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Crucial Instances: The Integrity of Edith Wharton's Episodic Structure

Edith Wharton structured her novels using a technique that relies on what she called "crucial episodes" or "illuminating incidents" to reveal theme and develop character. In Wharton's novels this technique attains a rare perfection as subject matter, circumstance, and dialogue are repeatedly connected by succeeding episodes. In addition, Wharton's fictional method allowed her to stage a series of incidents that essentially foretell the nature of a novel's outcome, creating a dramatic sense of inevitability that is often mistaken for determinism or naturalism. Wharton used the same technique throughout her career, lending strength to her published theories of fiction. The House of Mirth (1905), Ethan Frome (1911), and The Age of Innocence (1921) are representative not only of her best work, but also of her basic structural technique.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc504271
Date08 1900
CreatorsLee, Joyce Glover
ContributorsSmith, John T., Kesterson, David B., 1938-, Nichols, Martha, 1934-
PublisherNorth Texas State University
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
Formatiii, 126 leaves, Text
RightsPublic, Lee, Joyce Glover, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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