About the Author - Edith Wharton:

Edith Newbold Jones was born on January 24, 1862 in New York City to wealthy parents George and Lucretia Jones. Edith had two brothers Frederic and Henry. The family resided in New York City until Edith was four, when the family moved to Europe. The Jones family spent the next few years traveling throughout Italy, Spain, Germany, and France. Edith took a special liking to France and throughout her life she would visit France periodically. When the family moved back to New York Edith continued her private studies. She learned to speak French and German and studied literature, philosophy, art, and science. Edith took to reading and writing, and she enjoyed writing poetry as well as short stories. Her first work, Fast and Loose, was published in 1877, and a collection of her poems, Verses, was published in 1878. Edith's first major novel, The House of Mirth, was published in 1905.

While the Jones family was traveling throughout out Europe Edith's father became ill, thinking France would cure him the family vacationed up there for awhile, however in 1882 George Jones died on the French Riviera. Three years later on April 29 Edith married a banker by the name of Edward Robbins Wharton. Overall their marriage was not a happy one and after discovered affairs (on both sides) the couple split in 1913.

Apart from novels Edith wrote about a great deal of different things. She was fascinated by gardens and she wrote books on the different types of European gardens and landscape. She also co-wrote The Decoration of Houses in 1897 which was an architectural book. And Edith enjoyed writing ghost stories. Some of her most popular ghost stories were Tales of Men and Ghosts, Here and Beyond, and Ghosts.

Edith Wharton is most famous for her novel Ethan Frome, published in 1911. This novel is very short in length, only about eighty eight pages, but Edith Wharton conveyed a lot in eighty eight pages. Ethan Frome remembered as a classic novel because of the unique plot line, the well developed characters, the descriptive writing, and the bitter twist at the end of the story.

In 1920 Edith's book The Age of Innocence was published. In 1921 Edith returned to America from her home in France to receive the acclaimed Pulitzer Prize for The Age of Innocence. Edith Wharton was the first woman ever to recieve the Pulitzer Prize for a fiction novel. This is quite an honor. In her life Edith Wharton composed 17 novels as well as several short stories and poems. Usually her work reflected her lifestyle in the upperclass society of New York City, however in some cases she took her writing in drastically different directions (for example Ethan Frome and Ghosts). In 193o Edith Wharton was elected into The American Academy of Arts and Letters. And in 1934 Edith's autobiography, A Backward Glance, was published.

On August 11, 1937 Edith Wharton died of a stroke at Pavillion Colombe, and was buried at Cimetiere des Gonards, in Versaille.


Work Cited

Merriman, C.D. "Edith Wharton - Biography and Works." The Literature Network: Online
Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays and Summaries. Jalic Inc., 2007. Web. 23
Aug. 2010. http://www.online-literature.com/wharton/

Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. New York: Scribner, 1939. Print.

Ethan Frome - Reflection

I believe that the novel Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton is considered to be a classic because of the tragic story line. I think that this book provokes readers to think, because there is that "what if..." factor. Ethan and Mattie's secret love is also cause for the book to be classified as a classic, readers love a good scandal. Edith Wharton was also very discriptive as a writer, and even though I thought the dialogue to be somewhat poorly written, she did an excellant job describing the bleak and dull surroundings of Starkfield as well as the beauty of the snow covered winter countryside. Edith Wharton was also very descriptive of the charachters in her story, and as a reader I felt like I got to know them. Also I believe that (unfortunatly) alot of people could quite possibly relate to this book. Ethan was extremely unhappy at home and his life was very repetative. I feel like some people could relate to the way he felt, and this could have made the story more appealing to readers. I think that the story line of Ethan Frome is unique, and the end kind of has a twist to it. Readers would want to read Ethan Frome because of the unique plot and they would recommend it other people because of the ending which has a bitter twist. The story of Ethan Frome continues to be a remembered classic because of the tragic story line, the passionate love of Mattie and Ethan, the descriptive way in which the story was written, the well developed charachters, the unique plot, and the plot twist at the end of the story.

