A Son At The Front — Edith Wharton

In A Son at the Front her only novel dealing with World War I Edith Wharton offers a vivid portrait of American expatriate life in Paris as well as a gripping portrayal of a complex modern family The painter John Campton is divorced from the mother of his son George and although Julia s second husband Anderson Brant a wealthy banker has been a devoted stepfather to George Campton resents his presence in George s life This family drama is ruptured by the outbreak of fighting which requires George born in France to report for military service despite his parents belief that he should be exempted Reflecting Wharton s own experiences A Son at the Front documents the shock of the outbreak of war the early hope of a quick victory for the Allies the terrible human cost of the war and the relief when belatedly the United States enters the conflict The novel s tone reflects the realities of life in Paris and the profound disillusionment of the post war period standing as not only an important part of Wharton s oeuvre but a landmark in the literature of the First World War