Madame de Treymes and Three Novellas

Edith Wharton was an American novelist, poet and short story writer whose works display a mastery over the realistic fiction genre. Although she grew up in a world of refined manners and fashionable people, she was also aware of its superficiality, a theme that frequently appeared in her fiction. She began writing short stories and poetry at a young age, impressing such literary figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Dean Howells. Her stories range widely from powerful social commentary to titillating ghost stories that made Wharton extremely popular beyond her living years. This collection contains: "Madame de Treymes": a novella that depicts the sharp contrasts between French and American values; "The Touchstone": a story about greed, betrayal and ultimately, forgiveness; "Sanctuary": Wharton's investigation of the psychological forces that drive a person, and her critique of nature versus nurture; and "Bunner Sisters": a dark story of two sisters whose lives are corrupted by the dark, impoverished world outside their small, New York shop.