In Wharton’s case, I worry that the psychological insight, anthropological detail, and complex characterizations inherent to her work will be ignored in favor of shallow drama and extravagant hats. Yet adaptation does not always entail respect or interest in source material. Quippy period pieces and soapy rich people antics have been hugely popular in the past few years, and one can see how a streaming executive might look to a Wharton novel for the best of both worlds. The usage of Wharton’s novels as grist for the content mill is unsurprising, given the hallmarks of her work: Her preoccupation with the upper-crust denizens of 19th-century New York allows for lavish period detail, and her novels’ razor-sharp social critique can lend intrigue and contemporary relevance. The novels of Edith Wharton, though all written over 100 years ago, are in the midst of a cultural resurgence: HBO’s buzzy The Gilded Age, while not directly based on her work, is aesthetically and thematically indebted to Wharton, and series based on The Custom of the Country (directed by Sofia Coppola) and The Buccaneers are reported to be upcoming on Apple TV+.
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