The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-05-12
EDITH WHARTON


The first paper read before the Fac
ulty Club at its meeting Wednesday
afternoon was that on Edith Wharton.
Miss Signe A. Bekkerus had been as
signed this woman novelist and the
following paper embodies the results
Of her study.
Without the name of Edith Wh1e~
ton, the list of modern American writ
ers of fiction and short stories Is not
complete. It was Phelps who said,
edith Wharton stands by common
consent at the head of all living Amer
lean women who write books; indeed
there are many who say she is, our
foremost novelist"
As is true of all writer's, reader
should, in order to appreciate their
books, be familiar with their lives.
For this reason I shall insert here a
brief biography. Edith Jones' was
born of a distinguished New York
family. She married in 1885, at the
age of twenty-three, "a Bostonian, Ed
ward Wharton. Her grandfather was:
General Ebenezer Stevens who achiev-
ed fame in the time Of the American
Revolution. From her childhood she
had exceptional advantages of en-
vironment, travel, and education. In
Italy she acquired knowledge Of the
arts that is reflected in many of her
books. "Private TUTORS" says a bio
grapher, touched her as sculptor
touches his clay, firmly and cares%
ingly, and only to bring out her Pc
culiar excellences, only to help her ma,
tive genius to expression. italy and
all the other rich backgrounds; meant
social position, fine traditions, the
right surroundings, the right mentors:
the right tastes and considerable
gift to begin with! What mold! 1t
is exquisite, perhaps unmatched IN the
instance of any other novelist: It is
what we dream of for genius" Mrs.
Wharton is not genius, cricits aver:
but she moves and always has moved
in world of geniuses. From child
hood she has read widely. Goethe,
George Eliot, Gustave Flaubert, Bal
FAC, Thackeray, Dickens and Meredith
are her literary gods. For her war
relief activities in France the novel
list has been made a Chevalier Of the
Legion Of Honor. j..
However much Mrs. Wharton was
influenced by the older writers, no dis
cussion of her work can omit to men,
ton the influence of Mr.. Henry
James. At the time Mrs. Wharton
began to publish, in the Scribner,s
Magazine. in the late nineties, Mr..
lanes had reached the height OF his
career. Her admiration Of his work:
blus heritage, social status, and IN
terests the counterpart of his, resulted
"a her following his blazed path, and
later in outstripping his pioneer lead
ership. In 1902 he wrote from Eng
land. II take to Mrs. Wharton very
kindly as regards her diabolica1 little
cIeyerness, the quantity Of intention
and intelligence in her style, and ner
subject"
Mrs. Wharton is an author of men.
tai subtlety and unusual breadth OF
culture, an intelligent woman with
deep-felt sympathies; yet stern pref
udices of social caste. Each OF her
remarkable novels is a tragedy, not
only because it usually ends with the
death of the heroine, but because the
heroine loses the true love of q lover
and her own self esteem. This loss IS
due to conditions whoch are fortult-
Gus and ephemeral. Edith Wharton's
writing offers a pleasing harmony OF
color and form, displaying evdry-
where pervading sense Of art, liter
ature. and culture. Her style is often
peculiar; we find ourselves stra ray I'M
away from the central interest OF the
story in order to relish for moment
the sheer verbal cleverness Of some
casual epigram, such as Genius is OF
small use to woman who does not
know how to do her hair"
I In all the various settings Of her
stories, whether in the ecclesiastical
provincialism of a New England col.
iege town, or the full flood-tide OF
New York life today, or OF Lombardy
century ago, Mrs. Wharton never
for an instant allows one to lose sight
Of the factsthat there exists local
social code more potent than any laws
of Modes and Persians; a fine, strait
fled caste system, too attenuated TOR
onx, h,,t tho native born to grasp II