Madame de Treymes
“Madame de Treymes” by Edith Wharton, published by Penguin Books in 1995, is an 86-page work that explores the cultural clash between American values and French aristocracy. The narrative centers on an honest American man who faces the challenges of winning a wife from a tightly-knit French family, ultimately experiencing a tactical defeat despite his moral integrity. Wharton skillfully contrasts the simplicity of old brownstone New York with the decadence of Paris’s Saint-Germain district, highlighting the complexities of social and familial dynamics.
Readers will find a rich exploration of themes such as class conflict and cultural identity within this concise narrative. Wharton’s adept storytelling captures the essence of the characters’ struggles and the societal pressures they face. This edition presents a unique perspective on the interplay between personal desires and the rigid structures of aristocratic life, making it a noteworthy addition to the realms of fiction and literary classics.
Official synopsis Publisher
Edith Wharton’s “Madame de Treymes” is a remarkable example of the form. It is the story of the tactical defeat but moral victory of an honest and upstanding American in his struggle to win a wife from a tightly united but feudally minded French aristocratic family. He loses, but they cheat. . . . In a masterpiece of brevity, Wharton dramatizes the contrast between the two opposing forces: the simple and proper old brownstone New York, low in style but high in principle, and the achingly beautiful but decadent Saint-Germain district of Paris. The issue is seamlessly joined.
Louis Auchincloss in the “Wall Street Journal,” 2006
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