Social Conventions in the Works of Edith Wharton

Abstract

This bachelor paper is concerned with Edith Wharton, an American author of the late 19th and early 20th century, and the society she was born into. The aim of the paper is to analyze the social conventions of the New York upper classes as reflected in Wharton’s novels. At the beginning of the paper, the life of Edith Wharton is described briefly and also the summaries of the novels researched are mentioned. The body of the paper focuses on the social conventions controlling the life of upper-class New Yorkers. It also deals with the position of a woman in elite circles and the opinion of its members on marriage as well as adultery and divorce. Subsequently, leisure time of the upper classes is discussed, with ball and opera events being described in greater detail. The paper is based on Wharton’s works The House of Mirth, The Custom of the Country, The Age of Innocence and a number of relevant secondary sources.