Reading Edith Wharton Through a Darwinian Lens - Saunders, Judith P.

Beneath the polished surface of the genteel social environments often delineated in Edith Wharton's fiction, readers observe characters 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 issues central to Edith's fiction.