The Custom of the Country

Synopsis

Edith Wharton's satiric anatomy of American society in the first decade of the twentieth century appeared in 1913; it both appalled and fascinated its first reviewers, and established her as a major novelist. The Saturday Review wrote that she had 'assembled as many detestable people as it is possible to pack between the covers of a six-hundred page novel', but concluded that the book was 'brilliantly written', and 'should be read as a parable'. It follows the career of Undine Spragg, recently arrived in New York from the midwest and determined to conquer high society. Glamorous, selfish, mercenary and manipulative, her principal assets are her striking beauty, her tenacity, and her father's money. With her sights set on an advantageous marriage, Undine pursues her schemes in a world of shifting values, where triumph is swiftly followed by dissullusion. Wharton was recreating an environment she knew intimately, and Undine's education for social success is chronicled in meticulous detail. The novel superbly captures the world of post-Civil War America, as ruthless in its social ambitions as in its business and politics. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Summary

Chapter 1:

Summary: Introduces Undine Spragg, a young woman from Wisconsin who marries wealthy New Yorker Ralph Marvell. Undine is ambitious and materialistic, while Ralph is kind but weak-willed.

Example: "Undine Spragg had everything in the world, including her own way, which her mother had always pointed out to her as an invaluable possession."

Chapter 2:

Summary: Undine and Ralph move into a grand apartment on Fifth Avenue. Undine is quickly bored and spends extravagantly, leading to marital strife.

Example: "Undine's imagination was not vast but it was strong enough to persuade her that everything she saw for the first time had been intended for her especial use and benefit."

Chapter 3:

Summary: Undine meets Raymond de Chelles, a charming Frenchman who becomes her lover. Ralph, oblivious to his wife's infidelity, continues to support her financially.

Example: "The Frenchman was a connoisseur of women's bodies and what went with them, and Undine's frankly obvious and ingenuous assault pleased him better than a more sophisticated coquetry would have done."

Chapter 4:

Summary: Undine's behavior becomes increasingly erratic and self-destructive. She develops a drug addiction and becomes estranged from her family and friends.

Example: "She was in pursuit of the impossible, for in marrying Marvell she had in her own way already captured the glittering prize. She was like some rustic queen striving in vain to appease her thirst at a running brook."

Chapter 5:

Summary: Ralph discovers Undine's drug use and infidelity. He confronts her, but Undine refuses to change her ways. Ralph divorces her and she marries Raymond.

Example: "Undine was the kind of person whose best thoughts came out in the shape of a scream."

Chapter 6:

Summary: Undine and Raymond travel to Europe, where they continue to live a reckless life. Undine's drug use worsens, and her health deteriorates.

Example: "She had already gone so far in her peculiar pursuit of happiness that her future was as much of a blank as her past."

Chapter 7:

Summary: Undine discovers she is pregnant with Raymond's child. She returns to New York and gives birth to a daughter, Elsa. However, Raymond abandons her shortly after.

Example: "Undine's mind was not complex, and when she did not understand a thing she dismissed it."

Chapter 8:

Summary: Undine faces poverty and social ostracism. She works as a model and actress, but her career is unsuccessful. She eventually commits suicide by drowning.

Example: "She closed her eyes and the great luxury of her despair enfolded her. She was defeated, she had lost; but what was there left worth winning?"