The Custom of the Country

by Wharton, Edith; Wagner-Martin, Linda; Wagner-Martin, Linda

• ISBN13: 9780143039709
• ISBN10: 0143039709
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-30
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

Wharton’s glittering satire of the newly affluent in Old New York Considered by many to be her masterpiece, Edith Wharton’s second full-length work is a scathing yet personal examination of the exploits and follies of the modern upper class. As she unfolds the story of Undine Spragg, from New York to Europe, Wharton affords us a detailed glimpse of what might be called the interior décor of this America and its nouveau riche fringes. Through a heroine who is as vain, spoiled, and selfish as she is irresistibly fascinating, and through a most intricate and satisfying plot that follows Undine’s marriages and affairs, she conveys a vision of social behavior that is both supremely informed and supremely disenchanted. BACKCOVER: As long as men and women seek to use each other—and to use each other badly—Edith Wharton can be counted upon to provide the ideal commentary.” —Anita Brookner

Author Biography

Edith Wharton (1862-û1937) published poetry and short stories in magazines and in volume form before her novel The House of Mirth became a bestseller and established her as a writer of both distinction and popular appeal. Her other novels include Ethan Frome and The Age of Innocence, winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

Linda Wagner-Martin is Frank Borden Hanes Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the editor of The Portable Edith Wharton.