Definitive criteria for judging the success or failure of a work of fiction are not easily agreed upon; individuals almost necessarily introduce bias into any such attempt. Only those who affect an exorbitantly refined artistic taste, however, would deny the importance of poignancy in literary pieces. To be sure, writings of dubious and fleeting merit frequently enchant the public, but there is too the occasional author who garners widespread acclaim and whose works remain deeply affecting despite the passage of time. The continued eminence of the fiction of Edith Wharton attests to her placement into such a category of authors: it is a recognition of her propensity to create poignant and, indeed, successful literature. The brevity of her "Roman Fever" allows for a brilliant display of this talent¾in it we find many of her highly celebrated qualities in the space of just a few pages. "Roman Fever" is truly outstanding: a work that exposes the gender stereotypes of its day (1936) but that moves beyond documentary to reveal something of the perennial antagonisms of human nature.

From the story's first sentence, upon the introduction of two women of "ripe but well-cared-for middle age,"

As the workings of the characters' minds are revealed, the extent to which they have internalized these values becomes apparent. Each, in their brief description of the other, mentions that her acquaintance was quite beautiful in her youth. Alida recalls how much she enjoyed having been married to a famous lawyer; she misses being "the Slade's wife" (1119). Startlingly, now that their husbands are dead, we find that the women consider themselves to be in a state of "unemployment" (1118)!

Lauter, et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Lexington: Heath, 1994. 1116-1125.

Here, however, is the reason behind the piece's continued success. Not content with simply an expos?of the tribulations of her times, the author has infused the story with an ageless significance. Grace and Alida, the two ladies who "had live opposite each other¾actually as well as figuratively¾for years," serve also as symbols of the ongoing conflict between those two fundamental divisions of the human psyche: introversion and extroversion (1118).

Wharton's treatment of this theme is fascinating and insightful. We find that Mrs. Slade, despite her dismissal of Mrs. Ansley as "tame and estimable," chides herself for the fact that she will "never cure herself of envying her" (1118, 1121). Mrs. Ansley, furthermore, regards Alida's life as "full of failures and mistakes" (1119). Mrs. Slade has imagined for years that her letter-forging scheme successfully removed Mrs. Ansley from competition for Delphin, but we find that, in reality, in backfired upon her in the worst of all possible ways. Ultimately it is Grace Ansley, the more reserved of the two, who has the last word and who suffers the smallest defeat.

"Roman Fever," then, is a work deserving of its place among acclaimed literature. Its brevity

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Approximate Word count = 1191
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)