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The Collected Short Stories of Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton was an American novelist, poet and short story writer whose works display her mastery over the realistic fiction genre. Although she grew up in a world of refined manners and fashionable people, she was also aware of its superficiality, a theme that frequently appeared in her works. She began writing short stories and poetry at a young age, impressing such literary figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Dean Howells. Her stories range widely from powerful social commentary to titillating ghost stories that made Wharton extremely popular beyond her living years. This collection includes: The Early Uncollected Stories (1891-1896), The Greater Inclination (1899), Early Uncollected Stories (1900), Crucial Instances (1901), The Descent of Man (1904), Uncollected Stories (1904-1908), The Hermit and The Wild Woman and Other Stories (1908), Tales of Men and Ghosts (1910), Xingu (1916), and an Uncollected Story (1919).
- GenresShort StoriesClassics
772 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
31 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Edith Wharton
1,428 books5,244 followersEdith Wharton emerged as one of America’s most insightful novelists, deftly exposing the tensions between societal expectation and personal desire through her vivid portrayals of upper-class life. Drawing from her deep familiarity with New York’s privileged “aristocracy,” she offered readers a keenly observed and piercingly honest vision of Gilded Age society.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
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June 7, 2025Read so far:
EARLY UNCOLLECTED STORIES
Mrs. Manstey's view --4
The fullness of life --3
That good may come --
The lamp of psyche --
The valley of childish things, and other emblems --
THE GREATER INCLINATION (1899)
The Muse's tragedy --
A journey --2
The pelican --
Souls belated --3
A coward --
The twilight of the god --
*A cup of cold water --
The portrait --
UNCOLLECTED STORIES
April showers --
The line of least resistance --
CRUCIAL INSTANCES (1901)
The duchess at prayer --3
The angel at the grave --3
The recovery --
Copy, a dialogue --2
*The Rembrandt --
The moving finger --
The confessional --
THE DESCENT OF MAN (1904)
The descent of man --
The mission of Jane --3
The other two --3
The quicksand --
The dilettante --2
The reckoning --
Expiation --
The lady's maid's bell --2
A Venetian night's entertainment --
MORE UNCOLLECTED STORIES
The letter --
The house of the dead hand --
The introducers --
THE HERMIT AND THE WILD WOMAN (1908)
The hermit and the wild woman --
The last asset --
In trust --
The pretext --
The verdict --3
The pot-boiler --
The best man --
TALES OF MEN AND GHOSTS (1910)
The bolted door --
His father's son --
The daunt Diana --
*The debt --
Full circle --
*The legend --
*The eyes --
The blond beast --
Afterward --3
The letters --
XINGU (1916) --
Xingu --3
Coming home --
Autres temps ... --
Kerfol --3
The long run --
The triumph of night --3
The choice --
Bunner sisters--3
CERTAIN PEOPLE (1930)
Atrophy --3
A bottle of Perrier --4
*After Holbein --
Dieu d'amour --
The refugees --
Mr. Jones--
THE WORLD OVER (1936)
Pomegranate Seed--3
Permanent Wave--
Confession--3
Roman Fever--4
The Looking-Glass--3
Duration--
GHOSTS (1937)
All Souls'--2
*Miss Mary Pask--
Bewitched--2
UNCOLLECTED STORY: Writing a war story--
EARLY UNCOLLECTED STORIES
Mrs. Manstey's view --4
The fullness of life --3
That good may come --
The lamp of psyche --
The valley of childish things, and other emblems --
THE GREATER INCLINATION (1899)
The Muse's tragedy --
A journey --2
The pelican --
Souls belated --3
A coward --
The twilight of the god --
*A cup of cold water --
The portrait --
UNCOLLECTED STORIES
April showers --
The line of least resistance --
CRUCIAL INSTANCES (1901)
The duchess at prayer --3
The angel at the grave --3
The recovery --
Copy, a dialogue --2
*The Rembrandt --
The moving finger --
The confessional --
THE DESCENT OF MAN (1904)
The descent of man --
The mission of Jane --3
The other two --3
The quicksand --
The dilettante --2
The reckoning --
Expiation --
The lady's maid's bell --2
A Venetian night's entertainment --
MORE UNCOLLECTED STORIES
The letter --
The house of the dead hand --
The introducers --
THE HERMIT AND THE WILD WOMAN (1908)
The hermit and the wild woman --
The last asset --
In trust --
The pretext --
The verdict --3
The pot-boiler --
The best man --
TALES OF MEN AND GHOSTS (1910)
The bolted door --
His father's son --
The daunt Diana --
*The debt --
Full circle --
*The legend --
*The eyes --
The blond beast --
Afterward --3
The letters --
XINGU (1916) --
Xingu --3
Coming home --
Autres temps ... --
Kerfol --3
The long run --
The triumph of night --3
The choice --
Bunner sisters--3
CERTAIN PEOPLE (1930)
Atrophy --3
A bottle of Perrier --4
*After Holbein --
Dieu d'amour --
The refugees --
Mr. Jones--
THE WORLD OVER (1936)
Pomegranate Seed--3
Permanent Wave--
Confession--3
Roman Fever--4
The Looking-Glass--3
Duration--
GHOSTS (1937)
All Souls'--2
*Miss Mary Pask--
Bewitched--2
UNCOLLECTED STORY: Writing a war story--
October 31, 2008
Edith Wharton's sense of societal irony is unparalleled - it's especially chilling when her characters use truth as a subtle weapon.
Also, if you haven't read Wharton's ghost stories, you're missing out, particularly in the Halloween season.
Also, if you haven't read Wharton's ghost stories, you're missing out, particularly in the Halloween season.
December 8, 2018
Great surprise - fun weekend reading. Not heavy - well written. Some are really good, some are mediocre, but a great treasure trove of historical literature that I didn't know existed.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews