edith wharton

Born January 24, 1862(1862-01-24)

New York City, New York Died August 11, 1937 (aged 75)

Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt, France Occupation Novelist, short story writer, designer

Edith Wharton (January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer and designer.[1] Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Literary success 3 Later life 4 Death 5 Writing style 6 In popular culture 7 Books 7.1 Novels 7.2 Short Story Collections 7.3 Poetry 7.4 Non-Fiction 7.5 As Editor 8 Additional publications 9 Further reading 10 References 11 External links //

Early life

Wharton was born Edith Newbold Jones to parents George Frederic Jones and Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander. She had two brothers, Frederic Rhinelander and Henry Edward. The saying "Keeping up with the Joneses" is said to refer to the family of her father.[2] She combined her insider's view of America's privileged classes with a brilliant, natural wit to write humorous and incisive novels and short stories. As such, she was well-acquainted with many of her era's literary and public figures, including Henry James and Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1885, at 23 years of age, she married Edward (Teddy) Robbins Wharton, who was twelve years her senior. From a well-established Boston family, he was a sportsman and a gentleman of her social class and shared her love of travel, although they had little in common intellectually. He began spending money on younger women and this began to take a toll on Wharton's mental health. They divorced in 1913, after she suffered a nervous breakdown and was confined to a hospital. She then moved to Europe. Edith and Edward were married for 28 years, though she later called the marriage her "greatest mistake."

In addition to her famous novels, Wharton wrote at least 85 short stories, and was also a highly regarded landscape architect, interior designer, and taste-maker of her time. She authored several influential books, including her first published work,The Decoration of Houses, co-authored by Ogden Codman, and Italian Villas and Their Gardens.[3]

Literary success The Mount, 2006

In 1902 she built The Mount, her estate in Lenox, Massachusetts, which survives today as the supreme example of her design principles. The house and its gardens have been extensively restored and are open to the public from May through October although, as of the end of March 2008, the house museum is threatened with foreclosure.[4] There, Edith Wharton wrote several of her novels, including The House of Mirth (1905), the first of many chronicles of the true nature of old New York, and entertained the cream of American literary society, including her close friend, the novelist Henry James.

Although she spent many months traveling in Europe nearly every year, The Mount was her primary residence until 1911. When she was there, as well as traveling abroad, Wharton was usually driven to her appointments by her longtime chauffeur and friend Charles Cook,