Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton

Name: Twilight Sleep
Author: Edith Wharton

The story revolves around a wealthy widow, Mrs. Verney, who becomes obsessed with the idea of marrying her daughter, Nadina, to a rich and aristocratic man, despite Nadina's lack of interest in him. As Mrs. Verney's schemes unfold, she begins to manipulate those around her, including her own daughter, to achieve her desired outcome.

By Edith Wharton · First published 1902 · Genre: Fiction, Social Criticism, Satire · 32 chapters · 100,104 words

First lines

MISS BRUSS, the perfect secretary, received Nona Manford at the door of her mother's boudoir ("the office," Mrs. Manford's children called it) with a gesture of the kindliest denial.

"She wants to, you know, dear -- your mother always wants to see you," pleaded Maisie Bruss, in a voice which seemed to be thinned and sharpened by continuous telephoning. Miss Bruss, attached to Mrs. Manford's service since shortly after the latter's second marriage, had known Nona from her childhood, and was privileged, even now that she was "out," to treat her with a certain benevolent familiarity -- benevolence being the note of the Manford household.

What this Textopian page supports

Twilight Sleep is listed on Textopian as a novel by Edith Wharton, dated 1902 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: 1902 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fiction, Social Criticism, Satire, Drama
Length: 100,104 words
Structure: 32 chapters, 1,732 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton
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Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters

What should a reader notice first when entering Twilight Sleep?
How does this novel by Edith Wharton fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
Where does Fiction first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

Genres

Fiction — The book is a narrative of imaginary events and characters.
Social Criticism — The book critiques the superficiality and materialism of the upper class society.
Satire — The book uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to expose and criticize the society's foolishness.
Drama — The book contains sequences of high emotional intensity, conflict, and struggle.