The custom of the country
Free

The custom of the country

By Edith Wharton
Free
Book Description

Edith Wharton's satiric anatomy of American society in the first decade of the twentieth century appeared in 1913; it both appalled and fascinated its first reviewers, and established her as a major novelist. The Saturday Review wrote that she had 'assembled as many detestable people as it is possible to pack between the covers of a six-hundred page novel', but concluded that the book was 'brilliantly written', and 'should be read as a parable'. It follows the career of Undine Spragg, recently arrived in New York from the Midwest and determined to conquer high society. Glamorous, selfish, mercenary, and manipulative, her principal assets are her striking beauty, her tenacity, and her father's money. With her sights set on an advantageous marriage, Undine pursues her schemes in a world of shifting values, where triumph is swiftly followed by disillusion. Wharton was re-creating an environment she knew intimately, and Undine's education for social success is chronicled in meticulous detail. The novel superbly captures the world of post-Civil War America, as ruthless in its social ambitions as in its business and politics.

Table of Contents
  • THE CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY
  • THE CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY
  • I
    • II
    • III
    • IV
    • V
    • VI
    • VII
    • VIII
    • IX
    • X
    • XI
    • XII
    • XIII
    • XIV
    • XV
    • XVI
    • XVII
    • XVIII
    • XIX
    • XX
    • XXI
    • XXII
    • XXIII
    • XXIV
    • XXV
    • XXVI
    • XXVII
    • XXVIII
    • XXIX
    • XXX
    • XXXI
    • XXXII
    • XXXIII
    • XXXIV
    • XXXV
    • XXXVI
    • XXXVII
    • XXXVIII
    • XXXIX
    • XL
    • XLI
    • XLII
    • XLIII
    • XLIV
    • XLV
    • XLVI
    • *** START: FULL LICENSE ***
      • Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
      • Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
      • Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
      • Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works.
The book hasn't received reviews yet.
You May Also Like
The Glimpses of the Moon
Free
The Glimpses of the Moon
By Edith Wharton
The Age of Innocence
Free
The Age of Innocence
By Edith Wharton
Summer
Free
Summer
By Edith Wharton
The Reef
Free
The Reef
By Edith Wharton
Free
The Long Run 1916
By Edith Wharton
Free
The Choice 1916
By Edith Wharton
Crucial Instances
Free
Crucial Instances
By Edith Wharton
Free
Coming Home 1916
By Edith Wharton
Free
The Custom of the Country
By Edith Wharton
Free
Xingu 1916
By Edith Wharton
Also Available On
Categories
Curated Lists