The Letter by Edith Wharton (1904)
The story revolves around a letter written by the deceased Madame Fontaine to her former lover, which reveals their illicit affair and serves as a catalyst for the unfolding drama. The protagonist, a wealthy and morally upright woman, discovers the letter and is shocked by its contents. She becomes obsessed with understanding the nature of the relationship between Madame Fontaine and her lover, and this obsession ultimately leads to a re-examination of her own life and values.
By Edith Wharton · First published 1904 · Genre: Drama, Romance, Historical Fiction · 8,788 words
First lines
For many years he had lived withdrawn from the world in which he had once played so active and even turbulent a part. The study of Tuscan art was his only pursuit, and it was to help him in the classification of his notes and documents that I was first called to his villa. Colonel Alingdon had then the look of a very old man, though his age can hardly have exceeded seventy. He was small and bent, with a finely wrinkled face which still wore the tan of youthful exposure. But for this dusky redness it would have been hard to reconstruct from the shrunken recluse, with his low fastidious voice and carefully tended hands, an image of that young knight of adventure whose sword had been at the service of every uprising which stirred the uneasy soil of Italy in the first half of the nineteenth century.
What this Textopian page supports
The Letter is listed on Textopian as a novella by Edith Wharton, dated 1904 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novella
- Author: Edith Wharton
- Date: 1904 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Drama, Romance, Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction
- Length: 8,788 words
- Structure: 1 section, 111 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Letter 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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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Letter?
- How does this novella by Edith Wharton fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Drama first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Other Woman by Richard Harding Davis
- Life And Gabriella by Ellen Glasgow
- The Letters by Edith Wharton
- Via Amoris by Edith Nesbit
- An Ambitious Man by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- The Muses Tragedy by Edith Wharton
Genres
- Drama — The narrative is filled with emotional conflicts and struggles, focusing on personal relationships and moral dilemmas.
- Romance — The plot revolves around love and relationships, with a focus on emotional bonds and romantic entanglements.
- Historical Fiction — The setting and context are based on a specific historical period, with the narrative incorporating historical events and figures.
- Psychological Fiction — The narrative delves into the psychological and emotional states of the characters, exploring their thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Tags
Romance · Drama · Tragedy · Love Triangle · Marriage · Infidelity · Deception · Secrets · Social Class · High Society · Gilded Age · American Literature