A great starting point for students seeking an introduction to Edith Wharton and the critical discussions surrounding her work. This volume will examine a wide range of Wharton’s works, from her major novels The House of Mirth, The Custom of the Country, and The Age of Innocence to her war writings, Gothic fiction, and late works, such as The Children and The Glimpses of the Moon. It will address the relationship between Wharton and other writers, including Willa Cather, Henry James, and Charlotte Bronte, and will offer fresh perspectives on Wharton’s views on gender, motherhood, law, architecture, and the classical tradition. Each essay is 2,500 to 5,000 words in length, and all essays conclude with a list of
Works Cited,
along with endnotes. Finally, the volume’s appendixes offer a section of useful reference resources:

A chronology of the author’s life A complete list of the author’s works and their original dates of publication A general bibliography A detailed paragraph on the volume’s editor Notes on the individual chapter authors A subject index