The Custom of the Country
by Edith Wharton

The Custom of the Country: Style 1 key example

Key Examples in The Custom of the Country

Style
Explanation and Analysis:

Wharton's style in The Custom of the Country is intricate and detailed. Her sentences are typically long and ornate, and they are full of literary references and complex vocabulary. She uses elegant images with rich diction.  Wharton, as a stylist, was part of the movement of Realism, which often used thorough, intricate sentences in an attempt to depict life truly. Wharton was also educated and spent her life in literary communities, which makes her writing more allusive and erudite. These long, subtle sentences also help enable the novel's sarcastic tone, hiding sarcastic jokes about Undine's personality or other aspects of high society.