The book I hated for 40 years: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- I promised that during the next snowfall, I would reread Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton-a book I read when I was seventeen years old and have hated for nearly forty years. Five inches of snow and an evening devoted to reading gave me a chance to revise my opinion. Did I change my mind? Well…
Book discussed: Edith Wharton’s ETHAN FROME
Booktuber mentioned: @Shellyish
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A brilliant college professor once asked my class, "What is literature?" He had us write down our answers, then collected them all, and threw them in the wastebasket. "No one has successfully answered this question yet, so I don't expect any of you to be able to do it. I can't tell you what literature IS. But I can tell you what it DOES. The dual purpose of all great literature is to teach and delight." (In relating this lesson to my own classes, I generally substitute the word 'engage' for 'delight.' In Cold Blood can hardly be called 'delightful." Nor can Lord of the Flies or the works of Poe. But they are definitely engaging.) Ethan Frome does neither of these things. In my opinion, it's the second worst book in the annals of western literature, surpassed only by The Scarlet Letter. Like you, I read it many years ago (junior high), but unlike you, I see no point in reading it again. Quite apart from the nastiness of the characters and the unrelieved dankness of the setting, I deplored Wharton's writing style, which, when she was describing Mattie and Ethan's mutual attraction, descended into the mawkish, treacly language of the cheesiest Harlequin romance novel. At one point, Ethan says something unremarkable, like, "Don't trip over the dog," (it wasn't that, but it was something equally mundane) and Mattie responded with 'the laughter sparkling through her eyelashes.' Laughter doesn't do this. Moreover, Ethan's comment wasn't funny. So why was she laughing at all? This infuriated me at the time, but Wharton liked it so much she used it again! TWO sparkling eyelash instances in the same BOOK! Unforgivable! I agree that her other novels are great. I'm also partial to her ghost stories. But I still get incensed at the mention of Ethan Frome, almost 60 years later. You were right the first time, Hannah. Own your indignation! (By the way, I'm not surprised you got that scholarship. The other candidates probably picked well-known classics like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. Countless gushing accolades from high school students for the same books for the same reasons probably bored the interviewers to numbness. You defied convention and expressed passionate hatred rather than passionate devotion, which I'm sure they found refreshing. This is the sort of thinking sought by Oxford and Cambridge admissions officers when interviewing aspiring scholars. It's the unmistakable mark of an original thinker.) This is my first time visiting your channel, so I don't know whether you take requests, but I would love to see what you think of Richard Hughes' A High Wind in Jamaica. Now THERE'S a book worth re-reading. As I have, many times, in my English classes over the years. But there seems to be a dearth of intelligent discussion about this one. (I think most reviewers are afraid of it.) Anyway, thank you for a most interesting review, even though I disagree with it. I have just subscribed to your channel.
Zina (Xina?) is written so unpleasantly that, I think, I struggled to remember throughout that we are reading a story being told to us that came to the narrator from a definitely pro Ethan pov. But I think Wharton intended for us to find him foolish and frustrating. He seems comfortable being led and in the end he is led into a nightmare. I’m not sure that Wharton doesn’t think that Ethan got what he deserved as it were.
I think you are right that Wharton wants us to see Ethan as foolish and weak. I think you've pegged it by saying that he is comfortable being led by others, including into a nightmare. (And--Zeena.)
Glad you saw sense! EF is a beautifully written, deeply sad, deeply humane and very powerful story.
What a thoughtful and nuanced review of Ethan Frome! I’m so glad you decided to reread this short novel again after so many years. I found the connection to predestination particularly thought-provoking. Thank you, Hannah.
I read Ethan Frome in high school and the book has stayed with me all these years. I must admit, I am a great fan of Wharton. I have most of her books, including some that are not talked about all the time. The Mount is one of my favorite places to visit in Western Massachusetts. My favorite Wharton is The Custom of the Country. I think the reason, why I like Ethan Frome is about the bleak picture that it paints of New England. The long, cold, snowy winters and the impact the weather has on us, who live here. New Englanders and be cold and aloof. I love New England, and think it is one of the great places in the world, but living here can be challenging at times, and I think the book captures that very well.
