The Custom of the Country

“Edith Wharton’s finest achievement.“—Elizabeth Hardwick

Edith Wharton was born into the upper stratum of New York society in 1862. This privileged background provided her with ample material for her novels, though it did not initially foster her artistic development. Educated by private tutors and governesses, her upbringing was geared towards a single purpose: marriage. However, her 1885 marriage to Edward Wharton proved to be an emotional disappointment, if not a complete disaster. In 1894, she experienced the first of several nervous breakdowns. Despite the strains of her marriage, or perhaps because of them, she began to write fiction, publishing her first story in 1889.

Her initial published work was a guide to interior decorating. This was followed by several novels and story collections, written during the time the Whartons resided in Newport and New York, traveled in Europe, and constructed their magnificent home, The Mount, in Lenox, Massachusetts. While in Europe, she encountered Henry James, who became a close friend, traveling companion, and the most discerning critic of her literary works.

The House of Mirth (1905) achieved both critical acclaim and bestseller status, as did Ethan Frome (1911). The Whartons divorced in 1913, and Edith took up permanent residence in France. Her literary focus, however, remained on America, particularly the wealthy New York society of her youth. Her acclaimed satirical novel, The Custom of the Country, was published in 1913, and she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1921 for The Age of Innocence.

In her later years, Wharton garnered the admiration of a new generation of writers, including Sinclair Lewis and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In total, she authored approximately thirty books, including her autobiography, A Backwards Glance (1934). She passed away at her villa near Paris in 1937.

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