A tale of forbidden sexual passion and thwarted dreams played out against the lush summer
backdrop of the Massachusetts Berkshires Edith Wharton called Summer her 'hot Ethan.' In their
rural settings and their poor uneducated protagonists Summer and Ethan Frome represent a
sharp departure from Wharton's familiar depictions of the urban upper class. Charity Royall
lives unhappily with her hard-drinking adoptive father in an isolated village until a visiting
architect awakens her sexual passion and the hope for escape. Exploring Charity's relation to
her father and her lover Wharton delves into dark cultural territory: repressed sexuality
small-town prejudice and in subtle hints incest. For more than seventy years Penguin has
been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than
1 700 titles Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout
history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative
texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors
as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
