Литература народов стран зарубежья | Филологический аспект №11 (127) Ноябрь 2025

Образ предпринимателя в романе Эдит Уортон «Обычай страны»

Тимошенко Ирина Николаевна
Кандидат филологических наук, доцент Кафедры английского языка в сфере наук о Земле, Факультет иностранных языков, Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет, РФ, г. Санкт-Петербург

Аннотация: Статья посвящена изучению образа предпринимателя, представленного американской писательницей Эдит Уортон в романе «Обычай страны». Научная новизна исследования заключается в том, что оно позволяет глубже понять специфику образа американского предпринимателя начала XX столетия, раскрывая его социально-психологические, личностные и культурные особенности как представителя определенной социальной группы. Данная работа ставит своей целью выявить и проанализировать характерные черты и отличительные признаки, свойственные представителям класса дельцов и предпринимателей США в начале XX века. В статье также предпринимается попытка определить отношение Эдит Уортон к новому социальному классу богатых людей Америки, а также их образу жизни.
Ключевые слова: предприниматели США, нувориши, мораль и нравы, фешенебельное общество, «старый Нью-Йорк»

Timoshenko Irina Nickolaevna
PhD in Philology, Associate Professor of The Department of English Language in the sphere of Earth sciences Faculty of Foreign Languages, Saint Petersburg State University, Russia, Saint Petersburg, timoshenkoirina7@mail.ru

Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of a businessman figure, represented by the American writer Edith Wharton in the novel The Custom of the Country. The scientific novelty lies in its ability to provide a deeper understanding of the specific image of the American entrepreneur of the early 20th century, revealing socio-psychological, personal and cultural characteristics of this social group, The aim of the study is to find out and research the specific features and peculiarities that characterized businessmen in New York at the beginning of the XX century. The article’s author also attempts to define Edith Wharton’s attitude to the new social class of wealthy people and their way of living.
Keywords: USA entrepreneurs, nouveau riche, morality and manners, fashionable society, old New York

The novel «The Custom of the Country» written by the American writer Edith Wharton in 1913 focuses on the description and exploring New York fashionable society, its culture and traditions at the beginning of the twentieth century. In this novel the author shows two American worlds of rich people: the dying society of “old New York”, a rather narrow social stratum of wealthy Americans, who were descendants of merchants from colonial times and the early years of Independence and the new America, that being created by the “Invaders” from the West who made a quick fortune after the Civil War.

This article will focus on the portraits of “Invaders” or as Wharton named them in her autobiography “A Backward Glance”, «big money-makers from the West» [6, p. 781]. The researched topic is supposed to be relevant as recently in the Russian literary criticism there have been only a few studies, dealing with Edith Wharton’s works. A. Klimovskaja analyses the intertextual connections between “Ethan Frome” by Edith Wharton and “Lewis Percy” by A. Brookner [1]. E.S. Mikhaleva studies features of the problems in Wharton’s ghost stories [2]. E.P. Chechikova explores psychologism of Edith Wharton’s novel “The Age of Innocence” [3]. So, the aim of this article is to find out and research the characteristic features of the new class of businessmen and entrepreneurs and also to identify the author’s attitude to this social group.

The novel “The Custom of the Country” is a story of a classic American social climber, Undine Spragg, who moves from the Midwest to New York with her parents in search of social status and wealth. First, she marries a representative of “old New York”, Ralph Marvell, but upon realizing he didn't have enough money to provide her, she divorced him and started searching for a new candidate to realize her ambitious plans. This character who is constantly marrying and divorcing in quick succession gives the author the opportunity to create and explore male characters from America's new class of businessmen and entrepreneurs.

The emerging class of wealthy people is represented in the novel by the protagonist's father, her lover Peter Van Degen, and her first (also fourth) husband, Elmer Moffat.

