The Cambridge Companion to Edith Wharton [Paperback]

This handbook provides fresh examinations of Wharton's fiction designed to engage the interest of both students and general readers.Written by established commentators as well as newer scholars, this volume of essays offers fresh examinations of Wharton's fiction. It is geared to the interests of the student or general reader encountering the author for the first time as well as advanced scholars looking for new insights.Written by established commentators as well as newer scholars, this volume of essays offers fresh examinations of Wharton's fiction. It is geared to the interests of the student or general reader encountering the author for the first time as well as advanced scholars looking for new insights.This volume of essays offers fresh examinations of Wharton's fiction designed both to engage the interest of the student or general reader encountering Wharton for the first time, and to be valuable to advanced scholars looking for new insights into her creative achievement. Written by a mix of established commentators on Wharton and newer scholars in the field, the essays cover Wharton's most important novels as well as some of her shorter fiction. The Introduction supplies a valuable review of the history of Wharton criticism; a detailed chronology of her life and publications and a useful bibliography of important books for further reading are also provided.Chronology of Wharton's life; Introduction: a critical history Millicent Bell; 1. The social subject in The Age of Innocence Pamela Knights; 2. Edith Wharton and the science of manners Nancy Bentley; 3. Edith Wharton and race Elizabeth Ammons; 4. The Custom of the Country: Spragg and the art of the deal Elaine Showalter; 5. The female conscience in Wharton's shorter fiction Gloria C. Erlich; 6. Law language and ritual in Summer Rhonda Skillern; 7. The House of Mirth: the bachelor and the baby Maureen Howard; 8. The Fruit of the Tree: Justine and the perils of abstract idealism James W. Tuttleton; 9. The ls