The Custom of the Country: Based on Edith Wharton's 1913 Novel [Paperback]

Jane Stanton Hitchcock (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1557832870 | ISBN-13: 978-1557832870 | Publication Date: February 1, 2000

This brilliantly crafted stage version of Wharton's sprawling novel dissecting the New York social scene focuses on the beautiful, but predatory, Undine Spragg and the men in her life. Representing a world motivated by a heartless desire for power and status, Undine takes on lovers and husbands, discarding them when her whims of iron move her. Hitchcock has captured the satiric brilliance of the original work, while managing to transform a narrative of over 500 pages into a tightly-wrought stage piece. In the process, she provides a finely-drawn portrait of an unforgettable heroine against the background of a cruel social milieu dominated by rigid class distinctions and deeply-ingrained prejudices. "A luminous adaptation." - Boston Globe

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Applause Books (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557832870
• ISBN-13: 978-1557832870
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the one they should make into a movie, July 25, 2008

By 

C. Dudley "Coniston" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Custom of the Country: Based on Edith Wharton's 1913 Novel (Paperback)

Her most "modern" novel. Undine Spragg is the heroine (?)'s name. She seems ripped from the headlines rather than a product of 1913. Wharton is such a brilliant wordsmith, a real pleasure to read.