The Barbarian Invasion: Anti-Americanism in Edith Wharton's Transatlantic Marriage Novels

Abstract

This thesis is a study of Edith Wharton s Madame de Treymes (1907), The Custom of the Country (1913) and The Buccaneers (1938). These novels deal with transatlantic marriages in The Gilded Age and at the turn of the last century. They contain numerous incidents of Euro-American encounters and anti-American attitudes. The aim of the thesis is to show that the novels reflect anti-American sentiments that were widespread in European literature and society at the time they were set and written. The thesis also aims to prove that the anti-American sentiments in the novels can be divided into four categories: Prejudices based on 1) culture, history, domesticity and knowledge; 2) behaviour, morals and sexuality; 3) materialism and the display of wealth; and 4) political anti-Americanism. The thesis finally aims to show that the anti-American attitudes in the novels are more than a collection of isolated utterances; they play an important part in the narratives and affect the characters, relationships, plots and themes. The anti-American attitudes in the novels may be linked to the focus on types , which was a typical feature of the period. They may also contribute to the contemporary discussion about what it means to be an American.