Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton is considered by many to be one of the most valuable American novelists. The writer has more than 40 novels, an autobiography and some short stories to her credit; even some books of his authorship were published postmortem. Wharton was mainly dedicated to making novels and short stories, but he also wrote books in other areas such as: decoration and travel.

Much of Edith Wharton's life was spent in France, which she adopted as her second home. For this reason, many of his books are in English and French. In 1921, the literary writer published her book: The Age of Innocence with which he won the Pulitzer Prize. It should be noted that Wharton was the first female named: Honorary doctorate by Yale University.

Edith Wharton Biography

Edith Newbold Jones was born on January 24, 1862, in New York City. His parents were: George Frederic Jones and Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander. Thanks to the social and economic position of her family, Edith was educated at home, with the best tutors. In addition, He permanently had access to a large library, which he made the most of, since he was always a lover of reading.

Marriage

In 1885, Edith married Edward Robbins Wharton, this relationship was somewhat stormy, affecting it in many aspects. Finally, in 1913 - already 28 years old - Edith managed to legally separate from Edward, after a long time of unhappiness and multiple infidelities from her spouse.

Trips

One of Edith's passions was traveling, perhaps because she had been doing it with her parents since she was 3 years old. He came to cross the Atlantic about 66 times, since his trips throughout Europe were constant. He traveled so many times that he even lived longer in the old continent than in his homeland. And this is not surprising, since life in New York was more expensive.

The same Edith highlights in her autobiography the wonderful places she has known all over the world. Among the sites that most impacted him are the Camino de Santiago and the Pórtico de la Gloria of the Cathedral of Santiago; she considered them one of the most amazing and beautiful of all.

Great friendships

One of the things Edith Wharton is known for is her friendship with important figures of the time. One of them was the writer and literary critic Henry James, to whom he dedicated an entire chapter in his autobiography. He, in addition to being her friend, was her mentor. Edith's other friends were: Theodotre Roosvelt, Jean Coteau, Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway.

Wharton and the first world war

When it started la World War I, Edith Wharton was on Rue de Varenne, in Paris. The first thing the writer did was use her influence in the French government to allow her to travel on a motorcycle to the front line, with the aim of carrying medical supplies and collaborating as necessary.

In the same way, he obtained the decoration of the Cross of the Legion of Honor by the French government, this thanks to his work in the Red Cross and his important social work. All these experiences were captured by the same writer in various articles, which were then presented in the essay Fighting France: From Dunkirk to Belfort (1915)

Death

Edith Wharton died at the age of 75, on August 11, 1937 in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt in Parisian lands. The death was due to a cardiovascular accident. His remains rest in the holy ground of Gonards in Versailles.

Edith Wharton's literary career

The pen of this wonderful writer produced a large collection of works, with dozens of books, stories, travel logs and poems. Wharton had a unique and distinctive style, defined by his tirades with the upper social classes, despite coming from there. The first work for which she was recognized is The Valley of Decision (The Valley of Decision, 1902).

In 1905, published: House of mirth (The House of Joy), a novel that made him gain notoriety. Thus began for Edith Wharton a prolific time in the creation of good books, such as: The Fruit of the Tree (1907) Madame de Treymes (1907), Ethan Frome (1911), up to his great success in 1920: The Age of Innocence, for which he won the prize Pulitzer.

Some of Edith Wharton's best books

The house of joy (1905)

It is a novel set at the beginning of the XNUMXth century in New York. It is the story of Lily bart, an educated, intelligent and very beautiful New York woman, who was orphaned at age 19. A decade later she has not married and still lives with her aunt, who has cared for her since her mother died. Lily's main goal is to live in high society, even if she makes some bad decisions for it.

In his walk falls in love with the prestigious lawyer Lawrence Selden, who is not wealthy and that is why she never confesses her love, despite the fact that he reciprocated. Getting what she wants will be difficult, one of the reasons is due to the bad reputation that Bertha Dorset builds for her, after accusing her of having a relationship with her husband. Everything will lead Lily to loneliness, waiting for something that never came.

The Age of Innocence (1920)

As said, this title earned him the Pulitzer Prize. This novel is a romantic story based on a love triangle that takes place in New York, in the year 1870. In the development of the plot, the luxuries and marked customs of the social classes of the time are described in detail. His main characters are Newland Archer - lawyer -, his fiancee May Welland, and his cousin, Countess Olenska.

Archer He is a focused gentleman who does not want to repeat the profile of the double standard men of the time, infidels and hypocrites. He is true to his principles and critical of the customs of high society.; He always showed respect for May, until the day Olenska returned, and her simple presence made the man doubt his feelings. This is how a story will unfold that touches on sensitive issues of that time and will end with unexpected changes.

A look back (1934)

In 1934, Edith Wharton published her autobiography. In the work he recognizes that he lived to the fullest and describes in detail his childhood, youth and adulthood (except as related to his marriage). The author tells how she carried out everything that she was passionate about: reading, writing, traveling and social work. In addition, he recognized the value of decoration in his life.

The literary area in Wharton's life occupies an important point in his autobiography. The elaboration of their works and the inspirations that led them to create them are described. In addition, talks about his experience in WWI and the collaborations that he gave to many in need. Another highlight within the title are the great and good friends that Edith Wharton had in the course of her existence, to whom she dedicates a significant part of the work.


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