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Souls Belated
'Souls Belated' is the story of a pair of American lovers abroad, caught up in the paradoxes of commitment and liberty, love and power.
'She stayed there for a long time, in the hypnotized contemplation, not of Mrs. Cope's present, but of her own past. Gannett, early that morning, had gone off on a long walk--he had fallen into the habit of taking these mountain tramps with various fellow lodgers; but even had he been within reach she could not have gone to him just then. She had to deal with herself first. She was surprised to find how, in the last months, she had lost the habit of introspection. Since their coming to the Hotel Bellosguardo she and Gannett had tacitly avoided themselves and each other...'
'She stayed there for a long time, in the hypnotized contemplation, not of Mrs. Cope's present, but of her own past. Gannett, early that morning, had gone off on a long walk--he had fallen into the habit of taking these mountain tramps with various fellow lodgers; but even had he been within reach she could not have gone to him just then. She had to deal with herself first. She was surprised to find how, in the last months, she had lost the habit of introspection. Since their coming to the Hotel Bellosguardo she and Gannett had tacitly avoided themselves and each other...'
52 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1899
9 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Edith Wharton
1,485 books5,315 followersEdith Wharton emerged as one of America’s most insightful novelists, deftly exposing the tensions between societal expectation and personal desire through her vivid portrayals of upper-class life. Drawing from her deep familiarity with New York’s privileged “aristocracy,” she offered readers a keenly observed and piercingly honest vision of Gilded Age society.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 22, 2025
He looked at her hopelessly. Nothing is more perplexing to man than the mental process of a woman who reasons her emotions.
Que Edith Wharton conseguia escrever no final do século XIX com uma modernidade assombrosa é sempre a primeira coisa que constato ao iniciar uma das suas obras. Desta vez, a propósito de uma mulher que trocou o marido por outro homem, a autora debate o casamento enquanto instituição e/ou união de duas pessoas que se amam, com uma audácia e um discernimento que nunca deixam de me surpreender. Tal como outras protagonistas desta autora, Lydia tem fibra suficiente para pôr em causa as convenções, mas não deixa de se questionar e martirizar com a hipocrisia da sociedade do seu tempo e a necessidade de manter as aparências.
I begin to see what marriage is for. It's to keep people away from each other. Sometimes I think that two people who love each other can be saved from madness only by the things that come between them: children, duties, visits, bores, relations, the things that protect married people from each other. We've been too close together-that’s been our sin. We've seen the nakedness of each other's souls.
Que Edith Wharton conseguia escrever no final do século XIX com uma modernidade assombrosa é sempre a primeira coisa que constato ao iniciar uma das suas obras. Desta vez, a propósito de uma mulher que trocou o marido por outro homem, a autora debate o casamento enquanto instituição e/ou união de duas pessoas que se amam, com uma audácia e um discernimento que nunca deixam de me surpreender. Tal como outras protagonistas desta autora, Lydia tem fibra suficiente para pôr em causa as convenções, mas não deixa de se questionar e martirizar com a hipocrisia da sociedade do seu tempo e a necessidade de manter as aparências.
I begin to see what marriage is for. It's to keep people away from each other. Sometimes I think that two people who love each other can be saved from madness only by the things that come between them: children, duties, visits, bores, relations, the things that protect married people from each other. We've been too close together-that’s been our sin. We've seen the nakedness of each other's souls.
May 3, 2016
Pequeno livro que nos fala dessa tão peculiar característica que a raça humana faz questão de continuar a pôr em prática: o preconceito!
Se quiséssemos generalizar a lista seria longa, mas aqui fala-se de amores. Numa época em que se torcia o nariz ao divórcio, uma mulher não só teve a coragem de o fazer, como largou tudo e partiu com outro homem numa pecaminosa vida em comum.
O curioso é que mais tarde ou mais cedo, dois não bastam. Regra geral a humanidade vive em massas, impõe-se a necessidade de integração, de pertencer a determinado grupo e sentir que nos aprovam e aceitam. Ancestral e contraditória esta dependência de aplauso por parte dos mesmos que levantaram o dedo acusatório, sabendo que é o regresso à mesma visão limitada da vida e às mesmas regras que desprezaram e os levaram a partir.
