Ethan Frome

1. Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton Created by J. Troy for English 3

2. Background on author • Born in 1862 to an upper-class New York City family: nee Jones • Married Edward Wharton in 1885 and divorced in 1913 • Settled in Paris in the 1910’s and remained there • Close friend of Henry James • Major theme in her works is the idea of conforming to social norms vs. desire for individuality • Critic of moral recklessness • In 1921 she won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Age of Innocence • Died in Paris in 1937

3. The Story • First published in 1911 • Austere and penetrating impressions of rural working-class New England • The story is based on an actual sledding accident which took place in Lenox, MA and where Wharton met one of the victims of the accident • Story takes place in Starkfield, MA in late 19th or early 20th century • Tragic love story told as a frame story – beginning and end in 1st person narration, balance told in limited 3rd person point-of-view

4. Key Terms • Novel - prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a connected sequence of events • Character - a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story • Flat Character – one dimensional usually a Minor Character • Round Character – Multi dimensional usually a Major Character • Plot – sequence of events in a literary work • Subplot – second, less important plot within the story • Frame Story – a story told inside another story

5. How does the novel differ from the short story?Novel Short Story

6. Think, Pair, Share End Day 1

7. Do Now

8. Key Terms • Setting – time and place of the action in a literary work. It helps to create a particular atmosphere or mood. • Exposition – introduces the setting, characters, and basic conflict in the story. It is in the beginning of the story. • Symbol – something that stands for or represents something else

9. Exit Ticket End Day 2

10. Key Terms • Characterization – act of creating and developing a character • Direct – author states or describes a character’s traits • Indirect – author shows character’s personality through his or her actions, feelings, words, and appearance, or through another character’s observations or reactions

11. Character Map What character says and does What others think about the character How the character looks and feels How I feel about the character End Day 3

12. Predictions • What do you think will happen next in the story? Why? • What will Ethan do next? • What will happen to Mattie? • What will Zeena do next?

13. Key Terms • Rising Action – all the events in the development of the plot that precede the climax • Conflict – struggle between opposing forces • External Conflict – Man vs. Man or Man vs. Nature character in conflict with the main character (protagonist) is the antagonist • Internal Conflict – Man vs. Self the character strives to meet a self-imposed challenge

14. Frayer Model • Conflict End Day 4

15. Work Completion • Check your notebooks and ensure you have all your notes on the story complete to this point. • Review homework sheets. You can use these words for your study guide. • Use computers to begin your study guide (I have a list of logins if you need yours) or • Continue reading the story independently.