Reading Edith Wharton Through a Darwinian Lens

<p> Beneath the polished surface of the genteel environments delineated in Wharton's fiction characters are competing fiercely for desirable mates questing for social status and resources and plotting ruthlessly to advance their relatives' fortunes in life. This book identifies these and other evolutionary issues central to her fiction demonstrating their significance in terms of character setting plot and theme. Connections to existing Wharton criticism are made throughout the book so that readers can see how an evolutionary perspective enriches refutes or reconfigures insights derived from other critical approaches.</p>