Gostei muito da escrita de Edith Wharton, o livro é composto maioritariamente por diálogos; muito bem escritos, muito bem elaborados, sendo sobretudo através deles que nos é dado a conhecer os acontecimentos passados, o desenvolvimento da estória e das personagens.
Contudo, o final em aberto quebrou parte do entusiasmo da leitura, e roubou-lhe claramente uma estrela. (less)
Se quiséssemos generalizar a lista seria longa, mas aqui fala-se de amores. Numa época em que se torcia o nariz ao divórcio, uma mulher não só teve a coragem de o fazer, como largou tudo e partiu com outro homem numa pecaminosa vida em comum.
O curioso é que mais tarde ou mais cedo, dois não bastam. Regra geral a humanidade vive em massas, impõe-se a necessidade de integração, de pertencer a determinado grupo e sentir que nos aprovam e aceitam. Ancestral e contraditória esta dependência de aplauso por parte dos mesmos que levantaram o dedo acusatório, sabendo que é o regresso à mesma visão limitada da vida e às mesmas regras que desprezaram e os levaram a partir.
Gostei muito da escrita de Edith Wharton, o livro é composto maioritariamente por diálogos; muito bem escritos, muito bem elaborados, sendo sobretudo através deles que nos é dado a conhecer os acontecimentos passados, o desenvolvimento da estória e das personagens.
Contudo, o final em aberto quebrou parte do entusiasmo da leitura, e roubou-lhe claramente uma estrela. (less)
March 22, 2023
The following day! Or the silent, questioning love - The love that puts itself to the test. At times fear, doubt, anxiety, concern, and regret arise. Souls Belated tells the story of the woman of the late 19th century and early 20th century in her desire for freedom but subject to the gaze of others - A little story, finely written.
Edith Wharton gives the voice to the woman. She expresses herself, questions herself, imposes herself, rebels against marriage, or chooses who she wants to marry. As for the man, the author gives him a little puppet place. He says nothing, decides nothing, just a waiting shadow: will she leave or stay?
Edith Wharton gives the voice to the woman. She expresses herself, questions herself, imposes herself, rebels against marriage, or chooses who she wants to marry. As for the man, the author gives him a little puppet place. He says nothing, decides nothing, just a waiting shadow: will she leave or stay?
February 18, 2023
3 stars
This short story from Edith Wharton is worth the read for the content, if not for anything else.
Style:
Published in 1899, story is mostly "tell" with extended conversations in complex, obtuse English. (My GR friends will know how much Victorian English grates my nerves) There are a few scenes but hardly any action...unless you take strolling in gardens as action.
Content:
They say that what people think they don't live...their grandchildren do. That's how slowly society changes. It takes 2 or more generations for any belief in how things should be to become a reality. If that's true, then Wharton was, very cannily, foreseeing our current elite and their main difficulty: how to be the elite while viewing yourself as a rebel.
The bohemian bourgeois, or "bobos" do not want to be associated with the crusty old elite whose status was based on inherited wealth and name. They don't come from money, they got where they are by smarts, education and hard work. They are hip, artistic, unconventional and environmentally conscious -- as the Greenpeace and Amnesty stickers on their three SUVs parked in front of their McMansion will tell you.
If bobos distance themselves from the old elite, they have filled their shoes in private clubs, housing districts and executive bathrooms. But they aren't Rockefellers, they're rockers!
And this is exactly the situation Lydia finds herself in in 1899.
She's run off with her new boyfriend, knowing her old elite husband - whose riches she's always enjoyed - will divorce her. She feels wild and rebellious, flipping the bird to conventional society and their biased, straightjacketed morals. She is free, an outlaw, living her love!
Except, she can't let go of belonging to the elite. To be accepted and protected by other well-to-do people she runs into. That is, the exact snobs she's run away from.
The terror of her married-but-not-to-the-man-she's-with status being discovered worries away at her. She feels she's constantly acting, constantly putting on a show of respectability when she hates respectability.
