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Genre
Explanation and Analysis:
The Custom of the Country is, primarily, a comedy of manners. This refers to an old tradition of novels (and works in other forms) that satirize and make social commentary upon cultural and economic structures. Their subject is, usually, wealthy people and the difficulties that they make for themselves. The plot in comedies of manners, like The Custom of the Country, rely on scandal that goes against prevailing social norms. Through these plots, the books critique these social norms. The characters in a comedy of manners are usually caricatures of figures in high society. This is also the case in The Custom of the Country, with its prototypical characters of Fifth Avenue society, including Ralph, the jaded artist, Elmer, the social climber, and the Spraggs, the nouveaux rich.
The Custom of the Country has also been called a tragicomedy of manners for its tragic elements. The tragedy of the book is Undine's inability to escape her own ambition and greed. The outcome is tragic because Undine's qualities, which she thinks will eventually lead her to the happy life she craves, in fact lead her to a continuing cycle of hurt and stress. Ralph is also a tragic figure throughout the novel, as he is in many ways an admirable man, but his inability to see Undine for who she is ends with the tragic demise of his marriage. This turn to tragedy is in line with Wharton's association throughout her career with literary Realism, in which characters are often at the behest of forces beyond their control, like Undine's apparently uncontrollable desires.
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