Ethan Frome and Other Short Fiction

Edith Wharton was born into the upper stratum of New York society in 1862. This environment provided her with ample material for her novels but did not foster her artistic development. Educated by tutors and governesses, she was groomed solely for marriage. Her marriage in 1885 to Edward Wharton proved to be an emotional disappointment, if not a complete disaster.

In 1894, Wharton experienced the first of several nervous breakdowns. Despite the marital strain, or perhaps because of it, she began writing fiction, publishing her first story in 1889. Her debut book was a guide to interior decorating, but it was soon followed by novels and story collections. These works were written during periods when the Whartons lived in Newport and New York, traveled in Europe, and built their impressive home, The Mount, in Lenox, Massachusetts.

During her travels in Europe, she met Henry James, who became a close friend, traveling companion, and the most discerning critic of her writing. Wharton achieved considerable success with The House of Mirth (1905), which was both critically acclaimed and a bestseller, as was Ethan Frome (1911).

The Whartons divorced in 1913, and Edith took up permanent residence in France. However, her literary focus remained on America, particularly the affluent New York society of her youth. Her satirical novel The Custom of the Country was published in 1913, and The Age of Innocence earned her the Pulitzer Prize in 1921.

In her later years, Wharton was admired by a new generation of writers, including Sinclair Lewis and F. Scott Fitzgerald. She authored approximately thirty books, including her autobiography, A Backward Glance (1934). Edith Wharton died at her villa near Paris in 1937.

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