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Beth Winter, D'Verse, dVerse Poets Pub, dversepoets, Edith Wharton, Literary Periods, Naturalism, Pretzels and Bullfights, Realism
Coinciding with the Victorian Period, two additional literary movements grew in strength. Closely related, Realism (1820-1920) and Naturalism (1870-1920) shared an attention to detail, placing the reader into the moment with objectivity and a sense of factual loyalty. Naturalism went into more psychological depth in endeavoring to identify the underlying causes of actions or beliefs. Naturalists believed that social conditions and heredity played a huge role in determining the actions of a person more so than free will.
Literature of choice during these periods was strongly skewed toward the novel. Authors developed characters and atmosphere to a high degree of detail. Realists felt it was their duty to “report” on whatever scene they were writing whereas Naturalists dug into the psyche and led the reader to understand how external influences affected events to lead to whatever situation was at hand.
Many authors during this time frame are described as both Realism and Naturalism authors. Some of these authors wrote both novels and poetry. Very few people are aware that Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), the American pioneer for Realism, wrote poetry as well as his renowned fiction. I considered featuring his work here but to be honest, when I read his poetry, I appreciated his novels much more. I believe that my love for his novels made it difficult for me to assess his skills as a poet. Instead, I’m turning the spotlight on Edith Wharton, Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, designer and poet.
Edith Wharton was born into a prominent family in 1862 in New York City. Her parents, George Frederic Jones and Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander, were both of prestigious heritage. The saying “keeping up with the Joneses” is said to have originated with her father’s family.
Edith married Edward (Teddy) Wharton in 1885 when she was 23 years old. Unfortunately, a few years into their marriage, Edward suffered acute depression and in 1902, his mental state deteriorated into a more serious disorder that was determined to be incurable. They were divorced in 1913 after 30 years of marriage.
The following years were filled with unique, high-profile, empowering experiences that were only afforded to an elite few of that age. Her life, commitment and dedication would fill many hours of discussion. She led an intellectually, creatively and socially robust life, one that would take pages to chronicle. In this article, I’ll highlight her achievements as a prominent novelist and introduce you to one of her poems.
Her first novel, Fast and Loose, was written in 1876-1877 but was not published until 1938. She also wrote The House of Mirth, Ethan Frome, The Custom of the Country and her best known novel, The Age of Innocence, for which she was the first woman ever to receive The Pulitzer Prize. She published twenty-two novels and edited The Book of the Homeless, a publication created to raise money for the The Children of Flanders Relief Committee and The American Hostels for Refugees, her charitable focus for the innocent victims of war. Wharton was recipient of the French Legion of Honor for her philanthropic work during World War I.She also authored fourteen short stories, nine non-fiction books and three poetry collections. In 1923 she became the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from Yale. She was a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
I selected one of Edith Wharton’s poems, The Parting Day, to share with you. In my opinion, the use of rhythm and rhyme give this sorrowed poem an eerie cast as if the message of the poem is “don’t toy with my emotions.”
The Parting Day Atlantic Monthly 45 (Feb. 1880): 194
I.
SOME busy hands have brought to light,
And laid beneath my eye,
The dress I wore that afternoon
You came to say good-by.
About it still there seems to cling
Some fragrance unexpressed,
The ghostly odor of the rose
I wore upon my breast;
And, subtler than all flower-scent,
The sacred garment holds
The memory of that parting day
Close hidden in its folds.
The rose is dead, and you are gone,
But to the dress I wore
The rose’s smell, the thought of you,
Are wed forevermore.
II.
That day you came to say good-by
(A month ago! It seems a year!)
How calm I was! I met your eye,
And in my own you saw no tear.
You heard me laugh and talk and jest,
And lightly grieve that you should go;
You saw the rose upon my breast,
But not the breaking heart below.
And when you came and took my hand,
It scarcely fluttered in your hold.
Alas, you did not understand!
For you were blind, and I was cold.
And now you cannot see my tears,
And now you cannot hear my cry.
A month ago? Nay, years and years
Have aged my heart since that good-by.
Edith Wharton
This poem is a excellent example of Whartan’s understanding of poetic device. She used repetition skillfully on multiple levels. Her caesura adds intensity to an emotionally complex poem and figurative language introduces tenderness. Throughout her work, her use of dramatic irony is both stealthy and skillful. The last two lines draw everything together into a perfect closing.
After living a long, diverse and rich life, Edith Wharton died of a stroke in 1937.
Thank you for joining me for this installment of Pretzels & Bullfights. As always, I hope this article prods your curiosity into researching more about the era and poet.
