The Custom of the Country

novel by Wharton

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Article History

The Custom of the Country, a novel of manners by Edith Wharton, published in 1913. The Custom of the Country is the story of Undine Spragg, a young woman with social aspirations who convinces her nouveau riche parents to leave the Midwest and settle in New York. There she captures and marries a young man from New York’s high society. This and each subsequent relationship she engineers prove unsatisfactory, chiefly because of her greed and great ambition.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.