Short Stories

by Edith Wharton

Described by literary critic Robert Morss Lovett as "a novelist of civilization, absorbed in the somewhat mechanical operations of civilization, absorbed in the somewhat mechanical operations of culture, preoccupied with the upper ('and inner') class," Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton (1862-1937) also wrote superbly crafted works of short fiction. The seven stories in this excellent collection demonstrate the author's ability to create memorable tales on themes of love and marriage, divorce, the experience of the artist, high society and its workings and other topics.
"Souls Belated," a tragedy of mores, focuses on characters overcome by the demands of convention, while "The Pelican" and "The Muse's Tragedy" both present women whose realities differ from their public personae. "Expiation" is a satiric, revealing story about the publishing industry, featuring a writer determined to increase the sales of her first novel. In "The Dilettante," a young man who prides himself on his ability to manipulate women must face ironic consequences when he introduces his fiancée to his supposed lover. "Xingu" is a witty satire on the intellectual pretensions of a group of rich women, while "The Other Two" presents a darkly humorous look at the consequences of divorce.
Gathered in this inexpensive volume, these stories provide an excellent sampling of Wharton's masterly efforts in the short story genre, a form of fiction she felt especially suited to her talents and one that enabled her to achieve a focused and intimate realism.

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Literature, American, Historical Fiction, Poetry

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1911

About the author

Edith 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.

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edith Wharton has restored my faith in the short story as a form with this short, brilliant collection. In these seven stories we have laugh out loud humor as in the opening Expiation and the much lauded Xingu, we have stories of bittersweet relationships such as The Muse’s Tragedy and Souls Belated and several that focus or include discussion of the creative act of writing and being a writer. Most have a female character who is the central focus even if the narrator is male and these women run the gamut of witty, intellectual, tragic, melancholy and confused yet they are fully formed in just a few pages. Wharton’s writing is clever and funny and elegant and there are numerous lines I could list that illustrate this. Experimental forms and kaleidoscopic story lines are all well and good but sometimes you just want a damn good story written artfully and eloquently and this volume will reward you with seven!

Some favorite lines
‘Though the trials of married life have been classified and catalogued with exhaustive accuracy, there is one form of conjugal misery which has perhaps received inadequate attention; and that is the suffering of the versatile woman whose husband is not equally adapted to her moods.’ (Expiation)

‘Even at the time I was not sure I liked his agreeable voice: it had a self-importance out of keeping with the humdrum nature of his story, a though a breeze engaged in shaking out a tablecloth should have fancied itself inflating a banner.’ (The Pelican)

‘Mrs. Ballinger is one of the ladies who pursue Culture in bands as though it were dangerous to meet alone. To this end she had founded the Lunch Club, an association composed of herself and several other huntresses of erudition.’ (Xingu)

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 I always love reading Edith Wharton, but I can’t say each of these 7 short stories would make my all-time favorites list!

[Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wharton has a way of convincing you that her characters are sill fluff, before circling deeper and deeper into their thoughts and motivations until you find yourself immersed in an entire person, actual and whole, nothing like the veneer you encountered before. These stories are at once hilarious and moving, and I expect these characters to stick with me for some time.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

All of the stories in this book were beautifully written. But Wharton kept recycling the same sad themes of corrupted high society, divorce, and scandal. Also, her avant-garde feminism seemed rather confused and contradictory. The only story I actually enjoyed from this selection was Xingu. And even that left a bitter aftertaste. Maybe I would appreciate Edith Wharton more if I read one of her novels where her themes and characterization are fully fleshed out.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing social satire, but I like her ghost stories better.

[Annie Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to get a taste of Edith Wharton’s writing style and my every expectation was exceeded. I look forward to enjoying her novels in the future.

[C.M. Chafin]

DNF: racism.

[mairiachi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very first Edith Wharton, I love her style and humor. Very tongue in cheek with some amazing descriptions that make it easy to understand the subliminal messaging.

Favorites were The Muse's Tragedy and Xingu. By far the best of the seven.

(Rating is 3 stars bc the majority of the stories weren't as enjoyable, but did have some social commentary that I found interesting)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous little diversion. I find I much prefer her longer works, her writing and characters shine in the longer format and the subject material can be a little grating in nibbles, but overall worthwhile.

[volkhova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expiation and the Muse's tragedy were the ones I though were more interesting.

[Adam Spargo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've written plenty about these (well 5 out of the 7) to assist students preparation for their academic competition, and figured it would be a good one to end the year with as I was cutting it a little close. Overall, I'm not sure how to feel. The Pelican and The Muse's Tragedy made me slow to start the collection, as they covered the characters in a weird way that felt like they were barely main characters themselves. I didn't care about them and I didn't care about their outcome, it felt strange, and made me feel like Wharton isn't one of my favorite short story writers. However, I will admit I enjoyed Xingu and The Other Two much more, as I could see the stories come together and they felt like the full expanse of character development was present alongside a good ending. Expiation ended up somewhere in the middle, as it was overall better, but felt rather fantastical in the setup. The Dilettante was good, as it pokes fun at the ladies man as he attempts to get married and it all falls apart, but again barely broached the character himself. Soul's Belated was the longest (alongside Xingu) but didn't feel like it had any form of an ending that I cared about.

