Masterworks of literature series

Madame de Treymes an important, early Edith Wharton novel about the differences between American and European society, published the year she left the United States to take up permanent residency in France. In a masterpiece of brevity, Wharton dramatizes the contrast between the two opposing forces: the simple and proper old brownstone New York, low in style but high in principle, and the achingly beautiful but decadent Saint-Germain district of Paris. The issue is seamlessly joined.

"Unlike Melville's fiction, his poetry remains obscure. The last "collected poems" appeared in 1947 and "selected poems" in the 1970s, and only two books dealing exclusively with Melville's poetry have appeared to date, both published in the 1970s. In this revised edition of his Poems of Herman Melville, Douglas Robillard updates the scholarship on the poetry through his introduction and notes and makes a case for a revised estimate of the importance of Melville as a poet.". "The Poems of Herman Melville contains entire texts of "Battle-Pieces" (1866), "John Marr and Other Sailors" (1888), and "Timoleon" (1891). In addition, selected cantos from "Clarel" are reprinted with accompanying notes and commentary." "Melville scholars will appreciate the depth and scope of this addition to the critical study of this American literary figure."--BOOK JACKET.

"Pembroke begins with a heated political argument between Barney Thayer and Cephas Barnard, the father of Barney's betrothed, Charlotte Barnard. The angry Cephas throws his prospective son-in-law out of the house and, because of his immense pride, Barney refuses to apologize, even though it means he cannot marry Charlotte. The Thayers and Barnards become locked in a clash of wills, and the broken engagement reverberates throughout the village, ultimately affecting the relationships of two other couples in the town." "In sharp contrast to the romantic literary tradition, Pembroke vividly depicts characters doomed to inherit the unhappiness of their ancestors. This dramatic and realistic portrayal of rural nineteenth-century New England life and Puritan ethos will reintroduce modern readers to a significant regionalist woman writer."--Jacket.