The Eyes by Edith Wharton (1917)
Andrew Culwin, an elderly Positivist bachelor known for his cultivated leisure, fine dinners, and detached amusement at life, hosts a group of friends after dinner as they trade ghost stories. Pressed by his young protégé Phil Frenham to produce a ghost of his own, Culwin admits he has seen two. He recounts that as a young man, freshly back from South America and Mexico, he was staying with an old aunt near Irvington, ostensibly writing a great book, with her cousin Alice Nowell as his copyist. Having carelessly won her affection, he felt obliged to do the "right thing": on the evening he decided to leave for Europe, Alice kissed him goodbye, and, moved by her simple bravery, he impulsively proposed marriage and gave her his seal ring, promising she would accompany him abroad. That same night, waking in the dark, he first saw a pair of disembodied eyes at the foot of his bed—old, sunken, viciously secure, faintly derisive. Unable to explain them as reflection or illness, he fled to town, then, when they returned, sailed for England, not intending to return to Alice. Away from her, he realized he had no wish to marry her, and the eyes did not reappear for two years. Settled later in Rome, ostensibly writing a work on Etruscan influences, he was visited by a beautiful, untalented young man, Gilbert Noyes, sent to him with a letter from Alice Nowell asking Culwin to mentor her cousin, who wanted to be a writer. Culwin grew fond of Noyes despite recognizing his lack of talent, extended his trial period, and traveled with him for a delightful year. When the time came to tell Noyes the truth about his writing, Culwin found himself unable to do it—moved by Noyes's stricken bravery and his own reluctance to lose him, and by a wish not to fail Alice a second time—he lied and told Noyes his work was fine. That night the eyes returned, worse than before, and continued to visit him nightly for a month as he kept encouraging Noyes. Culwin hoped Noyes would eventually tire of writing and settle into life as a charming social parasite, but Noyes persisted doggedly and unsuccessfully for years, growing embittered as rejections mounted. Finally Culwin urged him to accept a well-paid secretary position instead of continuing to write; when Noyes asked directly whether Culwin thought his work was no good, Culwin, tired and exasperated, laughed in a way that answered the question. He then left for a short trip to Frascati; that night, for the first time since leaving Noyes, the eyes did not appear. On his return he found Noyes had quietly packed up and gone home to America and a Wall Street desk. Culwin never saw the eyes again after that conversation with Noyes. Asked what became of Noyes, Culwin says he became nothing of note—vegetated in an office, took a consular clerkship, married drearily in China, grew fat and unshaven, and did not recognize Culwin when they met by chance in Hong Kong years later. As Culwin finishes his account and turns to offer drinks, Phil Frenham suddenly buries his face in his arms on the table and will not answer his host's anxious questions. Culwin, bending over him, catches sight of his own reflection in a small mirror behind Frenham's head, and he and the mirrored image stare at each other with slowly gathering hate before Culwin covers his eyes with his hands. Frenham remains motionless, his face still hidden, as the narrative ends.
By Edith Wharton · First published 1917 · Genre: Horror, Gothic Fiction, Psychological Fiction · 4 chapters · 11,086 words
First lines
WE had been put in the mood for ghosts, that evening, after an excellent / dinner at our old friend Culwin's, by a tale of Fred Murchard's -- the / narrative of a strange personal visitation.
What this Textopian page supports
The Eyes is listed on Textopian as a short story by Edith Wharton, dated 1917 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Edith Wharton
- Date: 1917 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Horror, Gothic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Short Story
- Length: 11,086 words
- Structure: 4 chapters, 100 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Eyes 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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Genres
- Horror — The narrative revolves around supernatural elements and evokes feelings of fear and dread.
- Gothic Fiction — The story employs elements of mystery, fear, and the supernatural, typical of Gothic fiction.
- Psychological Fiction — The narrative delves into the psychological state of the characters, exploring their fears and anxieties.
- Short Story — The narrative is concise and focused, characteristic of the short story format.
Tags
Gothic Fiction · Supernatural · Mystery · Romance · Psychological Thriller · Dark Fantasy · Wealth and Class · Social Hierarchy · Family Secrets · Forbidden Love · Tragic Events · Haunted House