I found these to be an odd step from her story Ethan Frome, which I enjoyed much more, because clearly I think she's much better of an author when she has the space to flesh out a complete story and build up to the conclusion. Honestly, I have always felt I'm a bit harsh on short story authors in general, because I feel that you have to be really good at your craft to deliver a quality idea in a short space, but this is another collection that really fell a bit flat to me.

[Sharon Healy-Yang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Spender once referred to Edith Wharton as Henry James "without the tears." If that's to be taken positively, I can't agree more. I just finished this collection and was delighted to renew my acquaintance with Wharton's supple irony that shifts through deftly woven wording to take you where you never expected to end up. "Xingu" is a truly hilarious portrait of a middle/upper class ladies book club who see themselves as intellectuals but find themselves "had" by the member they designate as inferior for her prosaic mind - or was she actually being prosaic but their cattiness and sneakiness makes them impose their own faults on her? "The Muse's Tragedy" undercuts the masculine myth of the great writer's passionate inspiration by an objectified woman, with the "object" emerging far more human, feeling, and in control of her life than he or his acolytes would have her. All the stories subtly, beautifully, and humorously or tragically portray the many layers of human relations in the social level through which Wharton moved.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edith Wharton was not one of those authors whose stories grabbed you on the first page.
She wrote with a type of eloquence and style that spoke of her upper-crust station in life.
I've noticed that a lot of readers give up on her after a short while. I would recommend hanging in there, she's well worth it.
This book has a nicely selected group of seven short stories, all of them strong.
I think my favorites were Xingu and The Other Two.
I believe that Xingu is the first true humorous story I've ever read by Wharton.
It's about a group of wealthy, pompous women and their Lunch Club that invite a "famous" author to speak at one of their meetings.
Favorite line:
......she had a way of looking at you that made you feel as if there was something wrong with your hat.
The Other Two is the story of a recently married man whose wife is twice divorced. Will the third time be the charm?
Favorite line:
She was "as easy as an old shoe"-a shoe that too many feet had worn.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Souls Belated”

This story centers on Lydia, a woman who is leaving her husband for her lover but who finds herself torn between needing to be socially accepted (which means marrying her lover and potentially reproducing the same stifling situation she was fleeing from) and rejecting the conventional morality of New York's upper social circles. On the one hand, she detests marriage as a mere artificial form that people resort to to chain each other up out of fear; the rebellious side of her wishes to cast aside the yoke of marriage entirely and simply live freely. Yet doing so would mean giving up her social status. Things come to a head in an Italian hotel, where she pretends to be the married wife of her lover, Gannett. Another woman, Mrs. Linton, is also a divorcee and the unmarried lover of Lord Trevenna. Mrs. Linton therefore is in a similar predicament as Lydia, and she has already been shunned by the high society members stating at the fashionable hotel. Lydia finds herself also shunning the pariah's presence, afraid to be seen with her. Linton asks Lydia to find out from her Gannett what Lord Trevenna discussed with him the previous evening, worrying that his family members are trying to lure him away from her, but Lydia refuses, after which Mrs. Linton blackmails Lydia by threatening to reveal Lydia's situation to the others in the hotel if she does not help. Lydia is ashamed of herself and asks her lover, Gannett, to tell the others of their situation. She oscillates back and forth between a need for freedom and a dependence on social acceptance until the end of the story, when it appears she has decided to marry Gannett, although something has been lost and the future is uncertain.

“The Other Two”

The story takes a wry look at one of Wharton's great subjects: divorce. The story centers centers on Waythorne and his new wife Alice. Waythorne is her third husband. Inevitably Alice's ex's are still entangled in her life in one way or another and cross Waythorne's path, which makes Waythorne uncomfortable and resentful at first. The story tracks Waythorne's shifting attitude to his wife and her previous husbands; ultimately he accepts the situation for what it is and in a somewhat surprising ending finds himself socializing with her "other two" at the end of the story.

“Expiation”

A satire about authorship and public reception in which an anxious author wins popularity by paying her uncle, the Bishop of Ossining, to publicly attack her new novel Fast and Loose. A comic illustration of the way fame leads more from scandal and controversy than merit.

