Summer

Originally published by Scribners in 1917, Summer is a novel of Wharton's mid-period and tells the story of Charity, a girl 'of the mountains' who is the ward of Lawyer Royall. The plot recounts how Charity finds herself caught between the attentions of two essentially unsavoury characters, Royall on the one side, who does himself no favours by invading the girl's bedroom, and on the other Lucius Harney, who purports to be the gentleman suitor only to get Charity pregnant while actually engaged to another woman. That Harney also cavorts with prostitutes only serves to emphasise his true character. Taken by itself, the plot shows similarities to the work of Thomas Hardy in its emphasis on a strong female lead who is placed in jeopardy by the men she attracts. Consciously or not, Wharton also seeks to make connections with the landscape, creating an affinity between Charity and her Mountain roots. Whether this succeeds or not is another matter.

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