Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton (1911)
Ethan Frome is a novel by Edith Wharton, first published in 1911. It tells the story of a poor farmer, Ethan Frome, and his wife, Zeena, living in a small New England town. Ethan is a hardworking man, but his life is filled with sadness and despair. He is trapped in a loveless marriage to Zeena, a woman who is constantly ill and demanding. When a young woman, Mattie Silver, comes to stay with them, Ethan finds himself drawn to her. Ethan and Mattie's relationship grows, and they eventually plan to run away together. However, their plans are thwarted when Zeena discovers their secret. In a desperate attempt to escape his unhappy life, Ethan and Mattie decide to commit suicide together. The novel ends with a tragic outcome, as Ethan and Mattie's plan fails and they are left to suffer the consequences of their actions. The novel is a powerful exploration of the human capacity for love and despair, and the consequences of making choices in life.
By Edith Wharton · First published 1911 · Genre: Realistic Fiction, Romance, Tragedy · 10 chapters · 34,978 words
First lines
I had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story.
If you know Starkfield, Massachusetts, you know the post-office. If you know the post-office you must have seen Ethan Frome drive up to it, drop the reins on his hollow-backed bay and drag himself across the brick pavement to the white colonnade; and you must have asked who he was.
What this Textopian page supports
Ethan Frome is listed on Textopian as a novel by Edith Wharton, dated 1911 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Edith Wharton
- Date: 1911 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance, Tragedy, Literary Fiction
- Length: 34,978 words
- Structure: 10 chapters, 802 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Similar titles
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- Night And Day by Virginia Woolf
- The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
- The Courtship Of Morrice Buckler by A. E. W. Mason
- Nell Of Shorne Mills by Charles Garvice
- Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Genres
- Realistic Fiction — Ethan Frome is a realistic fiction novel that follows the life of the protagonist, Ethan Frome, and his struggles with his marriage, his feelings for another woman, and his difficult life in a small New England town.
- Romance — Ethan Frome is a romance novel that follows the love triangle between Ethan, his wife, and the woman he falls in love with, Mattie Silver.
- Tragedy — Ethan Frome is a tragedy novel that follows the downfall of Ethan Frome due to his inability to make a decision between his wife and Mattie Silver, and the consequences of his actions.
- Literary Fiction — Ethan Frome is a literary fiction novel that explores themes of love, loss, and regret through the use of symbolism and complex characters.
Tags
Accident victims · Domestic fiction · Fiction · Married people · New England · Rural poor · Triangles (Interpersonal relations) · american literature · cold · day · door · drew
Contents
- Ethan Frome
- CHAPTER I
- CHAPTER II
- CHAPTER III
- CHAPTER IV
- CHAPTER V
- CHAPTER VI
- CHAPTER VII
- CHAPTER VIII
- CHAPTER IX