I am really looking forward to rereading Wharton's novels--perhaps especially The Custom of the Country which is weirdly pretty blank in my memory, even though I am certain I read it. And how exciting to get to visit The Mount. Do you happen to know The Book Cougars? They visited The Mount last summer, I think it was--and I was so envious... You didn't grow up in New England, did you? How was it to get used to the cold (both literal and cultural)?
Hi Hannah, I am familiar with The Book Cougars. I have been listening to them. In addition to The Mount, Melville's Arrowhead is not far way from there. Also Emily Dickinson's house in Amherst is about 45 minutes away. I did my my undergraduate at UMass/Amherst and there is great literary tradition both in the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires. I grew up in the Azores, and we were blessed by the influence of the Gulf stream, even though the islands are on the North Atlantic. It rains a lot in the Azores and it is very misty. Winters are not very cold and the summers are moderate. The islands are even known as the misty islands. This has created a lot of legends and folklore related stories. I was there this past December for 10 days and saw the sun probably about 2 to 3 hours in one of the days. I have gotten used to the cold of New England as I have lived here for 44 years. I still have a hard time with snow. I can admire its beauty, but find it an inconvenience. :) @@HannahsBooks
@jorgem71962 I hope next time I am in your neck of the woods, perhaps we can meet!
I would love that. @@HannahsBooks
I don’t think 17 year olds are the audience for “Ethan Frome.” It was required reading for me in high school. I could not appreciate the depth of the characters and the subtle story at that age. As an adult, this book is one of my favorites.
Totally agree with you!
That this novella sparks a myriad of discussions & perspectives reflects the value of creative work in human life.
Excellent comment! Yes indeed!
I enjoyed watching this review. I read this book last year and never fully unpacked my mixed feelings about it, but this gave me more to think about. I appreciated your discussion of predestination too. I’m a Christian, was raised Baptist and am now Presbyterian but without all my theology fully resolved. I always appreciate your erudite and intellectually cozy videos. I’m in a DC suburb and we’re enjoying the snow too!
Your teenage rant was probably the highlight of that scholarship committee. Now I am wondering how the novel would sit with me now. Maybe it will snow and I'll read it. It last snowed here, one inch, 7 years ago! 😊
I grew up in the SE corner of NC and the NE corner of SC--and I almost never saw snow. But I so enjoyed my years in Boston and Philadelphia--and feel really at home in DC which seems to be a good compromise for me! If you do pick up Ethan Frome, I can wait to see what you think!
What a relief that your experience this time was not a hateful one! Your observations are fascinating, albeit quite different from my own experience with the book, which was that everything in it was so painfully vivid that I had to set it aside in the middle to catch my breath. Her depiction of YEARNING in that book is exquisite.
I’m currently buddy-reading a somewhat similar book-also very much about yearning, I think-that is making me think about you! More details soon…
I love hearing your insights into different genres and books within those genres. It causes me to want to dig deeper into books that I am reading.
What a lovely comment! Thank you!
Ok, you had me at the title! 😂The rant in front of the panel is hilarious! My son called me a couple of weeks ago at 7am so he could rant about the book he'd just finished. He said he wanted to call early to make sure he had plenty of time before work to tell me all the things he hated about it! 😂 As for Ethan Frome, I do have it on my shelf waiting. I have read Summer and was super impressed with Edith Wharton's writing. She uses the stifling heat to convey the main character's passion, desires and the oppression she experiences. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm now curious about this one, too.
I love when my kid calls to talk about books, whether he loves or hates them! I can imagine that call made your day!
Hello Hannah I remember reading Ethan Frome when I was in high school. I don't remember hating it. I do remember it keeping my attention which for me in those days was miraculous. I might just have to seek out a used copy and read it again to see what the experience would be like. I appreciate your thoughtful commentary about the book. I've never been much of a rereader but since watching BookTube I have been educated about the benefits of a reread. I do remember loving Les Miserables which is one of the other books I remember reading in high school and have planned to reread that novel. I know it may seem silly but at 65 years old I'm reading a book called stuff You should have learned at school and I'm trying to fill in the blank spaces of things I wish I had learned earlier on in my life. You and some of your cohorts here in the booktube world are helping me with that goal. Or as many are using now intention. Take care
You are so kind. Reading Les Miserable as a teenage is quite a feat! That idea of learning stuff we should have learned in high school sounds perfect. Even in history--my own academic field--there is some basic stuff I should have learned in high school that I don't seem to know!
