Collected stories / Edith Wharton ; [Maureen Howard selected the contents and wrote the notes].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wharton, Edith, 1862-1937.

Contributor:

Howard, Maureen, 1930-2022.

Series:

Library of America ; 121-122.

The Library of America ; 121-122

Standardized Title:

Short stories

Language:

English

Genre:

Fiction.

Physical Description:

2 volumes ; 21 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Library of America, 2001.

Summary:

Library of America presents the second volume in a landmark two-volume collector's edition of the incomparable stories of an American master. Born into an upper-class New York family, Edith Wharton broke with convention and became a professional writer, earning an enduring place as the grande dame of American letters. This Library of America collection (along with its companion volume, Collected Stories: 1891-1910 ) presents the finest of Wharton's achievement in short fiction, drawn from the more than eighty stories she published over the course of her career. In this volume, Wharton's humor is abundantly evident in sly and subtle stories like "Xingu" (in which a ladies' reading group is led to express its enthusiasm for an occult philosophy) and "Charm Incorporated" (about a mild-mannered Wall Street executive overwhelmed by his émigré wife's needy but wonderful relatives). As always, Wharton's is a provocative voice on the subject of sexuality and women's roles. In "The Day of the Funeral," "Joy in the House," and "Atrophy," love and desire confront the demands of polite society; in "Roman Fever," a formal tour de force, two middle-aged women on holiday with their modern daughters revisit the fierce competitiveness of their own youth. Of particular interest are Wharton's stories of the uncanny and the supernatural, like the grisly "A Bottle of Perrier," set in the North African desert, and the chilling "All Souls'," written just before her death. An unacknowledged master of American horror fiction, Wharton's lucid prose makes all the more powerful her exploration of the irrational forces underlying ordinary life. Also included in this edition are a chronology of Wharton's life, explanatory notes, and an essay on the texts. LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation's literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America's best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

Contents:

[v. 1] 1891-1910: Mrs. Manstey's view. The fulness of life. The lamp of psyche. The valley of childish things, and other emblems. The muse's tragedy. A journey. The pelican. Souls belated. The twilight of the God. A cup of cold water. The touchstone. The Duchess at prayer. The angel at the grave. The recovery. The Rembrandt. The moving finger. Sanctuary. The descent of man. The mission of Jane. The other two. The reckoning. Expiation. The lady's maid's bell. The house of the dead hand. The introducers. The hermit and the wild woman. The last asset. The pretext. The pot-boiler. The best man. His father's son. The daunt Diana. The debt. Full circle. The legend. The eyes. Afterward. The letters

[v. 2] 1911-1937: Xinqu. Coming home. Autres temps. Kerfol. The long run. The triumph of night. Bunner sisters. Writing a war story. The marne. Miss Mary Pask. The young gentlemen. Bewitched. The seed of the faith. Velvet ear-pads. Atrophy. A bottle of Perrier. After Holbein. Mr. Jones. Her son. The day of the funeral. A glimpse. Joy in the house. Charm incorporated. Pomegranate seed. Confession. Roman fever. The looking-glass. Duration. All souls'.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

1883011930

1883011949

OCLC:

45827433