• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.52
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• pp.313-339
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to explore the manner in which Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome conveys contemporary, (culturally) imperialistic ideology. Especially by focusing on the difference between the European germ (or invasion) theory and the 'Americanized' invasion theory, this paper elucidates how the American $20^{th}$ century fiction represents contemporary 'fear' of the immigration of non-whites, that generated anti-immigration public sentiment in early $20^{th}$ century America. Also, this study investigates how racial or gendered biases contribute to attributing all (societal or individual) evils or illnesses to minorities such as (non-Nordic or non-white) immigrants, including women. Wharton's Ethan Frome isn't short of reflecting cultural imperialism.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.53
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• pp.73-102
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to explain, using Jacques Lacan's theory of desire, how Ellen Olenska functions as the object petit a in her relationship with Newland Archer and to connect the impossibility of Newland and Ellen's love with the impossibility of desire, in Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. In New York society in the 1870s, the unpleasant truth was avoided, personal opinions were excluded, no room for imagination existed, and other-ness was expelled. In that society, Newland realized that true love and true emotions were lacking in his life. For Newland, Ellen was the gap in New York society and the object that could fill that gap. Ellen functioned as the object petit a. But the romance between Newland and Ellen was forbidden in New York society, where everything was dominated by strict social codes, and especially because Newland was engaged to Ellen's cousin, May Welland. Ellen became inaccessible to Newland and this set Newland's desire for Ellen in motion. He idealized Ellen as the objet petit a, based on the fantasy that she would fill the void in his life. However, at every critical moment, Newland delayed unification with Ellen by resorting to social codes. His actions betrayed that the goal of his desire was not the fulfillment, but the reproduction of desire, with its circular movement. His decision not to see Ellen in Paris again at the end of the novel can be interpreted as Newland's effort to maintain Ellen as the inaccessible object, objet petit a, forever. It is this impossibility of desire that the romance of Newland and Ellen is predicated upon. Another purpose of this study was to expand this impossibility of desire to the relationship between man and woman and to interpret The Age of Innocence as a story showing the characteristics of the relationship between the sexes. The relationship between Newland and Ellen shows that there is no harmonious relationship between the sexes and that woman exists only as a fantasy object, objet petit a for man.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.135-151
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• 2003

This study was carried out in order to become that it helped a base of education to train creation of movie costume. The object is the movie costume of the movie, The Age of Innocence that got the Academy award in movie costume. This study analyzed the costume and color symbolism of the film based on the novel, The Age of Innocence written by Edith Wharton who is a realism writer, and a master of manners and customs novel, is the first Pulitzer Prizewinner as a woman. And this study created the movie costume and hair-style of two heroines, May and Ellen who lead the huge irony that is principal stream of a novel. May stands for 'irony of innocence' and Ellen does for 'absolute innocence'. And each image represents on a display of the front and back of 'innocence' symbolically. The costume design of them was planned along the character which was analyzed and interpreted irony of a drama in a viewpoint of Wharton through this study and expressed with illustration. And using 57cm Porcelain doll, produced a hair-style and costume.