“Xingu”

This is one of Wharton's most delightful stories, about a group of snobbish women who host a book club that invites distinguished writers to meetings on a periodic basis. They invite the celebrated novelist Osric Danes to a meeting after reading her novel "The Wings of Death." During the meeting, the disdainful authoress make the sycophantic women feel under-read and awkward through a series of belittling questions. Only Mrs. Roby is daring enough to call her a "brute" behind her back. The story hinges on a joke Roby plays on the women of the book club and Danes alike when she tells Danes they have been absorbed in "Xingu," to which all the women immediately agree, even though they have no idea what Xingu is. The joke goes on for some time. Danes is so impressed she leaves early with Roby. The story satirizes the kind pseudo-intellectuality in which people are more concerned to pass for smart and informed than actually be it. Xingu, we learn in the end, is a Brazilian river. The women realize with mortification that they've been taken in by Roby.

“Roman Fever”

One of Wharton's most masterful stories; it's about Grace Ansley and Alida Slade, two Americans on a trip to Rome with their daughters. Although they have always maintained an official and outward friendship, the women have little affection for one another. Alida secretly despises Grace; and Grace pities Alida. Over the course of the evening, the two women reminisce about an old trip they took to Rome twenty-five years ago. Old secrets rise to the surface, and it is revealed that Alida Slade sent a fraudulent letter to Grace from Delphin Slade all those years ago, a letter in which he purportedly asked her to meet him at the Colosseum for a rendezvous. (Readers of James will be reminded of Daisy Miller.) In other words, out of jealousy Alida tries to get Grace out of the way so that Delphin will marry her, which he indeed does. Grace counters with a confession of her own. She replied to that letter, and Delphin did indeed come to meet her. The result of that meeting is Barbara. Alida's husband is the father of Grace's daughter. This is the story about a treacherous act that backfires and that gives Grace an opportunity for precisely the kind of intimacy with Delphin that Alida tired so hard to prevent.

[Pádraic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember absolutely adoring The Age of Innocence, and yet I was still surprised by how good these stories are. Just perfect little gems, touching, funny, insightful, beautifully written.

"Xingu" in particular is hilarious in its spiralling comedy of convention, trapping all the members of the reading group into being increasingly nonsensical. "The Dilettante" might be the best in the collection, though, as it conjures these two characters, their history together, their relationship and how this moment changes it irrevocably--all in a single short conversation in a drawing room. Incredible stuff.

[Helen Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had recently read the autobiography of Edith Wharton and what I learned enhanced my sublime enjoyment of these 7 short stories. I could see how her life and the people in it, the society in which she lived, and her observant and critical feelings toward them, were revealed in these tales. Her wit, irreverence to the opinions of her peers, and writing skills created these concise literary gems. If I had to choose one word to fit them, I would say "irony."

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turns out Wharton is good at short stories too...All the stories had a great time and the typical Wharton cynicism and pathos, but "Xingu" really stood out as an unexpectedly hilarious and biting tale.

[Tim Nason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I especially liked “The Muse’s Tragedy,” “The Pelican,” and “The Other Two.” “Zingu” opens in a highly affected style about pretentious ladies, ends as an hilarious and vicious satire. All the stories are brilliantly crafted. Wharton is a fantastic writer!

[Laronda Blessing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of short stories by Edith Wharton--she's so much more acerbic in her observations and social criticisms than Jane Austen ever was. My all-time favorite short story was Xingu, which is an absolute riot. Very entertaining.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice collection of Wharton stories. It is definitely the "thrift" edition though.

[Zosia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ favorites include: The Muse's Tragedy, The Pelican, Souls Belated

5⭐️: Xingu

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for “Xingu.” Hilarious.

[fpk · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars for the first five stories
3 stars for the last two.

Edith Wharton was a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who wrote stories and novels with one setting; upper crust people from New York or Boston, all of whom had maids, butlers, footmen, governesses, etc., literati who spent their time traveling abroad, speaking French, and discussing novels and investments. Oh yawn. Enough already. I grew pretty tired of the same characters. The stories read like a 19th century soap opera.
Wharton's writing style bugged me too. It's overly complicated.

I was going to read The House of Mirth but I don't think I will now. From what I've seen of the plot, it's more of the same.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a great fan of the short story. Just not my cup of tea. This is Wharton at her best comic side. Loved "Xingu". But all were well written as only she can do. I even had to look up some words, as we have changed the use in our current language. That is always interesting and challenging. LOVED IT, overall!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many wonderful quotations I could take from these pages. I find my notes and underlined paragraphs throughout the book. It was so enjoyable that I was disappointed that it wasn't longer.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found a degree of variability in quality among these stories. While they all are well-written, some deal with the themes of social ostracism, feminism and relationships between the sexes better and more interestingly than others. My favorites are "The Pelican" and "Xingu".

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure Wharton's art is best displayed in short-form, but a fairly enjoyable read regardless. Particularly enjoyed the more satirical stories - Xingu and Expiation - though the rest were by no means unpleasant.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic character descriptions. Written in the early 1900's, they do not seem outdated and the situations are unique with a mix of humor and poignant tenderness. The vocab was very erudite.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

audio stories narrated by Alece.