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1Author:  Wharton review: Marsh, Edward ClarkRequires cookie*
 Title:  Mrs. Wharton's "The Fruit of the Tree" In: Seven Books of the Month.  
 Published:  1996 
 Subjects:  University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text 
 Description: It is one of the penalties of so striking a success as Mrs. Wharton achieved in The House of Mirth that for a long time to come all her work must endure the comparative judgment. The first question asked concerning The Fruit of the Tree will pertain neither to its proper merits nor its formal classification. "Is it as good as The House of Mirth?"—that is the query that must be met at the outset, unless it is anticipated by the no less pressing interrogation, "Will it be as popular as The House of Mirth?" The implied distinction must be maintained. Those shallow-pated readers who identify merit with popularity are not to be found in the intellectual circles to which Mrs. Wharton ministers. Rather is her most numerous following among those who forgive the popularity for the sake of the merit. But since the dual question is sure to be propounded, and the dilemma cannot be avoided by even the humblest commentator, I may at once lay a reckless hand on either horn by hazarding the opinion that The Fruit of the Tree, though a better book than its predecessor, is not likely to provoke an equal amount of that heated and emotional public discussion which is the true sign of popularity.
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