But she can't stop. She can't actually walk the walk. Or walk away. So she must content herself with the turn of the century equivalent of slapping a Greenpeace sticker on a petrol-guzzling SUV and feeling like an incredible hypocrite.
The only difference between that and today's bobos, is that for Lydia, it causes cognisant dissonance and intense unhappiness. Bobos accept it as their fair due and as something totally natural.
What granny believes life should be like, only her granddaughter will be able to live.
This short story from Edith Wharton is worth the read for the content, if not for anything else.
Style:
Published in 1899, story is mostly "tell" with extended conversations in complex, obtuse English. (My GR friends will know how much Victorian English grates my nerves) There are a few scenes but hardly any action...unless you take strolling in gardens as action.
Content:
They say that what people think they don't live...their grandchildren do. That's how slowly society changes. It takes 2 or more generations for any belief in how things should be to become a reality. If that's true, then Wharton was, very cannily, foreseeing our current elite and their main difficulty: how to be the elite while viewing yourself as a rebel.
The bohemian bourgeois, or "bobos" do not want to be associated with the crusty old elite whose status was based on inherited wealth and name. They don't come from money, they got where they are by smarts, education and hard work. They are hip, artistic, unconventional and environmentally conscious -- as the Greenpeace and Amnesty stickers on their three SUVs parked in front of their McMansion will tell you.
If bobos distance themselves from the old elite, they have filled their shoes in private clubs, housing districts and executive bathrooms. But they aren't Rockefellers, they're rockers!
And this is exactly the situation Lydia finds herself in in 1899.
She's run off with her new boyfriend, knowing her old elite husband - whose riches she's always enjoyed - will divorce her. She feels wild and rebellious, flipping the bird to conventional society and their biased, straightjacketed morals. She is free, an outlaw, living her love!
Except, she can't let go of belonging to the elite. To be accepted and protected by other well-to-do people she runs into. That is, the exact snobs she's run away from.
The terror of her married-but-not-to-the-man-she's-with status being discovered worries away at her. She feels she's constantly acting, constantly putting on a show of respectability when she hates respectability.
But she can't stop. She can't actually walk the walk. Or walk away. So she must content herself with the turn of the century equivalent of slapping a Greenpeace sticker on a petrol-guzzling SUV and feeling like an incredible hypocrite.
The only difference between that and today's bobos, is that for Lydia, it causes cognisant dissonance and intense unhappiness. Bobos accept it as their fair due and as something totally natural.
What granny believes life should be like, only her granddaughter will be able to live.
September 3, 2023
Gostei muito!
July 2, 2025
Consider the stifling custom of marriage in polite society in the Gilded Age . What happens to a woman who can only break free only when she takes a lover ? Does she marry him , when free to do so, or does she risk becoming a complete outsider ? A cutting examination of convention and habit , the pernicious comfort of both and the courage needed to step away .
May 10, 2012
I love Edith Wharton and consider her one of the most important, and brilliant, American authors. I had not read this story until recently, though, and had not really thought of reading it (I'm not a fan of short fiction and rarely read it) until I met the great critic and scholar Meredith McGill. She was giving a lecture at my school, so I took my students there to hear her. Afterward, I talked to her about my interests, and she recommended this story. "It's such a powerful indictment of marriage," she said, "by the end you'll need a stiff glass of whiskey!" McGill's claim is certainly true, and one that can be applied to pretty much Wharton's entire canon.
After receiving this recommendation, I taught this story this past spring, and, while it is not up to par with Wharton's novels, it is certainly in line with her philosophy and style. The entire story definitely is a very powerful (and, for its time, gutsy) condemnation of marriage as an institution. As with almost all of Wharton's work, this story contains a character who is suffocated by the unrelenting grimness of customs - something Wharton referred to as "the habit of having habits" in her autobiography.
I enjoyed the characters in this story and the ideas Wharton presented here. I, myself, capitulate to social ideals at times due purely to a desire to conform, while hating myself at the same time. I won't spoil the story, but the relationship here is what you can expect from Wharton.
