Essay: Edith Wharton

Sample Essay

Edith Wharton was another popular American writer of the Naturalist movement. She is known for her detailed depiction of life among citizens of New York who belong to the elite class. (Lee, 2007) A very common theme of Wharton’s story ‘Roman Fever’ is social determinism With envy and jealousy among the characters as depicted in words such as; ‘Alida Slade’s awfully brilliant; but not as brilliant as she thinks,’ decides Mrs. Ansley (Wharton, 1119).

This is also evident from the very first sentence in the introduction of the story where the two women are introduced with the words ‘ripe but well-cared-for middle age’ (Wharton 1116). It is clearly seen from this line that stereotypes are at issue. The story is about two year long friends, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade, who have actually grown up together and one day they are defied by the fact that they don’t know much about each other. This clearly justifies that Naturalist literature and Realistic literature share one thing in common and that is their attention to social conditions and relationships.

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