EDITING THE NOVEL

Object Specificity

Example of faience, 1725-40

Example of china, 19th c.

In the second passage on page 339 below, Newland stands on a covered porch outside a mansion in Newport. Wharton describes his surroundings in great detail, down to a “china flower-pot on a blue china stand.” The manuscript page shows that Wharton initially wrote “faïence flower-pot.” “China” refers to sought-after porcelain exported from Asia, whereas “faience” means a less refined earthenware clay with a tin glaze. As shown by the examples to the right, both flower pots have white surfaces, but the coloring and style of decoration differ.

In the 1870s, porcelain vessels, along with other objects produced in Asia or loosely inspired by such materials, were extremely fashionable. During Wharton’s time, the term “china” was inaccurately used as a catch-all for porcelain made in China, Japan, and other Asian countries. Faience was a cheaper alternative that approximated the white appearance of porcelain. This passage also alludes to the prominence of connoisseurship in collecting during Wharton’s time: she forgoes the more everyday material for luxury.

Britannia metal coffee pot, ca. 1850

Wharton emphasizes the addition of “Britannia ware” to the opening paragraph on page 315 below. She squeezes the phrase into the space above the fourth line of text, then uses a red “X” to link this addition to the top left corner of the page, where she writes “Britannia ware” more clearly. Britannia ware refers to a shiny tin alloy that was often used for silver plating.

In this scene, Newland and May are on their wedding trip in London. In the manuscript, Wharton initially wrote “vast space,” as though she began to describe only the table. She settled on the phrase “monumental Britannia ware of their lodging house breakfast-table.” In both the manuscript and the final version of this opening paragraph, Wharton uses the physical distance between the two characters, impeded by either wide surfaces or massive tableware, to emphasize their emotional distance.