Abner Spragg, Undine’s father, is the only character, representing the new class of wealthy people whom Edith Wharton depicts with sympathy. Not hiding Mr. Spragg’s ignorance and lack of taste — the distinguishing features of the new class of entrepreneurs — Wharton nevertheless finds in this character the qualities that are worthy of respect. Having devoted his entire life to the only daughter, Abner Spragg doesn’t care much about his own well-being. He is completely unpretentious, totally unambitious and extremely modest in his habits and personal needs. Wharton notes that Mr. Spragg and his wife belong to that rare category of nouveau riche who did not conceal or feel embarrassed about their past, which was marked by poverty. «The Spraggs had been “plain people” and had not yet learned to be ashamed of it» [7, p. 675].

Abner Spragg is portrayed by the author as a caring husband and loving father, ready to indulge his daughter's every whim and thereby please Mrs. Spragg. «All his life, and at ever-diminishing intervals, Mr. Spragg had been called on by his womenkind to “see what he could do”, and the seeing had almost always resulted as they wished» [7, p. 704].

So, when Mr. Spragg found out that Undine intended to marry Ralph Marvell, a man who didn't have enough money to provide for his daughter, Mr. Spragg advised Undine not to rush into marriage and to search for a wealthier suitor. However, faced with Undine's anger and moved by her tears, Mr. Spragg instantly capitulates and agrees to an immediate wedding. «A son-in-law who expected to be pensioned like a Grand Army veteran was a phenomenon new to his experience; but if it was what Undine wanted, she should have it» [7, p. 705].

Despite his harsh and stern exterior, Mr. Spragg possesses a kind and compassionate heart. Unlike his daughter, he has tact and ability to empathize and sympathize with other people. For example, when Mrs. Spragg carelessly asks her son-in-law about news from Undine, who is currently enjoying herself in Paris, Abner Spragg senses the young man's embarrassment and confusion and immediately changes the subject. A little later, when upset Ralph Marvel comes to Mr. Spragg's office to be finally convinced of Undine's decision to divorce him, he notices that «Mr. Spragg was suffering hardly less than himself» [7, p. 839]. Abner Spragg is sensitive enough to understand Ralph's despair, to feel genuine sympathy for his son-in-law and to try to help him accept the situation.

Besides this, Ralph Marvel, finding himself in an unfamiliar business world, also notes Mr. Spragg's inherent honesty and decency, which are evident in his business dealings. «As far as Ralph knew, his father-in-law’s business record was unblemished» [7, p. 793].

Being a representative of the new class of entrepreneurs, Mr. Spragg like many of these people is a person in whom «the domestic sentiments were more completely unlocalized and disconnected from any fixed habits» [7, p. 826].

Unlike «old» bourgeoisie, the new social class of wealthy people does not possess its own traditions and customs, which, according to the author, are crucial for determining an individual's identity within a social group.

However, Mr. Spragg, who does not stick to the rules and conventions of any particular social stratum, is still not without a sense of morality and duty. For example, the news of his daughter’s affair with Peter Van Degen is as shocking to him as it would have been to the most uncompromising representatives of «old» bourgeoisie. «Such things happened, as Mr. Spragg knew, but they should not happen to any woman of his name while he had the power to prevent it» [7, p. 786].

Later, having seen the pearl necklace that Van Degen had presented to Undine, for the first time in his life he orders her to return the gift to her ex-lover immediately.

Peter Van Degen, who caused Mr. Spragg's anger and was indirectly responsible for Undine and Ralph's divorce, is a typical representative of the American "materialistic generation." Wealthy and flaunting his wealth, vulgar and uneducated, Van Degen displays a profound "contempt for everything he did not understand or could not buy" [7, p. 748]. The author's contemptuous and cold attitude towards this character is evident. Peter Van Degen embodies all the most negative qualities associated with the nouveau riche: narrow-mindedness, pretentiousness, and egoism. The very appearance of this character with his «grotesque saurian head» and «the face of a covetous bulling boy, with a large appetite for primitive satisfactions and a sturdy belief in his intrinsic right to them» makes a repulsive impression [7, p. 812].