Until next month…
References:
The Literature Network
Poemhunter
The Edith Wharton Society
The Poetry Foundation
Edith Wharton’s Poems
The Book of the Homeless
Whoa, thanks, Beth! ‘The Parting Day’ is incredible. I will certainly dive deep into her work and learn a thing or two. I enjoyed this a lot…
Thank you, Anthony 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed this post.
I love the period of literature.. it seems to be a period where the modern novel was formed to a large extent.. I really like the poem you shared — but at least form me this period was an era where theaters seem to become important.. (at least from a scandinavian view.. where Strindberg and Ibsen where naturalist giants…)… anyway I love a lot of the things I have read from that period…
It was a culturally rich period with a great deal of experimentation and growth. I’m glad you enjoyed this. Thanks.
Both fascinating playwrights.
I enjoy how the history of art and literature run parallel to one another. Enjoyed the Wharton bio–thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thank you 🙂
wow beth – really appreciate the people you bring into the pub… what an interesting person edith was – will need to check out a bit more of her work…. and didn’t know that mark twain wrote poetry as well… very cool… always so interesting to see how things connect..
Thank you, Claudia. I read some of Mark Twain’s poetry and have to say that I’m glad novels were his true passion. I guess it just shows that there is a poet in everyone.
Thank you, Beth, for this very interesting article on Edith Wharton. Coincidently I am teaching about Edith Wharton this term, starting on Wednesday. Yet we shall study one of her short stories, ‘Roman Fever’, not her poetry.
I meant ‘coincidentally’, of course.
🙂
I need to read her short stories. Her work fascinates me. Thanks for visiting. 🙂
I had read some of EW’s novels but not her poetry: I shall go exploring to find more. When I saw naturalism and realism, I thought of nature and reality, which is probably what my writing is mostly. How wrong could I be?
I find a bit of myself in almost every literary period. I think I’m based in transcendentalism with strong branches in naturalism and realism. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Interesting article, Beth. You gave a lot of detail about a writer whose name I know but, but whose works (outside of a few short stories I read in high school) I am unfamiliar with. I had not realized that she was also a poet, nor had I realized that Samuel Clemens was also a poet. Thanks for a most interesting post.
Samuel Clemens was a much better novelist than poet but I think it goes to show that there is a poet in each of us. I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. 🙂
An absolutely fascinating post and what a beautiful example of poetry.
Oh this was so good Beth. Had me thinking about poets who are novelists, and novelists who are poets – and why I might like one but not both of their works. Great trip down into history, and delving into Naturalism and Realism. May have to read and explore this further!
As I’ve been researching these articles, I have discovered many people who write both poetry and novels. It is kind of encouraging because I have bits of a novel sitting in my to-do pile. I’m so glad you enjoyed this article. Thanks 🙂
And it encourages me to work on both my novel and poetry!
what a cool piece by wharton…i knew about twain/clements….my son and i are actually reading tom sawyer right now…and i can remember reading it as a kid as well…though i agree he makes a better novelist than a poet….smiles….
I envy your sharing Tom Sawyer with your son. I’ll bet those are wonderful moments. Thanks, Brian. 🙂
Thanks for sharing Edith Wharton’s “The Parting Day.” It shows that great Victorian and romantic line between the mask of decorum and the turbulence beneath.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you enjoyed “The Parting Day.” 🙂
informative and insightful, this was really worth the time to take to read. You mentioned the caesura, wouldn’t that be the double par pause ? Can you cite her use here without it? thanks – bw
I’m not sure what you mean by “double par pause.”
From LiteraryDevices.com, “This literary device involves creating a fracture of sorts within a sentence where the two separate parts are distinguishable from one another yet intrinsically linked to one another. The purpose of using a caesura is to create a dramatic pause, which has a strong impact.”
Both of these lines use this literary device:
Alas, you did not understand!
For you were blind, and I was cold.
Thanks so much. 🙂
thanks – I am glad you took the time to explain for me.
🙂
I remember reading that poem long ago…she was a formidable lady!
Thank you for sharing Beth – another Poet to read up on. Loved the piece you showed us.
Excellent post, Beth. Thanks for the opportunity to reconsider Wharton. I was traumatized by Ethan Frome when I was sixteen. 🙂
Sometimes when I visit a site and see a particularly moving poem or haiku – I leave a small poem as a comment. I always hope it does not offend – but to me when verse inspires verse it is a special moment of communication. I saw one site where two people were sharing haiku – I think the title was “raining haiku”. In the spirit of any good idea is worth conscripting – may I suggest “Gently raning poetry” as a future topic – That poem or verse one writes in response to another’s touching verse.