This story is not as good or as deep as her later works, particularly Summer or The House of Mirth, and at times Wharton makes her points too blatantly. Nevertheless, this story is classic Wharton, from beginning to end, and features her inimitable, lush style blended with her dark, yet perceptive, understanding of human nature and social order.
After receiving this recommendation, I taught this story this past spring, and, while it is not up to par with Wharton's novels, it is certainly in line with her philosophy and style. The entire story definitely is a very powerful (and, for its time, gutsy) condemnation of marriage as an institution. As with almost all of Wharton's work, this story contains a character who is suffocated by the unrelenting grimness of customs - something Wharton referred to as "the habit of having habits" in her autobiography.
I enjoyed the characters in this story and the ideas Wharton presented here. I, myself, capitulate to social ideals at times due purely to a desire to conform, while hating myself at the same time. I won't spoil the story, but the relationship here is what you can expect from Wharton.
This story is not as good or as deep as her later works, particularly Summer or The House of Mirth, and at times Wharton makes her points too blatantly. Nevertheless, this story is classic Wharton, from beginning to end, and features her inimitable, lush style blended with her dark, yet perceptive, understanding of human nature and social order.
August 27, 2024
Wharton is BRUTAL.
This story begins where most end and leads you to the TRUE end.
This story begins where most end and leads you to the TRUE end.
October 22, 2016
I thought this story was magnificent. So much was artfully crammed into such a short story and Wharton took it in a different direction from where I thought it was going. I absolutely loved the ending. I thought there was so much pathos and wisdom expressed here, as well as social commentary and insight about marriage and commitment.
June 22, 2022
Mi primer libro de Edith Wharton ha sido este breve relato ilustrado de 62 páginas.
Lydia ha abandonado a su marido y junto a su amante Gannet emprenden un viaje por Europa alejándose de todos y de toda la hipocresía, formalismos, conflictos de clases y falsas apariencias esperando que en Europa todo sea distinto.
Pero a la sociedad civilizada no le resulta fácil aceptar a los adúlteros.
Ni a la sociedad ni a Gannet, que sin pensar que Lydia quiere vivir libre, sin los problemas derivados del matrimonio y sin ataduras, no es capaz de asumir su papel de amante y está dispuesto a casarse para salvar el honor de Lydia que ha roto su matrimonio por él.
Así que Lydia debe elegir entre casarse con su amante para limpiar la mancha social de su divorcio o mantener su libertad.
Un relato sencillo y corto que me ha encantado pero que me ha dejado con ganas de más, de más historia, de conocer más a fondo a Edith Wharton
Lydia ha abandonado a su marido y junto a su amante Gannet emprenden un viaje por Europa alejándose de todos y de toda la hipocresía, formalismos, conflictos de clases y falsas apariencias esperando que en Europa todo sea distinto.
Pero a la sociedad civilizada no le resulta fácil aceptar a los adúlteros.
Ni a la sociedad ni a Gannet, que sin pensar que Lydia quiere vivir libre, sin los problemas derivados del matrimonio y sin ataduras, no es capaz de asumir su papel de amante y está dispuesto a casarse para salvar el honor de Lydia que ha roto su matrimonio por él.
Así que Lydia debe elegir entre casarse con su amante para limpiar la mancha social de su divorcio o mantener su libertad.
Un relato sencillo y corto que me ha encantado pero que me ha dejado con ganas de más, de más historia, de conocer más a fondo a Edith Wharton
August 22, 2014
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Do you know, I begin to see what marriage is for. It's to keep people away from each other. Sometimes I think that two people who love each other can be saved from madness only by the things that come between them children, duties, visits, bores, relations the things that protect married people from each other. We've been too close together-that has been our sin. We've seen the nakedness of each other's souls."
"Do you know, I begin to see what marriage is for. It's to keep people away from each other. Sometimes I think that two people who love each other can be saved from madness only by the things that come between them children, duties, visits, bores, relations the things that protect married people from each other. We've been too close together-that has been our sin. We've seen the nakedness of each other's souls."
December 25, 2014
Wasn’t overly impressed with this short story. About a couple who are thinking of getting married but the lady is a divorcee and is unsure about the step she is about to take. Interesting discussion about marriage at one point but apart from that a little nondescript overall.
