'Can't you see that I don't care what anybody says?'
Charity Royall lives in the small New England village of North Dormer. Born among outcasts from the Mountain beyond, she is rescued by lawyer Royall and lives with him as his ward. Never allowed to forget her disreputable origins Charity despises North Dormer and rebels against the stifling dullness of the tight-knit community surrounding her. Her boring job in the local library is interrupted one day by the arrival of a young visiting architect, Lucius Harney, whose good looks and sophistication arouse her passionate nature. As their...

Perhaps the best-known and most popular of Edith Wharton's novels, 'Ethan Frome' is widely considered her masterpiece. The eponymous Ethan Frome lives in a typical New England village where he makes a living out of his stony farm and exists at odds with his wife Zeena, a whining hypochondriac. When Mattie, ZeenaOs cousin, comes to live with them, love develops between her and Ethan. They try to end their hapless romance by steering a bobsled into a tree; but both end up disabled, tied to a long life of despair with Zeena. Zeena, however, is transformed into a devoted nurse while Mattie...

Perhaps the best-known and most popular of Edith Wharton's novels, 'Ethan Frome' is widely considered her masterpiece. The eponymous Ethan Frome lives in a typical New England village where he makes a living out of his stony farm and exists at odds with his wife Zeena, a whining hypochondriac. When Mattie, ZeenaOs cousin, comes to live with them, love develops between her and Ethan. They try to end their hapless romance by steering a bobsled into a tree; but both end up disabled, tied to a long life of despair with Zeena. Zeena, however, is transformed into a devoted nurse while Mattie...

"Professor Ammons' excellent edition is essential for students interested in a contextualized approach to Wharton's The House of Mirth." --Andrew Kopec, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne "A staple in my feminist theory and sex-gender courses, this novel provides endless opportunities for discussion of the situation of women, of performing 'feminine, ' and of the insecurities and dangers for women in a society with limited economic possibilities. This is an excellent edition and I appreciate it." --Paula Backscheider, Auburn University

Edith Wharton was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature with this witty satire of New York's upper classes. This edition is introduced by award-winning novelist Rachel Cusk.