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Ghostly presences: Edith Wharton's 'Sanctuary' and the issue of maternal sacrifice.

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From: College Literature
Date: 19980322
Author:Salas, Angela M.

'Sanctuary' reflects Edith Wharton's philosophy that mothers are infused with the responsibility of instilling and conveying all of what is good in culture to their children. This belief in the self-sacrificing role of parents, mothers in particular, is consistent with the general tenor of Wharton's time. 'Sanctuary' is not unrealistic as alleged by previous literary scholars because it still portrays the difficulties of being decent and responsible in a cruel world.

Too many Wharton scholars and their readers share an entrenched insistence that Sanctuary (1903) is a bad novella. ...

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