Elmer Moffat, the novel's most prominent nouveau riche character, is portrayed by the author in a slightly different way. A natural-born dealmaker and a successful businessman, Moffat is slowly but steadily climbing the career ladder.
He faces all his business failures with stoic determination and it allows him to make new achievements and to rise to new heights of success after any misfortunes.

When Ralph Marvel meets Moffat for the first time, he describes him in the following way: «He strikes me as the kind of man who develops slowly, needs a big field, and perhaps makes some big mistakes, but gets where he wants to in the end. Jove, I wish I could put him in a book! There’s something epic about him – a kind of epic effrontery» [7, p. 790].

Possessing a sharp mind and practical sense Elmer Moffat is a worthy rival to the "old New York." He has everything that the "old" bourgeoisie lacks for survival in the new circumstances: a lot of drive to succeed, determination, the ability to act at the right moment and also the complete lack of moral principles which impede the acquisition of power and wealth.

Nevertheless, despite the immorality, particularly apparent in his business dealings, Elmer Moffat is a strong and determined individual and in author’s opinion, these qualities make him even more dangerous. Ralph Marvell was one of the first to feel threatened by this person whose «face, with its rounded surfaces, and the sanguine innocence of complexion belied by prematurely astute black eyes, had a look of jovial cunning» [7, p. 693]. Immediately after the first meeting with Elmer Moffat Ralph Marvell who recognized the huge potential of this person characterizes him as «a thundering brute but full of observation and humour» [7, p. 790].

Some scientists interpret the writer's attitude towards Elmer Moffat as neutral. Moreover, they highlight that Wharton, not sharing this character’s moral and ethical principles, or rather their lack, still acknowledges his career, his strategic business skills and his ability to achieve the goals. As Martha H. Patterson points out, «only Moffat makes the business alliances necessary to the formation of the kind of corporate culture Wharton favors» [4, p. 217].

It should be noted that some researchers especially just after Wharton's death accused the writer of snobbery and highlighted her dismissive, even contemptuous attitude towards the nouveau riche. For example, Vernon L. Parrington dismissed Wharton as a “literary aristocrat” [5, p. 153]. No doubt that the author's affections are with "old New York," its culture and its traditions but nonetheless she aims for a balanced portrayal of the nouveau riche, showing both their strengths and weaknesses.

Edith Wharton was one of the first writers in the American literature who creates the portray of a successful businessman, achieving wealth and power through his own hard work, persistence and sharp wit. The author presented to the reader a generation of young and successful entrepreneurs who were poised to forge America's future in the early 1900s. It is evident that Edith Wharton was not deluded by the merits and opportunities of her young compatriots who were characterized by the author as cruel, cold, and cunning individuals ready to get rid of anyone who impedes their progress. Recognizing their huge potential, Edith Wharton could not approve of their lack of education, culture, and moral principles as she had always considered traditions and morals to be of great importance for both a particular social group and the nation as a whole.

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3. Чечикова Е.П. Психологизм в изображении человека и общества в романе Эдит Уортон «Эпоха невинности» // Современное педагогическое образование, Москва, 2025, №1 – С. 378-382
4. Patterson M. H. Incorporating the New Woman in Wharton’s The Custom of the Country. // Studies in American Fiction. Boston, 1998. Vol. 26. № 2.– P. 213 – 237.
5. Parrington, Vernon. “Our Literary Aristocrat”. Edith Wharton: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Irving Howe. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1962 – P. 132 – 171.

Список источников:
6. Wharton E. N. A Backward Glance // Wharton E. N. Novellas and Other Writings. N.Y., 1984. – P. 667-1068.
7. Wharton E. N. The Custom of the Country. // Wharton E. N. Novels. N. Y., 1985. – Р. 621-1015