ETHAN FROME By Edith Wharton Created by J. Troy for English 3

Background on author Born in 1862 to an upper-class New York City family: nee Jones Married Edward Wharton in 1885 and divorced in 1913 Settled in Paris in the 1910’s and remained there Close friend of Henry James Major theme in her works is the idea of conforming to social norms vs. desire for individuality Critic of moral recklessness In 1921 she won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Age of Innocence Died in Paris in 1937

The Story First published in 1911 Austere and penetrating impressions of rural working- class New England The story is based on an actual sledding accident which took place in Lenox, MA and where Wharton met one of the victims of the accident Story takes place in Starkfield, MA in late 19 th or early 20 th century Tragic love story told as a frame story – beginning and end in 1 st person narration, balance told in limited 3 rd person point-of-view

Key Terms Novel - prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a connected sequence of events Character - a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story Flat Character – one dimensional usually a Minor Character Round Character – Multi dimensional usually a Major Character Plot – sequence of events in a literary work Subplot – second, less important plot within the story Frame Story – a story told inside another story

How does the novel differ from the short story? Novel Short Story

Think, Pair, Share End Day 1

Do Now

Key Terms Setting – time and place of the action in a literary work. It helps to create a particular atmosphere or mood. Exposition – introduces the setting, characters, and basic conflict in the story. It is in the beginning of the story. Symbol – something that stands for or represents something else

Exit Ticket End Day 2

Key Terms Characterization – act of creating and developing a character Direct – author states or describes a character’s traits Indirect – author shows character’s personality through his or her actions, feelings, words, and appearance, or through another character’s observations or reactions

Character Map What character says and does How the character looks and feels What others think about the character How I feel about the character End Day 3

Predictions What do you think will happen next in the story? Why? What will Ethan do next? What will happen to Mattie? What will Zeena do next?

Key Terms Rising Action – all the events in the development of the plot that precede the climax Conflict – struggle between opposing forces External Conflict – Man vs. Man or Man vs. Nature character in conflict with the main character (protagonist) is the antagonist Internal Conflict – Man vs. Self the character strives to meet a self-imposed challenge

Frayer Model Conflict End Day 4

Work Completion Check your notebooks and ensure you have all your notes on the story complete to this point. Review homework sheets. You can use these words for your study guide. Use computers to begin your study guide (I have a list of logins if you need yours) or Continue reading the story independently.