A feast of words

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The mystery of how a wealthy New York socialite became a major American novelist is brilliantly explored in this fascinating critical biography. To this new edition of her book, considered by many to be the most perceptive introduction to Wharton's life and work, Cynthia Griffin Wolff has added a chapter on Lily Bart and the lethal stereotypes of women in the 19th-century stage and another on the way Edith Wharton's own sensual awakening led from the frozen austerity of "Ethan Frome" to the lyricism and tempered happiness of "Summer." No one who admires Wharton's novels or enjoys the films made from them will want to be without this superb biography. -- Back cover.