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The Custom of the Country
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Format: Paperback / softback
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The Custom of the Country
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See morePresents a tale about a beautiful social climber, Undine Sprague, who is a monster of selfishness and honestly doesn't know it. She marries well above herself twice and both times fails to recognize her husbands' strengths of character or the weakness of her own, and it is they, not she, who pay the price.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
Considered by many to be her masterpiece, Edith Wharton's second full-length work is a scathing yet personal examination of the exploits and follies of the modern upper class. As she unfolds the story of Undine Spragg, from New York to Europe, Wharton affords us a detailed glimpse of what might be called the interior decor of this America and its nouveau riche fringes.
Through a heroine who is as vain, spoiled, and selfish as she is irresistibly fascinating, and through a most intricate and satisfying plot that follows Undine's marriages and affairs, she conveys a vision of social behaviour that is both supremely informed and supremely disenchanted.
The Custom of the Country features a new introduction and explanatory notes and reset text.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton is widely regarded as a brilliant critique of American society and explores themes of ambition and social mobility through the character of Undine Spragg. Elizabeth Hardwick praises it as Wharton's finest achievement, highlighting its enduring relevance and sophisticated narrative.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780143039709
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 28 September 2006
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Penguin Classics
Contributors:
- Introduction by Anita Brookner
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 26.0mm
Width: 130.0mm
Height: 192.0mm
Weight: 320g
Pages: 352
About the Author
Edith Wharton was born Edith Newbold Jones on January 24, 1862, during the American Civil War. Wharton published her first short story in 1891; her first story collection, The Greater Inclination, in 1899; a novella called The Touchstone in 1900; and her first novel, a historical romance called The Valley of Decision, in 1902. The book that made Wharton famous was The House of Mirth, published in 1905. She died in 1937. Linda Wagner-Martin is Frank Borden Hanes Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the editor of The Portable Edith Wharton.
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