Ethan Frome

by Edith Wharton

Ethan Frome: Genre 1 key example

Genre
Explanation and Analysis:

Ethan Frome was written and published during the Edwardian era, which spanned the reign of King Edward VII (1901-1910) and is sometimes extended to the beginning of the First World War in 1914. 

Queen Victoria, King Edward’s mother and predecessor, ruled the United Kingdom for more than sixty years before her death. Her reign—the Victorian era—was characterized by significant industrial and political change, as well as a cultural emphasis on morality and social reform. Victorian literature reflected this social consciousness, with influential novels like Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre exploring issues like class and gender inequality.