Edith Wharton was born Edith Newbold Jones on January 24, 1862, in New York City. Her parents, George and Lucretia Jones, had roots in aristocracy dating back three centuries. As a daughter of society, Edith was expected to learn the mannerisms and rituals that were appropriate to her social class. She would later rebel against this role when she became a celebrated author. Rather than the limited scope of her schoolwork, Wharton based her books on research she did in her father's library and lessons she learned from her governesses at home and in Europe.
In 1885, Edith married Teddy Wharton, who was twelve years older than her and hailed from a similar social background. They lived a...