Wonderful video, Hannah! Really brilliant analysis. As a relatively new subscriber to your channel, I had not heard you talk earlier about your longstanding hatred of this novel, nor did I know the story of the scholarship interview before today. For a few brief moments, I feared you were going to say that you didn’t get the scholarship and that that unfortunate outcome has been linked in your mind to EF. Thankfully, that is NOT the way the story played out! And actually, as you point out, the interviewers really only wanted to see what kind of a reader you were, and you made that very clear in your diatribe. I’m a recently retired high school English teacher (after almost 40 years!) and I can absolutely picture 17-year-old Hannah, who was, no doubt, the delight of many English and history teachers! Thank you for posting such thoughtful, engaging videos. Happy Snow Day! 😊
I wasn’t liking Ethan Fromme until the end which I found so crazy and different and ironic that it made it all worthy to know this story.
That is a great perspective! It is such a shocking ending that I think I was overwhelmed by it when I first read it, but this time I appreciated what Wharton was doing with the ending a whole lot more.
Thank you for the review. Your self-described babble is more coherent than many essays. We got the cold but not the snow here in NC this week, so my revisit to that Vermont cabin will have to wait.
Thank you very much, James. (We got more snow--another 5 inches, maybe, in my neighborhood slightly north of DC--today!)
Wow your good...what an interesting break down on a classic ...brand new to your channel...I just subscribed...I read Ethan Frome last year and loved it..heart breaking story..talk about karma...
Thank you very much for your kind comment. Welcome to the channel!
I seriously could watch you all day. I’m going to have to read this when I’m done with my challenge.
Oh, your comment made my day! Thank you.
I remember liking it. I read it in high school I think. However, after hearing you go over the ending it strikes me as a case of "be careful what you wish for--you might just get it." Maybe I should re-read...
Oh yes...be careful what you wish for!
Which scholarship adjudicator wouldn’t want a visceral diatribe? I certainly would! It was lovely to hear about some of your earlier memories of encountering classics.
Growing up in the US South, I never learned about the appeal of rants! But I certainly see the appeal now. And I can't imagine how tedious it must be to listen to a whole slew of teenagers talk about how much they each loved exactly the same set of classic novels. Not a job I would want!
That was such a lovely and in-depth talk, Hannah! I definitely want to reread this novella after listening to you. I personally have never so far experienced a total change of opinion about a book when rereading it years later.
However, I have tried reading certain books in the past and after a while had to admit myself defeated and had to give up on reading these books, while years later, I tried again and couldn't understand why they seemed so difficult and unaccessible at the time.
Oh yes! I have definitely put books aside when I wasn’t ready for them, then enjoyed them tremendously later. Sometimes I understand why they felt hard earlier-like Faulkner’s Sound and the Fury!-but often I have no idea
I had to read Ethan Frome in high school, and for years after it was one of my favorite books. I was one of the only people in my class who loved it, so you were certainly not alone in hating it! I enjoyed hearing how your views have changed. I'm due for a re-read--it's been decades.
Cool video. Thanks for uploading. I'm enjoying this book. I like how vibey it is. Though I can't with how every sentence is a run on
Thanks, Claire. Yes--Wharton can go on a bit--but a lot of the prose is beautiful anyways. Vibey is exactly right!
I have Ethan Frome on my TBR. I read Summer for my very first (I think) vlog and enjoyed it quite a bit! Glad this was a rewarding experience for you! ❤
Oooh--I'll have to go look up the video! Thank you!
Awe, @@HannahsBooks you are very kind. 😊
@@areadersalmanacwithceleste1366 I have saved it to watch in the morning!
