Edith Wharton (1862-1937) used her childhood of privilege as inspiration for her Pulitzer Prize-winning work, The Age of Innocence.
Edith Wharton (1862-1937) used her childhood of privilege as inspiration for her Pulitzer Prize-winning work, The Age of Innocence.
Special thanks to Mercedes-Benz, our exclusive sponsor this month! From their early days, Mercedes-Benz has built a legacy championing women to achieve the unexpected. Join us all month long as we celebrate women who have led dynamic lives that have shifted, evolved and bloomed, often later in life, eventually achieving the success for which they were destined from the start.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.
We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at pod@wondermedianetwork.com.
Follow Wonder Media Network:
Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. This is Womanica.
This month, we’re highlighting the stories of women who found success later in life.
Today, we're talking about a woman who used her childhood of privilege as inspiration for her Pulitzer Prize-winning work, The Age of Innocence.
Please welcome Edith Wharton.
Edith Wharton was born Edith Newbold Jones on January 24th, 1862, in New York to George Frederic and Lucretia Rhinelander Jones. Her parents were quite wealthy, and Edith was born into a privileged life. She spent most of her early life traveling through Europe. While living in countries like France, Germany, and Italy, Edith developed a love for beauty in art, architecture, and literature. In 1872, the family came back to New York.
After the family's return to America, Edith's literary life began. She worked with tutors, read works from her father's library, and even published a book of poetry titled, “Verses.”
Edith made her "debut" into New York society at 17 when she attended dances and parties with the rest of New York's elite. These parties would later face criticism in her works. In 1885, Edith married Edward Robbins Wharton, also known as Teddy. he couple was not a perfect match, and they spent much of their newlywed time traveling
The couple eventually settled in Newport, Rhode Island. Edith spent her time working on her design skills and co-authored her first nonfiction book, The Decoration of Houses, with architect Ogden Codman, Jr,.
Newport life was not ideal for Edith. In 1901, she purchased 113 acres in Lenox, where she built and designed "The Mount." The Mount fit all of Edith's needs as a designer, gardener, hostess, and writer. Edith would call the Mount her home for ten years.
Edith would write some of her most significant works during the next decade: Her first novel, The Valley of Decision, was published in 1902. The House of Mirth was published in 1905, and Ethan Frome was published in 1911. But while living at the Mount provided Edith with literary inspiration, her life was far from perfect. Her husband Teddy was mentally unstable, and the marriage fell apart. The couple sold the Mount in 1911, and they divorced two years later.
Newly single, Edith left the states for good and moved to Paris. But her move coincided with the start of World War I. Instead of fleeing, Edith devoted herself to creating a network of charitable and humanitarian organizations. She created workrooms for unemployed seamstresses, nursing homes for the sick, lodging for war refugees, and schools for children fleeing war-torn Belgium.
Edith was also one of the few journalists allowed on the front lines covering the war. She was even awarded the French Legion of Honor for her work in 1916. After the war, she left Paris and moved to Pavillon Colombe. In 1920, she published her most famous novel, The Age of Innocence. The novel is set in the 1870s, in the upper-class, Gilded Age New York City of Edith’s youth. The work won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction the following year.
In 1920, Edith purchased the Château Sainte Claire, a restored convent in the south of France. Edith would spend the rest of her life split between Pavillon Colombe and the Château Sainte Claire, where she spent her days writing, gardening, and caring for her dogs. Her last visit to the United States was in 1923, when she received her Honorary Doctorate from Yale.
Edith published more than 50 books, including fiction, short stories, travel books, historical novels, and criticism.
On August 11th, 1937, Edith died in Pavillon Colombe from a heart attack. She was 75. She was buried in the Cimetière des Gonards in Versailles.
All month, we’re highlighting the stories of women who found success later in life. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!