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Old New York False Down
Paperback
Classic FictionHistorical FictionLiterary Fiction
ISBN13: 9781025878485
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 154
Weight: 0.50
Height: 0.33 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
Old New York: False Dawn (The Forties) is a compelling novella by Edith Wharton that examines the rigid social structures and cultural expectations of mid-19th-century Manhattan. The narrative centers on Lewis Raycie, a young man sent to Europe by his status-conscious father on a Grand Tour. Tasked with purchasing a collection of Italian Old Masters to secure the family's legacy, Lewis instead discovers the avant-garde world of the Pre-Raphaelites and the insights of John Ruskin.
Upon returning to New York with a collection of art that his family and peers find baffling and worthless, Lewis must face the consequences of his intellectual and aesthetic awakening. Wharton masterfully portrays the clash between a provincial society's narrow tastes and the transformative power of genuine artistic vision. Through her trademark sharp social commentary and elegant prose, Old New York: False Dawn explores themes of inheritance, the isolation of the visionary, and the stifling weight of tradition. This work serves as a brilliant character study and a vivid historical portrait of an era when New York society first began to grapple with the complexities of European culture and the burden of legacy.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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