December 23, 2015
4.5 stars
A fast read, but one that leaves the reader with plenty to mull over or enjoy as karmic justice. Sometimes the passion of your convictions can truly paint you into a corner and leave you exposed to your own hypocrisy.
Wordy review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/124498...
A fast read, but one that leaves the reader with plenty to mull over or enjoy as karmic justice. Sometimes the passion of your convictions can truly paint you into a corner and leave you exposed to your own hypocrisy.
Wordy review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/124498...
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To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~
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Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~
Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct
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" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”
Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous
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Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind
A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through
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* -} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VWrl... {- *
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* -} Gestalt Psychology Simplified with Examples and Principles {- *
* -:}|{}|{: = MY SYNTHESISED ( ^ GESTALT ^ ) OF THE * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * ( WAY THE AUTHOR FRAMES = HIS WRITING PERSPECTIVES ) & ( POINTERS & IMPLICATIONS = the conclusion that can be drawn IMPLICITYLY from something although it is not EXPLICITLY stated ) = :}|{}|{:- *
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To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~
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Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~
Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct
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" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”
Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous
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Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind
A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through
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Read
October 6, 2025My first Wharton and I read it as a brief detour from Gravity's Rainbow to give myself a boost in confidence and victory finishing a book (or story). If you check the date when I started reading GR, it dated 27/05/2021 and as of now, I'm not even halfway into the book at 35.69%.
Needless to say, I'm glad I read it. But as reasons follow, I'm not sure I want to read Wharton after this story.
Essentially, it's about an unhappy woman wanting freedom from her lover. They were unmarried and went to Italy where there were gossips about their relationship status.
I didn't know what to expect and I'm surprised by the bleak and depressing tone. The dry and drab prose style really doesn't help, and it adds unpleasant and distressing taste in my mouth and mental state.
I don't understand what I'm reading 90% of the time save the last few scenes towards the end, which is the memorable and surprising part:
Lydia (the heroine) left Gannette to be free. They argued earlier and Gannette wanted to marry Lydia but she didn't. The following night, Gannette saw Lydia leaving but didn't stop her, just watched her go. He had an epiphany that letting her go means making her happy. By surprise, she returned to the hotel, Gannette made an appointment for their marriage, and the story ended abruptly.
I was left quite touched by it. I walked away feeling awful about myself and women. I realised how oblivious I was to what women had to go through, even though they lived among us. The yearning for freedom and happiness, which is quite a common theme for women, didn't really clicked with me until this story even though I have heard of it before.
Funny how fiction works, eh? You've seen and heard it hundreds of time, and it took a hundred year old story to open my eyes to understand what women had to go through. Fiction really do promote empathy, after all.
Needless to say, I'm glad I read it. But as reasons follow, I'm not sure I want to read Wharton after this story.
Essentially, it's about an unhappy woman wanting freedom from her lover. They were unmarried and went to Italy where there were gossips about their relationship status.
I didn't know what to expect and I'm surprised by the bleak and depressing tone. The dry and drab prose style really doesn't help, and it adds unpleasant and distressing taste in my mouth and mental state.
I don't understand what I'm reading 90% of the time save the last few scenes towards the end, which is the memorable and surprising part:
Lydia (the heroine) left Gannette to be free. They argued earlier and Gannette wanted to marry Lydia but she didn't. The following night, Gannette saw Lydia leaving but didn't stop her, just watched her go. He had an epiphany that letting her go means making her happy. By surprise, she returned to the hotel, Gannette made an appointment for their marriage, and the story ended abruptly.
I was left quite touched by it. I walked away feeling awful about myself and women. I realised how oblivious I was to what women had to go through, even though they lived among us. The yearning for freedom and happiness, which is quite a common theme for women, didn't really clicked with me until this story even though I have heard of it before.
Funny how fiction works, eh? You've seen and heard it hundreds of time, and it took a hundred year old story to open my eyes to understand what women had to go through. Fiction really do promote empathy, after all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2025
“He looked at her hopelessly. Nothing is more perplexing to man than the mental process of a woman who reasons her emotions."