Hi Hannah, I just found your channel, how lucky i am! It's a coincidence that i have just finished reading the novella and tried to organize a book club for it. I watched a film based on the book many years ago, and i hated it because it was so gloomy that i felt shocked and a sense of hopeless. However when i was reading this book lately, i was completely moved by it. The detailed description from Ethan's PV made me understand how pathetic he was and how hard for him to break away from his life. I think Zeena became ill because she could not break away from the farm though she had tried. Like you said poverty is the main reason to trap three of them. However weakness of personality of them is also a main factor. Otherwise, how could their neighbors have a good life in the same area? It is a very deep and philosophical novella and i love the author's language. After fininshing i ordered her Summer and House of Mirth from the internet. It is a great start for my 2024. Oh, i will save your video of Oh Pioneer after I read it, which will soon arrive in the near future. With Love from Barbara
I loved hearing your thoughts on this. I also hated this novella when I read it a couple years ago. I’m not sure I would enjoy it now either, but I appreciate the exploration of various themes and character motivations to help me understand why others enjoy it.
You're a Hardy lover, right? For a while I thought I might not like Wharton's book because it was too dark--but I am rather fond of dark... (I am terribly behind on my comments. My apologies.)
I'm sure I've read Ethan Frome - more than once - but I can not tell you anything about it - I am on re-read kick this year - so Ethan is on the list. House of the Seven Gables - is my "Ethan Frome" - been trying to read it since High School. I took a class in Hawthorne in grad school - still nothing changed. I was stationed at the Navy War College in Rhode Island - so off I went to Salem to see the house - even bought a copy of the book and sat on a bench near the house - and still nothing. Now, almost 40 years later - the book will get one more try.
I remember struggling with Seven Gables the first time I tried, too. I suspect you might get on with it a bit better now! I love the idea of a reread kick.
Thats a great looking library. Best wishes. New to this whole book tube thing.
Welcome! The books have, well, a bit of a story. I will go find the link…
ruclips.net/video/u1yQmj88P00/видео.htmlsi=axKTmr82-nRWMXVe
I loved Ethan Frome. The atmosphere, the dismal relationships, and your critique exposed so many aspects I had not considered. Thank you, from a humble reader. 🤔
Thank you very much, Tess, for your kind words. Have you read other Wharton books? I am thinking about reading a biography of the author sometime soon.
Thanks for sharing your reread. I reread this in the fall and what stood out to me was how far removed we are from what "actually" happened. We get the story from an outsider, who complied it from narrators, who tell it mainly from Ethan's point of view. These 6 degrees of separation really impacted my view of the characters, especially Zena.
Absolutely! I did not understand that back when I was young, and realizing it this time dramatically changed my appreciation for the complexity of Wharton’s work. Thank you so much for highlighting this idea!
@@HannahsBooks you're welcome. This is making me think I should reread my most hated teen book: Catcher in the Rye!
@@noteworthyfiction Good luck! A friend of mine reread it recently and liked it even less…
@@HannahsBooks 😳
@@noteworthyfiction Of course, different readers have very different reactions! Do let me know what you think if you try it!
I really enjoyed your thoughts on this. I read Ethan Frome as a freshman in high school and absolutely hated it. However, I'm learning that reading something that is assigned in school is completely different from reading something as an adult for nothing more than my own enjoyment. I'm tempted to give this another try. Or maybe I'll go for Summer instead...
Dear Hannah, thank you for sharing this re-reading experience. So far I've never read anything by Edith Wharton. I may be mistaken but I think she's not very well known Germany. That's the beauty of the international booktube community, learning about authors who have so far been off one's radar. I've three questions: 1) when you mentioned determinism, one thing that came immediately to my mind was a core sentence from Thomas Hardy's 'The mayor of Casterbridge': "Character is fate". Obviously, at least in this novel, Hardy (or at least the narrator) was adherent to the concept of determinism. Are there any other parallels / similarities between the works of Wharton and Hardy? On a different note: I'd just like to let you know that I read the mayor of Casterbridge (as my first Hardy novel) in 2023 because you mentioned this particular book in one of your videos as a book that had helped you getting through or recovering from a challenging situation. When I watched this video, I myself was in a difficult situation and so I went for the book. Apart from the fact that it was also helpful (not just as a distraction but also providing a comforting effect thanks to its high aesthetic and literary value) it also hooked me up on Hardy, - so I managed to read two more of his works last year (Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure). More will follow. So I'd just like to let you thank you for this recommendation. 2nd question: I found your explanation of the determinism being a secular counterpart of the calvinist predestination very interesting. Do you think that Edith Wharton used it with the primary intention to follow concepts that might be familiar to her (local) New England readers? Or did she come from a family background that was deeply rooted in the Calvinist theology, and so her choice to go for its secular counterpart 'determinism' was more sort of an act of liberation from strictly religious worldview she considered as too restricting and incompatible with her more emancipated and liberal view of the world? 3) Which novel or novella of Edith Wharton would you recommend as a starting point?
