At Il Palmerino: Scholars at Work on a New Edith Wharton Biography

Il Palmerino regularly attracts scholars aiming to conduct their research in a tranquil, inspiring atmosphere. Two of these are Virginia Ricard and Laura Rattray, who are currently working on a new biography of Edith Wharton, and who have decided to come to Il Palmerino in order to work together.

Dr. Virginia Ricard taught at Université Bordeaux Montaigne in France, specializing in American Literature and Translation, while Dr. Laura Rattray, who teaches at the University of Glasgow, focuses on early 20^th century North American Literature and Modernism. When asked why they had decided to come to Il Palmerino, the professors explained that besides no longer wanting to meet on Zoom, the estate is also a perfect place to get away from other responsibilities and to immerse oneself in research.

Many aspects of Edith Wharton’s work have inspired the two researchers: Dr. Rattray stated that, although she has been working on Edith Wharton for a long time, there are still moments of discovery as new works are uncovered. Moreover, Wharton’s versatility, the fact that her writing spans multiple genres, and her life as a dynamic traveler, continue to fascinate Dr. Rattray. And she added:

“She is still not quite given the credit she deserves.”

Edith Wharton still matters today: she was a brilliant, fearless writer who wrote extensively about women, although she was not seen a feminist in the sense of today. Her concern with these issues is still not fully understood, and she has often been presented as a conventional, rather stuffy figure, which does a disservice to her and to her oeuvre. Dr. Ricard, on the other hand, became interested in the writer halfway through her career. Because Edith Wharton spent half her adult life in France, because of her interest in French customs, French literature, language and art, and finally because she wrote most of her great novels about America while she was in France, Dr. Ricard wanted to learn how Wharton’s vision was shaped by her French experience. Life in France provided Wharton with the distance she needed to see what would have been invisible at closer range. Wharton’s work helps us to understand how things came to be what they are today. Novels like The House of Mirth (1905) or The Custom of the Country (1913) force us to look at our own time, to reconsider questions such as the status of women, the family, marriage, or the place of money. Wharton's novels help us see that the world we live in was not invented yesterday. Especially for younger people, her work offers a highly interesting account.

Given the number of comprehensive biographies of Edith Wharton, one might assume there is little left to uncover about the American writer. However, there are aspects that have not been taken into consideration, as the two professors insist: Due to the discovery of new archival sources - many new letters in particular - our vision of the American writer is evolving; our opinions are modified as the new material allows for different, expanding perspectives.

Last but not least, when asked which question they would like to put to Edith Wharton, the professors looked at each other and grinned. Dr. Rattray said that she would definitely ask the writer where the other manuscripts were, as there are some works that the researchers have not been able to get hold of, while Dr. Ricard said that she would ask her how she managed to get so much done: Edith Wharton travelled endlessly, designed or redesigned a number of houses, wrote travel books, essays, poems, novels and over eighty short stories. She also supervised many of the translations of her work into French. During World War I, she devoted four years almost entirely to war work and to convincing the American public that it was necessary to enter the war and to help France. All this, although her first novel was published when she was over forty years old. Wharton remained a very active author until the end.

The forthcoming biography, driven by the researchers’enthusiasm, promises to offer fresh, enriching insights into Edith Wharton’s life and work, and will add to our understanding of this fascinating writer and the first woman to receive the Pulitzer prize for literature.