This was also my takeaway quote from this short story. Emotion can be both a weakness and a strength for us, women. It is one thing that makes us complex.
Apparently, I was out of my mind while reading this. I had to watch a background on Edith Wharton to understand her purpose in writing such stories. It turns out she had a very difficult marriage, yet she was an incredibly intellectual woman.
"At last issue, he and she were two separate beings, not made one by the miracle of common forbearances, duties, abnegations, but bound together in a noyade of passion that left them resisting yet clinging as they went down."
Lydia and Gannett are not truly united by shared sacrifices or responsibilities, as a traditional marriage would be. Instead, their relationship is driven by intense passion, which, rather than saving them, feels like a drowning force—they struggle against it, yet they cannot let go of each other.
As I understand it, Wharton exposes the culture of marriage among the upper class through her works, which later reflects her own experiences. In Souls Belated, she explores whether it is morally right and socially acceptable to love and remarry after a divorce. Since this story was written in a very conservative time, Lydia struggles with the dilemma of whether continuing her relationship with Gannett is the right thing to do, especially in the eyes of society. She believes that separating from him is the right choice.
However, I don't think the ending necessarily confirms this (sorry, I was really out of it while reading, LOL!). It feels more open-ended. Overall, it was still a great read!
This was also my takeaway quote from this short story. Emotion can be both a weakness and a strength for us, women. It is one thing that makes us complex.
Apparently, I was out of my mind while reading this. I had to watch a background on Edith Wharton to understand her purpose in writing such stories. It turns out she had a very difficult marriage, yet she was an incredibly intellectual woman.
"At last issue, he and she were two separate beings, not made one by the miracle of common forbearances, duties, abnegations, but bound together in a noyade of passion that left them resisting yet clinging as they went down."
Lydia and Gannett are not truly united by shared sacrifices or responsibilities, as a traditional marriage would be. Instead, their relationship is driven by intense passion, which, rather than saving them, feels like a drowning force—they struggle against it, yet they cannot let go of each other.
As I understand it, Wharton exposes the culture of marriage among the upper class through her works, which later reflects her own experiences. In Souls Belated, she explores whether it is morally right and socially acceptable to love and remarry after a divorce. Since this story was written in a very conservative time, Lydia struggles with the dilemma of whether continuing her relationship with Gannett is the right thing to do, especially in the eyes of society. She believes that separating from him is the right choice.
However, I don't think the ending necessarily confirms this (sorry, I was really out of it while reading, LOL!). It feels more open-ended. Overall, it was still a great read!
April 18, 2025
Es todo lo que se le puede pedir a un libro de menos de cien páginas.
Aún no ser una trama muy compleja, Edith Wharton consigue que sea lo suficientemente relevante para que trascienda en el lector. La cantidad de reflexiones (y connotaciones a partir de estas que el lector puede extraer) que tiene este opúsculo sobre el matrimonio, el divorcio, la mujer de la época y sobre todo, la necesidad de encajar en unas convenciones en las que no se cree es increíble.
Ya me sorprendió en La edad de la inocencia, tocando temas tan controversiales ya no en su época, que la podrían haber dejado como paria social, sino actualmente; pero es que con este pequeño cuento consigue el mismo efecto, el del conflicto interior. Te hace plantear hasta qué punto luchamos por romper el convencionalismo que nos asfixia (o al menos calificamos como asfixiante) y qué estamos dispuestos a sacrificar por la felicidad; en este caso, el sacrificio más grande, el de Lydia, sacrificarse a una misma.
Le he puesto 5 estrellas porque como opúsculo que es no se le puede pedir nada más: buenos personajes, excelente desarrollo de trama, complejidad psicológica, crítica a la sociedad… Consigue mucho de lo que libros de quinientas páginas no consiguen y todo manteniendo una lectura sencilla.
Bravo.
Aún no ser una trama muy compleja, Edith Wharton consigue que sea lo suficientemente relevante para que trascienda en el lector. La cantidad de reflexiones (y connotaciones a partir de estas que el lector puede extraer) que tiene este opúsculo sobre el matrimonio, el divorcio, la mujer de la época y sobre todo, la necesidad de encajar en unas convenciones en las que no se cree es increíble.
