명작을 새롭게 만나다
이 책은 텍스트와 오디오 두 가지 형식으로 작품을 감상할 수 있도록 제작되었습니다. 각 장의 시작에 재생 버튼이 있어, 오디오북 내용을 바로 들을 수 있습니다. 독자들은 필요에 따라 읽기와 듣기를 자유롭게 전환할 수 있습니다.
주요 특징
● 편리함: 재생 버튼으로 각 장의 오디오를 손쉽게 들을 수 있습니다.
● 활용성: 집, 통근길, 휴식 시간 등 어디서나 읽기와 듣기를 선택할 수 있습니다.
참고: 재생 버튼 기능을 사용하려면 인터넷 연결이 필요합니다.
Twilight Sleep (1927) is a sharp and satirical novel by Edith Wharton that explores the moral and social disintegration of New York’s elite during the Jazz Age. Set in the 1920s, the story follows the dysfunctional Manford family as they navigate a world of materialism, superficiality, and escapism. The title refers to the then-popular practice of using anesthesia during childbirth—a metaphor for the characters' attempts to numb themselves against the pains of reality.
Through her signature wit and keen social observation, Wharton exposes the emptiness of modern society, where wealth and technology fail to provide true fulfillment. The novel delves into themes of alienation, failed relationships, and the desperate pursuit of distraction—whether through drugs, affairs, or spiritual fads. Particularly striking is Wharton’s portrayal of Pauline Manford, a socially ambitious matriarch who orchestrates her family’s chaos while clinging to hollow remedies for her own unhappiness. The younger generation, represented by her disillusioned stepdaughter Nona, becomes a tragic foil to the era’s reckless hedonism.
A lesser-known but powerful work in Wharton’s oeuvre, Twilight Sleep remains a biting critique of a society obsessed with progress yet devoid of deeper meaning. Its unflinching examination of emotional detachment and the commodification of happiness resonates eerily with contemporary culture, making it a prescient study of human fragility in the face of modernity.
Edith Wharton (1862–1937) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer, renowned for her sharp critiques of high society in the Gilded Age. Born into a wealthy New York family, Wharton drew from her privileged upbringing to craft vivid portrayals of the constraints and hypocrisies of the upper class.
Her most famous novel, The Age of Innocence (1920), won the Pulitzer Prize and explored themes of love, duty, and social expectations. Other notable works, such as The House of Mirth (1905) and Ethan Frome (1911), showcase her masterful storytelling and psychological depth.
Wharton was also a trailblazer for women in literature—the first woman to receive an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Yale University. Beyond writing, she was an avid interior designer and a humanitarian, supporting refugees during World War I.
With her elegant prose and incisive social commentary, Edith Wharton remains a towering figure in American literature.