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The Edith Wharton Library

The Edith Wharton Library

Written by: Edith Wharton
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 In The Edith Wharton Library, we open the drawing-room doors of another age and read the novels, tales, and travels in which society’s bright surfaces so often betray a darker design. Here are marriages arranged like treaties, fortunes that tremble at a whisper, and hearts that learn - too late - the cost of propriety.

Each episode offers a full-length chapter reading, patiently and plainly delivered, for listeners who prefer their drama civilized, their comedy edged, and their ghosts the sort that appear most often in daylight.Public domain
Episodes
  • The Descent of Man and Other Stories Chapter IV - The Lady's Maid's Bell

    The Descent of Man and Other Stories Chapter IV - The Lady's Maid's Bell
    May 17 2026
    In which a recovering lady’s maid takes up service in a remote and somber country house governed by a kindly but ailing mistress and her disagreeable husband, and soon encounters an unsettling atmosphere marked by a locked room and a mysterious presence. Strange noises, spectral visits, and the tangled fortunes of the household quietly unfold, casting a shadow over the maid’s otherwise dutiful and observant days.
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    48 mins
  • The Descent of Man and Other Stories Chapter III - Expiation

    The Descent of Man and Other Stories Chapter III - Expiation
    May 17 2026
    In which Mrs. Fetherel, a newly published author anxious about the reception of her provocative novel, navigates the dilemmas of literary ambition, social expectation, and familial opinion amid the genteel confines of New York society. Her interactions with the Bishop of Ossining and other acquaintances reveal the subtle tensions between personal conviction and public censure, culminating in a ceremonious unveiling that intertwines the fate of her work with that of her distinguished uncle.
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    53 mins
  • The Descent of Man and Other Stories Chapter I - The Descent of Man

    The Descent of Man and Other Stories Chapter I - The Descent of Man
    May 16 2026
    In which a diligent scholar finds himself caught between the earnest pursuit of scientific truth and the bewildering tides of popular acclaim, as a serious work of his is embraced as a heartfelt creed by the masses. The narrative gently explores the nuances of fame, personal ambition, and the quiet tensions within domestic life, all unfolding amid the serene backdrop of an August retreat.
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    46 mins
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