Ya me sorprendió en La edad de la inocencia, tocando temas tan controversiales ya no en su época, que la podrían haber dejado como paria social, sino actualmente; pero es que con este pequeño cuento consigue el mismo efecto, el del conflicto interior. Te hace plantear hasta qué punto luchamos por romper el convencionalismo que nos asfixia (o al menos calificamos como asfixiante) y qué estamos dispuestos a sacrificar por la felicidad; en este caso, el sacrificio más grande, el de Lydia, sacrificarse a una misma.
Le he puesto 5 estrellas porque como opúsculo que es no se le puede pedir nada más: buenos personajes, excelente desarrollo de trama, complejidad psicológica, crítica a la sociedad… Consigue mucho de lo que libros de quinientas páginas no consiguen y todo manteniendo una lectura sencilla.
Bravo.
April 5, 2021
the writing was exquisite. OHMYGOD
her commentary about marriage was fabulous and straightforward. the dynamic between the characters was so interesting and the way it provided and insight into what commitment really is. i found the ending captivating, edith wharton is beyond talented and i’m very excited to move forward to her novels.
each sentence was getting better and better as i began to read more, totally recommend this short story. i read roman fever previously and i kinda had a grasp of her writing, but this story definitely showed me her classic style and made me fall in love with her style - though, roman fever leaves you completely shocked and the ambiance is incredibly, i think i still liked this one more.
i’m just going to leave you this quote from the story, that i find magnificent:
"He looked at her hopelessly. Nothing is more perplexing to a man than the mental process of a woman who reasons her emotions".
October 8, 2018
Not bad. A window into another type of literature, and another world, I suppose - the privileged world that I suppose the author was familiar with. The story's pretty simple and the characters aren't particularly engaging for a simple lad like m'self but, still, it wasn't a drag to read and there was an emotional component present towards the end, for sure. Touches on themes which still surprisingly resonate in many parts of society and deals with them in a sufficiently interesting way for the short story format. Not a bad way to while away a couple of hours, at most.
January 15, 2022
Perhaps the best story I’ve read on why open relationships fail.
As Lydia aptly points out:
“Do you know, I begin to see what marriage is for. It's to keep people away from each other. Sometimes I think that two people who love each other can be saved from madness only by the things that come between them—children, duties, visits, bores, relations—the things that protect married people from each other. We've been too close together—that has been our sin. We've seen the nakedness of each other's souls."
As Lydia aptly points out:
“Do you know, I begin to see what marriage is for. It's to keep people away from each other. Sometimes I think that two people who love each other can be saved from madness only by the things that come between them—children, duties, visits, bores, relations—the things that protect married people from each other. We've been too close together—that has been our sin. We've seen the nakedness of each other's souls."
December 12, 2021
I wish the characters could have the freedom they crave, but the reality of their society will not allow them any peace. Lydia is trapped in a bad marriage, and tries to escape by having an affair only to realize that she can’t live the life she wants without being forced into another marriage. The gossip and expectations of her peers is the bane of her existence and she sees no escape.
January 3, 2026
Pretty good and very short. I do like the commentary and ethical dilemma expressed, and Lydia's hesitations towards a new marriage are understandable. Very much like Edith's 'Age of Innocence' in that polite society gets in the way of love. Great short read if you have a free afternoon.
February 3, 2018
"No one would understand her-no one would pity her- and he, who did both, was powerless to come to her aid"
December 24, 2018
In Four Stories by American Writers, seen on the community bookshelf at The Italian Store,
Efficient and spare, unrelentingly sad.
Efficient and spare, unrelentingly sad.
September 25, 2020
~ read for ENGL 168: American Skeptics & Moderns ~
Wow.
Wow.
January 30, 2023
I really like Edith Wharton’s novels and stories, the social commentary they provide, the critique of Victorian society and the constraints women face within the mores of society.
September 21, 2023
Damned either way - their relationship may only exist in perpetual belation.
February 20, 2024
La pava q tenia miedo al compromiso básicamente but i get her
April 24, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
October 25, 2024
noo thats not satisfying!!
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