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Title: Wharton used a dictionary of symbolism to write this book.
Review: While I have no objection to this book's ultimate chilling conclusion about justice (or lack thereof) in life, I found Edith Wharton's style deplorable. In short: "Here. I just thought up an excellent symbol, and it's really obvious what it stands for. But still, because I'm oh-so-proud of myself, let me tell you exactly what it means."The only use for this book is as an instruction book in identifying symbolism -- but even for that, it's a bit too basic and clearcut. Basically, don't bother, unless you enjoy seeing examples of bad writing. It is disgraceful that a work so lacking in literary quality is read in numerous schools.A multitude of films and other books mock Ethan Frome. It's not hard to see why.
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