Edith wharton ranks among the very greatest novelists and in ethan frome her creativity and craftsmanship are. Edith wharton is the creator and writer of the old new york series. Born into a prosperous new york family, edith wharton 18621937 wrote more than 15 novels, including the age of innocence, the house of mirth, ethan frome, and other esteemed books. Set against a bleak new england background, the novel tells of frome, his ailing wife zeena and her companion mattie silver, superbly delineating the characters of each as they are drawn relentlessly into a deeprooted domestic struggle. But when zeenas vivacious cousin enters their household as a hired girl. With this intensely moving short novel, edith wharton set out to draw life as it really was in the lonely villages and desolate farms of the harsh new england mountains. Although frome seems ambitious and intelligent, zeena holds him back.
Edith wharton wrote ethan frome as a frame story meaning that the prologue and epilogue constitute a frame around the main story. Perhaps the bestknown and most popular of edith wharton s novels, ethan frome is widely considered her masterpiece. The interesting life of a classic american novelist. A very short biography of edith wharton interesting. Ethan frome by edith wharton and a great selection of related books. Ethan frome by edith wharton, first edition abebooks. Among her bestknown work is ethan frome 1911, which is considered her greatest tragic story, the house of mirth 1905, and the age of innocence 1920, for which she was awarded the pulitzer prize. Buy the house of mirth by edith wharton with free delivery. Edith wharton books, ebooks, audiobooks, biography. When zeenas young cousin mattie arrives to help care for her, ethan is immediately taken by matties warm, vivacious personality. Buy ethan frome by edith wharton with free delivery. The compression involved occasioning so many nuances and so much unstated meaning is at the very heart of this claustrophobic piece. In the playing out of this short novels powerful and engrossing drama, edith wharton constructed her least characteristic and most celebrated book. Where to start reading with edith wharton, beyond age of.
Edith wharton biography and list of works edith wharton books. Edith whartons ethan frome is a classic of american literature, with. Ethan frome is a 1911 book by american author edith wharton. The novel was published in 1911, set in the fictitious town of starkfield, massachusetts, whose naming is a subtle overture to the books mood. The project gutenberg ebook of ethan frome, by edith wharton this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Ethan frome by wharton, edith and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. It tells the story of ethan frome, a young man with a sickly wife, zeena, who has fallen in love with his wifes cousin, mattie, who lives with the fromes to assist with zeenas healthcare. Edith wharton s ethan frome is a classic of american literature, with compelling characters trapped in circumstances from which they seem unable to escape. Ethan frome by edith wharton here is a book that many people hate, and yet, it is one of my favorite books of all time. Ethan frome, in ethan frome and summer, by edith wharton.
This library of america series edition is printed on acidfree paper and features smythsewn binding, a full cloth cover, and a ribbon marker. Ok, so i forgot to mention that zenah is ethans wife. Make offer ethan frome by edith wharton 1987, paperback the letters of edith wharton r. Works by edith wharton 18621937 an edith wharton chronology includes more exact dates of publication edith whartons stories with original dates of publication.
Wharton drew upon her insiders knowledge of the upper class new york aristocracy to realistically portray the lives and morals of the gilded age. While most novels by edith wharton dealt with new yorks upperclass society, this is one of two novels by wharton that were set in new england. Edith wharton was born edith jones in 1862, into the leisure class of new york. The second book in the series is titled the old maid. Its themes include social class, the role of women in society, destructive relationships, sexual awakening and the desire of its protagonist, named charity royall. Free downloadable version in kindle or epub format. Summer is a novel by edith wharton, which was published in 1917 by charles scribners sons. I have attached photos of 3 different pages i read ethan frome before, and i know this is not the way edith wharton wrote this book.
The novel was published in 1911, set in the fictitious town of starkfield. Ethan frome is a pulitzer prize winning novel set in the fictional town of starkfield, massachusetts. Ethan frome followed in 1911 and the age of innocence, her most famous novel, in 1920. Edith whartons ethan frome is a classic of american literature, with compelling characters trapped in circumstances from which they seem unable to escape. Ethan frome by edith wharton nook book ebook barnes.
I had known something of new england village life long before i made my home in the same county as my imaginary starkfield. Information adapted from shari benstock, chronology of works by edith wharton in no gifts from chance, pp. I kept hope he might have the courage to do what was needed. Click to read more about ethan frome by edith wharton. Wharton was educated by a governess and by reading books from her fathers extensive library. You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. Edith whartons 1911 novel ethan frome tells the story of a tragic love triangle. Published in 1911, ethan frome is widely regarded as edith whartons most revealing novel and her finest achievement in fiction.
She was distinguished for her work in the first world war and was the first woman to receive a doctorate of letters from yale university. She also produced a volume of poems and an adaptation for the theatre of her novel, the house of mirth. The prologue, which is neither named as such nor numbered, opens with an. The house of mirth by edith wharton the best place to start with edith wharton is with her fourth and second most famous novel. I think the ebook i purchased was translated from some language other than. The frame story takes place nearly twenty years after the events of the main story and is written in first person, revealing the thoughts and feelings of the narrator. The age of innocence, edith whartons 12th novel, which takes its title from a 1785 painting of a little girl by joshua reynolds, was first serialised in four parts during 1920 in the pictorial. Tethered to his farm, first by helpless parents, later by his querulous, hypochondriac wife zeena, ethan frome ekes out a bare. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. The novel was adapted into a film, ethan frome, in 1993. Edith whartons novel ethan frome tells the story of a tragic love triangle. Edith wharton 18621937 ethan frome is a novel published in 1911 by the pulitzer prizewinning american author edith wharton. The main characters are ethan frome, his wife zenobia, called zeena, and her young cousin mattie silver. She was a prolific writer of novels, short stories and articles.
