Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the works of Wharton (1862-1937) such as The Age of Innocence for which she won the Pulitzer Prize and was the first woman to do so, The House of Mirth, and The Custom of the Country. Her novels explore the world of privileged New Yorkers in the Gilded Age of the late C19th, of which she was part, drawing on her own experiences and written from the perspective of the new century, either side of WW1 . Among her themes, she examined the choices available to women and the extent to which they could ever really be free, even if rich.
With
Dame Hermione Lee Biographer, former President of Wolfson College, Oxford
Bridget Bennett Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Leeds
And
Laura Rattray Reader in North American Literature at the University of Glasgow
Producer: Simon Tillotson
President Trump says he plans to control revenue f....
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
The Supreme Court is expected to rule this year on....
Five years ago, a mob attacked the United States C....
President Trump campaigned on promises to put “A....
Overnight, the U.S. military launched strikes on V....
On the night of his inauguration, President Trump ....
Happy New Year! In this special episode, the Polit....
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
We look back on some of the highlights from 2025 w....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
Editor's note: This episode originally aired on De....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
It was another busy week in Washington. We discuss....
President Trump used his prime-time speech Wednesd....
BBC Sounds
To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....
Only 36% of Americans approve of President Trump�....
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....
President Trump has built a brand as the sports-fa....