Pages 81-88 (The End):

Ethan and Mattie took off, speeding down the dark hill, they raced toward the big elm tree and then they made impact. They pair lay spralled across the snow. It occurs to Ethan that he is not dead, and he looks round and finds Mattie. The pair lay spralled out on the ground. When they are found Mattie is taken to the Hale's house to recover and Ethan to the ministers house. When they can be moved they both return home to the Frome's house, where Zeena is their nurse.

The story returns to "present day" and teh narrarator enters Ethan's home and see's Mattie sitting in a comfy chair by the fire, she looks like she has serious spinal problems. Zeena is making dinner. The scene is very sad, and the narrarator feels uncomfortable. The next day he goes to Mrs. Hale's house and further inquires about the Frome household. Mrs. Hale tells him that it is a truely sad story. No one knows what ethan and Mattie were doing that night riding a sled in the dark when they were supposed to be at the train station. Ever since the accident Zeena has been caring for the both of them (and this is a tremendous sacrifice, because she never completely retained her health). Mrs. Hale confides in our narrarator that she believes it would have been better for Ethan and Mattie and had Mattie died in the accident, because her life is so pitiful. Mattie lost her love of life and since the accident has grown sour. But Mrs. Hale says nobody has suffered as much as Ethan.

Pages 78-81:

In an attempt to prolong their time together Mattie and Ethan find an old sled by the side of the road and they hop on and sled down a steep tricky hill, swerving to avoid the trees. When they walk up the hill together Ethan notes that this will be their last time walking together. Once at the top of the hill Ethan returns the sled to its rightful place. Mattie sneaks up behind him and surprises him with several goodbye kisses. They two are overcome with their greif at leaving each other, and they don't know what to do. Finally Mattie asks Ethan to take them down the hill again on the sled, only this time intentionally crash into a tree. She says if their both dead they can finally be together. Ethan is frightened by her crazy talk, but when he thinks back to his home and his wife and the life he has now, he becomes intrigued by Mattie offer.

Pages 76-78:

Ethan and Mattie continue their journey to the train station together. Ethan asks Mattie what she plans to do when she gets to Stamford, and how she will provide for herself. Mattie says that she will probably try and find work at a store, and hopefully be able to rent a living space above the store. Ethan tells Mattie he wishes that he could help, and he would do anything for her but he hasn't got the money or the means. After a moment of silence Mattie reveals the letter she found in Ethans study, it was addressed to Zeena. The night before Ethan had composed a letter to Zeena telling her that he was leaving, and she could have the house and farm and sell them, but he was leaving with Mattie. Ethan asked Mattie if she would have run away with him if he could have. She says she used to think about running away with him sometimes. This is the moment in the book where their guards are down and Mattie and Ethan are most open about their relationship.

Pages 73-76:

Ethan loads the sleigh and he and Mattie leave the old farm house together, however they are not headed directly to the train station. Ethan wishes to spend some more coveted time with Mattie, and so he drives through the countryside, and they travel through the forest until they get to Shadow Pond. Ethan and Mattie spent a happy evening together at Shadow Pond the previous summer at a church picnic. Mattie had lost her necklace and out of all the men looking for it Ethan had been the one to find it. This is one of his favorite moments with her, which he wishes to revisit with her by his side. This is one of Ethan and Mattie's last moments together, and they wish to make the most of it.

Pages 70-73:

Mattie is getting ready to leave, Ethan goes into her room to see if she needs help with her trunk. He finds Mattie sitting on her trunk sobbing. He goes to her and try's to soothe her. The two share their suspected last moments togetehr, and then Zeena calls them down to load the sleigh. After their last dinner together Ethan exclaims that he will be driving Mattie to the train station, and even though Zeena protest fervently, he puts his foot down and insists that he will be driving Mattie to the train station. After dinner Ethan goes about the farm completing his daily chores and thinking of Mattie and all the days they had spent together. He is dreading the ride to the train station later that evening, but is glad to be the one taking her. He hopes for just one last moment with her before she leaves.