Summer 7

Commentary on the work 265
Author's Chronology 295

■ Edith Wharton, the towering figure of American literature

Edith Wharton, who was active from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, was the first American female writer to pursue pure literature.
Around this time, with the development of printing technology, the number of female writers writing popular novels increased explosively, but most of their works were forgotten with the passage of time.
However, Wharton's novels have become canonical in American literary history, and one of her masterpieces, The Age of Innocence, won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1921, the first woman to do so.
Especially after the feminist craze of the 1970s, Edith Wharton was re-evaluated, and works such as "Ethan Frome," which has a strong autobiographical element, and "Summer," which was the first American literary work to deal with women's sexual passion, began to be widely read.
Author Gore Vidal, winner of the 1993 National Medal of Arts, once said, “On the mountain of American literature, Henry James has occupied a slightly higher peak than Edith Wharton, but now he is on equal footing.”

■ A woman who opens her eyes to reality through love

“The only reality was the mysterious unfolding of her new self, her withered tendrils reaching out for the light, (…) For Charity, who had always thought of love as something confusing and mysterious, Honey made love as bright and fresh as the summer air.” ─From “Summer”

Charity is an eighteen-year-old woman born in the mountains and raised by her guardian, Mr. Royal.
But around this time, Charity is filled with hatred for the nearly elderly Mr. Royal, who proposes to her.
Then one day, Charity, who works as a librarian at the village library, is visited by 'Hani', the niece of the librarian and an architect from the big city.
As he casually asks about the location of the book, Charity's eyes meet his, and he is momentarily speechless, which is when Charity realizes for the first time that she is special.
Two lovers who are naturally drawn to each other and enjoy a secret affair.
They are not afraid of summer storms when they are together, but the gap in education felt through a single chance word makes Charity hesitate.

Charity's face flushes with embarrassment as she recalls the time when Honey asked her where the book was, and how, despite being a librarian, she didn't even know it existed, and how no matter how much she explained what he was researching, she couldn't understand.
Previously, Charity had been able to attend a good private school, but her guardian, Mr. Royal, was worried about being left alone and so he gave up the opportunity.
Perhaps because of that choice, no other woman her age feels ashamed of her ignorance, but Charity knows exactly what power a good education holds and what its absence means.
As Charity's secret affair with Honey deepens, she begins to perceive her own reality objectively, realizing the stark disparities in status, class, and education.


■ An 'incident' that expresses women's sexual desire in authentic literature

“Summer” is not the first coming-of-age novel to focus on the maturation that occurs in a woman’s life.
But it is the first work to explicitly treat sexual passion as an essential element of that process.” - Cynthia Griffin Wolf (critic)

In American literature, there are not many works in which the protagonist of a coming-of-age story is a woman, not a man.
Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," which is considered a full-fledged coming-of-age novel, was published a full forty years after "Summer."
Moreover, dealing with women's sexual passion as a factor of growth was an 'event' that was rarely attempted in the realm of literature in the early 20th century.
At the time, American magazine editors were reluctant to break away from the so-called "respectable traditions," which forced Thomas Hardy to revise the manuscript of Jude the No-Name, and even alcohol, let alone sexual relations between men and women, was considered taboo.

However, the reason that 『Summer』 has been loved for a long time and has become a classic is not just because it deals with women's sexual desire.
Because it portrays an honest woman who confronts her desires against conventions and traditions.
For example, Charity is not swayed or tempted by Honey, who has a higher social status than her.
She is not a character who falls in love after being deceived by a man's sweet false promises.
Charity, who had expressed strong aversion to the proposal from her guardian, Mr. Royal, falls for the charms of the young and intelligent man, Honey, and willingly chooses him.
Even when he finds out that Hani has a fiancée, he gladly gives him the choice rather than demanding a loveless marriage.
The creation of a female character who clearly recognizes her own desires and expresses them maturely brought a tremendous sense of liberation to readers at the time.

The Birth of Twin Novels - "Ethan Frome" and "Summer"

/“Why would you look at a loser like me? You want another friend… You chose the best you’ve ever seen… Well, that’s always been the case with me.” ―From “Summer”/

Published in 1911 and 1917, Ethan Frome and Summer are often called literary twins, as they were considered sister works by their author, Wharton.
In particular, both novels are very similar in that they depict rural New England towns and deal with love triangles between a man and a woman.
Another important similarity between the protagonists of 'Lee Sun From' and 'Charity' of 'Summer' is that they are both filled with a passion for learning.
However, due to the aforementioned geographical limitations, the two miss out on the opportunity to go to the city and receive an education, and end up frustrated.

'Lee Sun' and 'Charity' are in danger of falling in love without any affection, skipping the process of freely exploring each other in a small rural village the size of a palm.
Under these circumstances, it might be natural that the two men would fall for Matty and Honey, who came from outside the city.
These two works, which depict the social frustration and sexual isolation of young people living in early 20th-century New England farming society, offer the pleasure of reading by comparing the two protagonists' different reactions to the desire for love that remains alive like a dormant volcano.

▶ Wharton is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.
─ [Observer]