The Custom of the Country

The Custom of the Country is, primarily, a comedy of manners. This refers to an old tradition of novels (and works in other forms) that satirize and make social commentary upon cultural and economic structures. Their subject is, usually, wealthy people and the difficulties that they make for themselves. The plot in comedies of manners, like The Custom of the Country, rely on scandal that goes against prevailing social norms. Through these plots, the books critique these social norms. The characters in a comedy of manners are usually caricatures of figures in high society. This is also the case in The Custom of the Country, with its prototypical characters of Fifth Avenue society, including Ralph, the jaded artist, Elmer, the social climber, and the Spraggs, the nouveaux rich.