PENGUIN Ethan Frome

A fascinating novella by a wonderful writer. Ethan Frome is trapped in a cold winter and a cold marriage. When love presents itself, he is desperate to change his circumstances. For a novel that has only a few austere characters, whose nearest town is called Starkfield and which takes place in a bleak, wintry and isolated countryside, it packed a surprising punch. The desolation was palpable. I felt the harsh winters, the painful and almost total lack of choice, the misery and missed chances. The story is tragic and maybe due to that fact, extremely believable.

NICKEL

I've been loving the Penguin English Library editions.. because they're floppy paperbacks ( so no fear of cracking the spine) with really cute covers. And I've been waiting to buy Ethan Frome in this edition and finally ordered it when the price came down. The book was in great condition, no damages at all and it was delivered on time.

イーディス･ウォートンというと、19世紀後半、20世紀前半のニュー･ヨークにおいてまだ「上流階級」などとくくって呼ばれる社会について著した『エイジ･オブ･イノセンス』、『歓楽の家』や『カスタム･オブ･ザ･カントリー』などが有名である。 本著の舞台は冬のマセチューセッツの田舎。農業を営む寡黙の老人、イーサン･フロームについての比較的短い話である。建築関係の仕事上静かな農村にやってきた語り手がホーソーンの『緋文字』と同様のスタイルでイーサン･フロームの過去を推測を交えて描いてゆくものだ。 舞台も登場人物の階級もいつものウォートンとは異なっているので少々驚かれる方もいらっしゃるかもしれない。しかし、ウォートンの全作品に見られる育ちやそれに伴う運命に必死で立ち向かいながらも最終的には完全に打ち勝つことができない過程が非常によく出ている。やはり作者は場所を移しても変わらないものだなと思う。 アメリカの高校で大半のアメリカ人が読むこの作品、もしよろしければ、「暑いイーサン」と呼ばれる『サマー』と併せてお読みください。

I thoroughly enjoy reading this novel. It is one of the few that I have read more than once. It is short, but it is dynamic. One can read it in an afternoon. The main character is such a pitiful ruin of a man. He had so much potential, but was trapped by family obligations and his strong sense of duty to a dying farm and a cold, unfeeling wife. His last chance for love is destroyed when his selfish, bitter wife decides out of jealousy and revenge to send Ethan's true love away. The lovers decide to die together and even that plan goes awry when the sled they are on does not hit the target properly. The outcome is devastating and heartbreaking. Ethan is even more trapped after the accident and his lover becomes worse than his wife ever was. This story is wonderfully written. It is a story within a story and is a must read for anyone. One can not help but get lost in Ms. Wharton's sad tale. Perhaps this particular story is a bit autobiographical if one chooses to read about Ms. Wharton's life. She, too, lost at love. Look for lots of symbolism in the setting and in her descriptions.