Cover of The Descent of Man and Other Stories by Edith Wharton Audiobook The Descent of Man and Other Stories
Audiobook · Sovereign

The Descent of Man and Other Stories

Author
Edith Wharton
Read by
Finian Silverwood
Language
English
Length
6 hours 39 minutes
ISBN
9781802567823
Published
10 August 2025
Imprint
Sovereign
  • Edith Wharton
  • comedy
  • tragicomedy
  • romance
  • New England
  • symbolism
  • naturalism
  • family
  • psychological
  • drama

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Description

Edith Wharton's novella, The Descent of Man is a symbolically laden literary work exploring the societal ills of capitalist America at the turn of the twentieth century. The work centers around two families who represent respectively, the old aristocratic class in decline, and the new entrepreneurial class in ascendancy.

Author

Edith Wharton (1862–1937) was born into old New York money, married badly, and wrote her way into a life of her own — much of it in France. The House of Mirth follows a woman who cannot afford a misstep; The Age of Innocence won the Pulitzer, the first for a woman in fiction. Drawing rooms, divorces, and the cost of being seen: she knew the furniture from the inside. Luxury is a trap with excellent lighting.

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