In her biography of Edith Wharton, Hermione Lee observes that “

comes as a great shock” (375). Wharton had ventured into areas such as the industrial novel in her 1907 work,

, but her literary reputation was largely based on her successful representations of wealthy American society as seen, especially, in

of 1905.

, published in 1911, turns from the old moneyed urban world of Wharton’s background to embrace instead the landscapes and inhabitants of rural New England with its range of physical and psychological impoverishments.

The “shock” (Lee 375) of Wharton’s shifting focus from urban, sophisticated social scenes to the countryside of her fictional Starkfield, Massachusetts, elicited responses that questioned

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Citation: Bode, Rita. "Ethan Frome". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 September 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5284, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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