Edith Wharton wrote about the lives and customs of nineteenth-century New York gentry as only an insider to their society could. Her elegant tales of elite ladies and gentlemen who worship at the alter of social propriety and who are bound by traditional social mores shimmer with the rich sheen of Americas gilded age and its values. Although Whartons novels provide vintage snapshots of Americas aristocracy, they are timeless in their dignified and sympathetic portrayal of characters shaped, and often crushed, by the expectations of their social class. The Custom of the Country and Other Classic Novels features three of Whartons best-loved works: The House of Mirth. Raised to marry into wealth, Lily Bart is ill-equipped to navigate a world in which rumors of impropriety stain her life indelibly with the stigma of scandal. The Custom of the Country. Valuing social status over matters of the heart, Undine Spragg embarks on a series of dissatisfying marriages made to improve her standing in society. The Age of Innocence. Whartons Pulitzer Prize-winning novel tells of gentleman lawyer Newland Archer, who sacrifices his good reputation and all he holds dear when he becomes infatuated with Countess Ellen Olenska, his finacees scandal-plagued cousin.
