About the EWS

About this Site

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To join the Edith Wharton Society, go to https://edithwhartonsociety.wordpress.com/membership/

About the Society

The International Edith Wharton Society, founded by Professor Annette Zilversmit, met for the first time on December 17, 1983, at the MLA Convention in New York City.  Since that time, members of the Society have seen Edith Wharton take her place in the canon of important American literary figures.  We are proud of the role that the Society has played in fostering Wharton scholarship.

The special conferences that we have organized–in Paris, at The Mount in Massachusetts, at Yale University, and in London–have provided exciting opportunities for scholars from around the world to come together and exchange ideas. Our panels at MLA conventions have stimulated on-going discussion among both scholars and students.  Our publication, The Edith Wharton Review, goes out to over three hundred subscribers.

Image courtesy of the
Smithsonian Portrait Gallery

MLA. The Edith Wharton Society is an Allied Organization of the Modern Language Association, and as such, it sponsors one panel (with a competitive second panel) at the annual MLA convention, which is always held the first week in January. The Call for Papers for the Edith Wharton sessions at MLA appears at this site, on the CFP list, in the Edith Wharton Review, and in the February MLA Newsletter.Deadlines for this conference are usually in early to mid-March.

ALA. The EWS also regularly sponsors two panels at the annual American Literature Association convention, which is held in May on Memorial Day weekend every year. The Call for Papers for the Edith Wharton Sessions appears at this site; on wharton-l, Facebook, and Twitter (follow @EdithWhartonSoc); and in the Edith Wharton Review, usually by September; the deadlines for proposals are usually in early January.

Meetings. Meetings are customarily held at ALA and the Wharton Society conferences. The notice of a conference (through calls for papers, announcements, and so on) also constitutes notice that a meeting may be held.

Elections. Elections for the Executive Board are held yearly. Nominations are accepted until March 30 , and a paper ballot is sent to members. Results of the voting are announced at the MLA. Officers are elected every two years by the same process. It is customary for officers to have served first on the Executive Board. For more details, see the Constitution.

Joining the Edith Wharton Society

As a member of the Edith  Wharton Society, you will receive the following:

• The Edith Wharton Review, which is published twice a year. The Edith Wharton Review is a peer-reviewed journal and is indexed by the MLA International Bibliography.
• Calls for papers to conferences such as MLA and ALA (American Literature Association).
• Information and invitations to meetings and social events hosted by the Society, such as the annual dinner at MLA.

For issues with membership and subscriptions, contact the Membership Secretary,  whose email is on the Membership Directory page: https://edithwhartonsociety.wordpress.com/membership/directory/.