith Wharton Murders
Read a review of Lev Raphael's satirical mystery, "The Edith Wharton
Murders."
Set during a Wharton conference at the State University of Michigan, the
novel pokes fun at the intellectual snobbery of societies dedicated
to writers who study literary greats like Wharton.
--- Nicole E. Magistro
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