A national historic landmark, today the mount is a cultural center that celebrates the intellectual, artistic and humanitarian legacy of edith wharton. Buy ethan frome wordsworth classics by edith wharton from amazons fiction books store. With an introduction by dr pamela knights, department of english studies, durham university. The novel is framed by the literary device of an extended flashback. Edith wharton 18621937 was born into a distinguished new york family and was educated privately in the united states and abroad. Pdf ethan frome book by edith wharton free download 176. They fall desperately in love as he realizes how much is missing from. January 24, 1862 august 11, 1937 was an american novelist, short story writer, playwright, and designer. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. When her young cousin mattie comes to stay on their new england farm, frome falls in love with her. The main characters of this classics, fiction story are ethan frome, mrs. The cold, desolate landscape forms the backdrop to the intense, tragic tale of its eponymous hero. Edith had a stroke and passed away on august 11, 1937.
Different in both tone and theme from whartons other works, ethan frome has become perhaps her most enduring and most widely read novel. The man becomes fascinated with ethan and wants to know his story. Sadly, the people who hate this book were most likely forced to read it. Edith wharton biography born edith newbold jones, to a wealthy new york family, edith combined her insights into the privileged classes with her natural wit to write books and short fiction notable for their humor and incisiveness. This fictional series kicked off for the first time in 1924 with the release of the debut novel. The mount is a turnofthecentury home, designed and built by edith wharton in 1902. Ethan frome by edith wharton, narrated by elizabeth klett. It is set in the fictitious town of starkfield, massachusetts, new england, where an unnamed narrator tells the story of his encounter with ethan frome, a man with dreams and desires that end in an ironic turn of events. Ethan frome, a poor, downtrodden new england farmer is trapped in a loveless marriage to his invalid wife, zeena. Set in the highly symbolic wintry landscape of starkfield, massachusetts, the narrative centers on the title characters fraught relationships with his sickly, cantankerous wife zeena and his young, beautiful cousin mattie silver. Frome and zeena marry after she nurses his mother in her last illness. The classic novel of despair, forbidden emotions, and sexual undercurrents set against the austere new england countryside. Even before that final initiation, however, i had had an uneasy sense that the new england of fiction bore. Ethan frome is set during a cold new england winter, in which an isolated farmer tries to.
The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 176 pages and is available in paperback format. I think the ebook i purchased was translated from some language other than english by someone whose first language is not english. And mattie is their maid whom ethan goes and falls in love with. Ethan frome, which is considered her greatest tragic story, is, by contrast, about simple new england people.
This short work is, in my view, one of the most powerful novels i have ever read. The frame is the narrators vision of the tragedy that befalls ethan frome. There is something seriously wrong with this kindle book. For information on films made from edith whartons works, go to the edith wharton filmography. Perhaps the bestknown and most popular of edith whartons novels, ethan frome is widely considered her masterpiece. But a decade later and im still going strong, for the same reasons and for more that ive discovered as ive read and reread edith wharton over the years. The first edition of the novel was published in 1911, and was written by edith wharton. Ethan frome works his unproductive farm and struggles to maintain a bearable existence with his difficult, suspicious and hypochondriac wife, zeena. The novel was published in 1911, set in the fictitious town of starkfield, massachusetts, whose naming is a subtle overture to the book s mood. The setting for this piercing new england novel is the aptly named starkfield, where, despite violently blue skies, the chill of cold and snow seems also to settle inside the hearts of the people who live there. If you are unsure of how to add these files to your ereader, look here. Edith wharton had come to have a great hand with all kinds of american furnishings and with their concomitant landscapegardening. Ethan is a man in his early fifties who is obviously strong, and obviously crippled.
Ethan frome cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. In 1921, she was the first woman to win the pulitzer prize for literature. Show all books 25 great american novels pulitzer prize novels civil war. Authors note authors note i had known something of new england village life long before i made my home in the same county as my imaginary starkfield. It is set in the fictitious town of starkfield, massachusetts. In so many subtle ways edith wharton ratchets up the tension, without once stepping away from the restraint and delicacy of her characteristic. Edith whartons stories with original dates of publication illustrations from the first edition of the house of mirth. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic. It looks like ethan is an ordinary farmer unhurried, quiet. Edith wharton books biography and list of works author. A nameless engineer is in starkfield, massachusetts on business and he first sees ethan frome at the post office. His ambition and intelligence are oppressed by zeenas cold, conniving character. Through the eyes of a visitor from the city, trapped for a winter in snowbound starkfield, readers glimpse the hidden histories of.
1446 392 317 891 1046 61 487 1191 692 1280 1416 1422 985 59 993 1420 924 1142 1401 1524 1244 853 9 898 1476 308 1280 693 1116 142 483 1360 388 1365 1327 3