Edith Wharton

March 15, 2001
Arguably our greatest novelist of manners, Wharton (The House of Mirth) evoked the glittering heights and the decadent lows of New York society at the turn of the 20th century. However, it was with her short stories and her novellas that the author honed her technique and her sharp social satire. These two volumes offer a glimpse into Wharton's development as a writer and provide perfect companions to the Library of America's Edith Wharton: Novels (1986) and Edith Wharton: Novellas and Other Writings (1989). Volume 1 opens with her first published story, "Mrs. Manstey's View," and contains the novellas "The Touchstone" and "Sanctuary." These early stories include Wharton's characteristic social satire and her keen insights into sexual relationships. Volume 2 features the novellas "Roman Fever" and "Bunner Sisters," as well as several of her stories about World War I, including "The Marne" and "Writing a War Story." These stories capture Wharton's mastery at characterization and the maturity of her reflections on society. Novelist Howard (Grace Abounding) selected the contents and wrote the notes for each volume. These elegant editions provide a convenient collection of Wharton's stories. An essential purchase. Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Lancaster, PA

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 2, 1996
One of America's most beloved novelists, Wharton cut a niche for herself in American letters as the leading chronicler of upper-crust New York society and the purveyor of a style that mixed the respective strengths of American naturalism and the realism of her colleague and mentor, Henry James. In this fascinating collection of Wharton's critical prose, Wegener demonstrates that Wharton was a far better critic than she realized, and one only regrets, after reading these works, that she was not more prolific in that arena. Wegener's introduction to this collection benefits from being scholarly, readable and cogent. As he suggests, Wharton is simply a good critic, which is justification enough to reprint many of these otherwise inaccessible items. Even where one disagrees with Wharton's assessments (she held low opinions of Lawrence and Woolf) and assertions (the lives of the rich make for better novels than those of the poor), her criticisms remain rooted in an appreciation of novel-writing few today can match. Ably aided by Wegener's careful annotations, lovers of Wharton will be pleased by the variety of assembled material: critical essays, literary and theater reviews, tributes and eulogies, prefaces, introductions and forewords to her writings and those of others as well as several unpublished items. This volume is easily recommended to Wharton fans, scholars and scholarly libraries.