Introducing 'Summer' by Edith Wharton
Let's get nerdy this season with pre-reading materials for our June readalong of 'Summer' by Edith Wharton.
Welcome!
Welcome to our Short Classic Summer Readalong Series! In this newsletter, we will get into pre-reading materials for Summer by Edith Wharton, but first I want to share some logistics for how to get the most out of your readalong experience.
Readalong newsletters will arrive in your inboxes on Fridays, giving you all week to read the “assigned” chapters (it’s not really homework, and it’s okay if you are reading on your own timeline!).
Week 1: The pre-reading newsletter contains all of the context you need to boost your background knowledge before diving into our text, plus links for further exploration.
Week 2: Discussion for Ch. 1-10. If you typically read The Eclectic Reader in your email, I would love for you to stop by the web version to leave comments and join the discussion on these posts. Answer the discussion questions, respond to fellow readers, and ask questions.
Week 3: Discussion for Ch. 11-18. For discussion posts, in addition to our book club style questions, I will share chapter summaries, standout quotes, and close reading discoveries.
Week 4: Post-reading reflection. I’m still deciding what I want this to look like, and it may change with each readalong this summer, depending on my capacity to either write an essay, share final discussion questions, or put together resources for future reading.
Please share your readalong experience on social media, with reader friends, and tag me in your photos! It creates a sense of community to see us reading together.
Let me know if you have any questions!
I. Spoiler-Free Plot Summary
I admit, I actually love a spoiler, especially before reading classic literature. I like to know what I’m getting into, what to pay attention to, and how stuff is going to go down so I can branch out from comprehension and put on my English Teacher hat while reading. That is not everyone’s cup of tea, which is why I am happy to read introductory materials and pick out the choicest bits to share with all of you in these pre-reading missives.
Summer by Edith Wharton was published in 1917, the year the United States entered World War I. Our main character, Charity Royall, lives in a small mountain town in New England, where she is plucked from obscurity by Lawyer Royall to live as his ward. Shunned for her low origins, Charity rebels against the claustrophobic mundanity of her life. When Lucius Harney, a handsome architect, rolls into town, Charity falls into a passionate affair—but this is not a romance, and the drama only begins from there.