I am relieved you did not still hate it as I have it in my pile to read in the next month. Good thing I didn't know youthful Hannah who disliked Rebecca. I leapt off before the spoilers but have plenty of things to look for in the book from what you have said.
If you don't love it, do try a different Edith Wharton. I so wish I had grown up with a friend like you to talk books with when I was young! You might have persuaded me about Rebecca!
@@HannahsBooks I loved Age of Innocence and House of Mirth. I suppose apart from Ethan Frome the next one to read would be The Custom of the Country?
I can’t remember if I read EF on my own or as a school assignment but I loved it. Then again my other favorite books at the time were “An American Tragedy” (talk about irony) by Dreiser and “Tess of the D’Urbervilles”(bleak). I was always a sucker for a great ironic twist.
Not bleak but, oh so ironic is Wharton’s delicious short story “Roman Fever”.
For someone from such a high social strata Wharton is skilled at depicting the strictures and stress of living in poverty and surprisingly drug use in some stories.
I look forward to eventually hearing your thoughts on “Summer” (a good book to read around any of the festive summer holidays).
I really really love Tess--and all the Hardy I've read--but I've never read An American Tragedy. I put Dreiser on my "maybe" list for 2024, and your recommendation makes me want to bump it up! Thank you! I will also check out Roman Fever for sure.
@@HannahsBooks: Your comments regarding Ethan’s red scar being his “scarlet letter” as well as the significance of Mattie’s cherry red scarf triggered another thought about this story. The fate of Zena’s pretty red pickle dish shows some masterly foreshadowing by Wharton.
@@mame-musing Absolutely-the shattering of their lives…
The ending of Ethan Frome could have been in an episode of The Twilight Zone! 😮
Yes indeed! Irony was often very much at the heart of those endings, too!
I read Ethan Frome in my early 40s and loved it. I remember almost gasping at the final scene and its karma? divine retribution? I don't think I would have liked the book as a teen, though. My most hated book read in my teen years is The Catcher in the Rye (assigned at school). I don't know if I can bring myself to revisit it, though.
Most Americans are Aliterate (not illiterate or literate). Aliterate means they CAN read (decode words) but do not do to unless assigned by a teacher or a boss.
I definitely am not aliterate, but I think I was a-Frome for a long time! (Wharton's other books are favorites of mine.)
I know I had a copy of Ethan Frome, but I think I Marie Kondo’ed it. Spark Joy?? 😂
I did that probably wrongly looking back. Books I argue with, that give us the breadth to argue have a place on our shelves too.
Ha! I don't think many people would think Ethan Frome sparked any joy!
I love this book. Glad you see some merit in it. ❤
I’m eager to read it again, actually. I spent so much time thinking about what I had felt earlier that I almost think next time might feel more “fresh” in a way.
This was wonderful. You _almost_ make me want to reread it. 😂
Ha! *almost*...
the books of certain writers seem to shape shift with each reading...the emotional revelations within it change...as if time itself had been the missing ingredient for understanding them...I have found shocks of
recognitions on the page,but they are always new ones,never the ones I was remembering...nothing you might read in a plot summary prepares you for the multitudes it contains...
for more see the book review "A lifetime of Lessons in "MRS DALLOWAY" by Jenny OffILLl 12/29/20 THE NEW YORKER
it's available on line she discusses quite brilliantly the effects of re reading as time goes by...
the snow here is very lazily drifting down fleecy flakes slowly slowly ...stay frosty sister Hannah... peace
This is an amazing piece. Thank you for suggesting it here. I was especially struck by Woolf’s line, “Let us not take it for granted that life exists more fully in what is commonly thought big than in what is commonly thought small.” It made me think about how Wharton is exploring something big in this very constricted and isolated little universe.
Great video about rereading Ethan Frome. I reread the book a few weeks ago and I respected it more the second time around. Wharton is a brilliant writer. But once again I didn't bond with the title character. As you say Ethan is a sad and depressed character long before the crash. And it's hard to relate to a character like that and did Edith Wharton relate to him or was he more of a caricature to convey how hard it is to live in a rural small town and the desparate disappointed people who live there. Also living in rural Massachusetts is not the end of the world, that state has a rich history, which I don't sense the author appreciated.
Is Ethan Frome a feminist novel? I think it does highlight as did House of Mirth the desparate situation for young women (Lilly Bart and Mattie Silver) at that time who were poor had no family and had yet to find a husband. Begs question did Mattie really love Ethan or did she convince herself she did because she needed someone to take care of her.
The only Edith Wharton book I've tried to read is The House of Mirth. I DNF'd it. It was boring but I couldn't stand waiting for the shoe to drop. I'd never heard of Ethan Frome before this video. I don't think I'd like this book based on your description. I don't like the way illness is portrayed. I am exhausted all the time to the point where I can't work full time for some unknown reason. Doctors sometimes treat me as if I'm making that up but I'm not. I agree with your point that the wife is not the villain for objecting to her husband cheating, and that poor people should be portrayed with compassion.
I'm sorry to hear The House of Mirth didn't work for you. (The shoe really does eventually drop in that book!) I am also sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well. If you're ever interested in reading a discussion about chronic illness (and the way doctors sometimes treat their patients--especially their women patients), I recommend a book by Meghan O'Rourke called Invisible Kingdom.
@@HannahsBooks Thank you for the recommendation.
What an interesting cover. I don't think I have ever seen one like it before.
Your idea about a novella being "big" brought a picture of the tiny dogs acting fierce and the big dogs being chill.
I don't hate this book quite as strongly as your 17 year old self did, but I am not a fan, in general, of Wharton's novels. I know her writing is lovely and impeccable but the stories she chose to tell leave me deflated and so I stay away. I have reread Ethan and Age of innocence with about 20 + years between reads. My understanding has grown, but not my acceptance.
Interesting! I'm curious how I would have felt about Age of Innocence if I had read it in high school, or how I would have felt about Ethan Frome if I had first read it at my current age. I think of them are radically different--but maybe they really are not that different...
Now, have you watched the Liam Neeson, Patricia Arquette and Joan Allen film yet? I think you need to have that queued up for the next snowy day, possibly this weekend if your getting what we’re getting in south central Pennsylvania this morning!
Omg… just started watching it this morning when I woke up to another snow day-and I am taking an intermission to make tea!
@@HannahsBooks Yay! All three are remarkable performances!
Although not as strongly as you did, I also disliked Ethan Frome when I read it mainly for the same reasons. I quite liked the Age of Innocence and will certainly read the House of Mirth
But I am not ready to reread Ethan Frome 😂
This post seems reminds me of how some people indulge themselves by posting the minutea of their life.
Heh! Yes, I definitely tend to tell lots of stories from my life! I think it is the southerner in me. This might not be the right channel for you if you're not interested in that kind of thing...
It's likely your heated criticisms about the book contributed to you getting the scholarship. I've never hated a book. I read comics as well and when I was younger I disliked some artists very much that in time I came to appreciate. But then again, I rarely use the word "hate" for anything or anyone. Interesting Ethan Frome kept you from reading Wharton for many years.
Your comment about not hating anything or anyone would apply to me, in general. I think Ethan Frome may be the only real exception in my life. I certainly read books I love and books I don't love--but I don't tend to feel all that strongly about the books I don't love. At most, I usually think they are not worth the time. Perhaps I was more judgemental when I was 17? You've set me to thinking about this question!
I came across my high school and university journals. I typed them on a manual type writer. Reading over them I did not recognize that young man. Maybe that's why I stopped keeping journals. "Who was that 17 year old?"@@HannahsBooks
If you find "Ethan Frome" to be a downer, you must never have read "A Child of the Jago." If you haven't, don't. It will bring you down.
Well done for overcoming embarrassing memories. Talk about a determinist author! The ending sounds very forced to prove a plot point. I can quite see why you didn't like it on first reading.
Overanalyzing. Reading into the novel things that aren't there.
Ha! This might not be the channel for you since over-analyzing is something I am sure I often do! What are some of the things that stand out as false to you?