Up next: More Edith Wharton!
Read The Custom of the Country with me this September
Welcome to the Closely Reading book club, where we closely read classic literature together and discuss assigned chapters each week. Our next read is Edith Wharton’s 1913 novel, The Custom of the Country. Join us!
Hi friends!
I’m so excited to share the schedule for our next read-a-long.
We’ll be reading Edith Wharton’s 1913 novel, The Custom of the Country over 5 weeks, with two bonus weeks after we finish the novel to try something new together…
How it works
Every Monday, I’ll post a brief summary of the previous week’s assigned chapters, a close reading of something from those chapters, and remind you what to read during the week.
This should feel something like your favorite literature class in college—minus the pressure of a final paper.
Plus, this time around, we’re doubling the fun. As you’ll see in the schedule, we’ll follow our reading by spending two weeks reading academic articles about the novel together and having deeper discussion. (All recommended academic articles will be publicly available via JSTOR or another open access publication.)
Paid subscribers will get an even deeper dive, including access to a paid Chat here on Substack and bonus essays + writing exercises. (See your paid options below.)
Here’s the schedule
Week 1: Monday, September 15
Read Book 1, Chapter 1
Week 2: Monday, September 22
Finish Book 1 (Chapters 2 - 10)
Week 3: Monday, September 29
Finish Book 2 (Chapters 11 - 20)
Week 4: Monday, October 6
Finish Book 3 (Chapters 21 - 30)
Week 5: Monday, October 13
Finish Book 4 (Chapters 31 - 36)
Week 6: Monday, October 20
Finish Book 5 (Chapters 37 - 46, end of novel)
Week 7: Monday, October 27
Read the Sheila Liming article (linked below)
Week 8: Monday, November 3
Read the Margaret Toth & Regina Martin articles (linked below)
Academic articles, available on JSTOR
“Shaping Modern Bodies: Edith Wharton on Weight, Dieting, And Visual Media” by Margaret Toth
“The Drama of Gender and Genre in Edith Wharton's Realism” by Regina Martin
How to prepare
Get a copy of the novel | You can find The Custom of the Country in all kinds of formats: new, used, libraries, audiobook. You can also buy it at Bookshop.org in my little storefront. No specific edition is required for the read-a-long, but I do recommend finding a version that breaks the novels into the “books” (in addition to each “chapter”) so it’s easy for you to follow along. My favorite Wharton editions tend to be the Penguin classics or Oxford editions; but really, any copy will do.
Create tabs | If you’re reading a physical copy of the novel, take time in the next week or two to tab each reading section in the above schedule—so you can physically see the pacing of the novel and what pages you’re assigned to read each week. If you don’t have small book tabs, I recommend these or making your own out of bookish washi tape. (this one is so pretty!)
Test pens | If you’re going to be writing in your novel as we closely read together, I highly recommend testing out a few pen options. I love a simple ballpoint pen to make most of my marks. Highlighters also work great. (I love these!) You can also use crayons or colored pencils. Experiment to find what works for you. I find that using the empty extra pages at the back of your book are good test pages for which pens will feel best to use.
Get a 6-inch ruler | I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I love a ruler when I’m closely reading. A simple, plastic 6-inch ruler plays two key roles: it makes a fantastic bookmark and allows you to make incredibly tidy lines as you underline favorite scenes and quotes. These look perfect. I’ve also had luck finding these halfsies rulers in university bookstores and stationery shops.
Pick a time | Rather than hold yourself to the same exact reading window each week (which is hard when life gets busy), I like to plan my reading each week.
I spend half an hour on Sunday morning mapping out my week, and giving myself a general sense of where I’ll fit my reading time during that particular week. I like to go to a favorite coffee shop and plan my week; sometimes, I’ll start my reading during the same little work session.
Find your pace | While 15 pages may take you 15 minutes to read most of the time…the point of a slow reading is not just to break the novel down into weekly bits, but also to read more slowly as you read each section. During week 1, we’re only reading about 10 pages. While that may typically take you just 15-20 minutes…consider slowing way down. What would it feel like to spend a full hour with just 10 pages? What would it feel like to read the first chapter 3 to 4 times? These are things to try.
Remember: if your goal is to closely read the novel and have a great experience, then getting the reading done is best. No matter when that happens each week. Give yourself grace!
Consider a paid subscription
Each week, I dedicate time not just to reading along with everyone, but also to crafting guidance and insights that I hope will be helpful to you on your reading journey.
My goal is not to demystify everything for you, nor is it to have all the answers. Though, of course, I will use my own knowledge and training (and my PhD dissertation-level knowledge of Wharton’s novels!) to help us track down answers to the questions that riddle us as we read.
My real goal is to help you become a closer reader.
I genuinely believe that one of the best ways to do that is to read slowly and intentionally.
You’ll stretch your brain. You’ll learn about a time that really wasn’t all that long ago.
I have some hopes for me and for you, as we embark on another reading journey together:
that we’ll notice things we may not have noticed before.
that we’ll laugh really hard at how witty Wharton is.
that we’ll have lots of good discussion about whether Undine Spragg (the main character of the novel) is likable or not
Is she a prototype of Carrie Bradshaw?!
that we’ll start to triangulate this novel with the other Wharton novels we’ve read together (and that, if you haven’t read them yet, you’ll consider picking them up next…)
Overall, we’re doing this reading together so we can experience the story in a slightly deeper or more memorable way than we would have without our reading group.
…And along the way, I hope you’ll find that you’re unlocking wholly new reading habits and abilities for yourself. Maybe you’ll even surprise yourself with your desire to engage with great stories in a deeper and more dedicated way.
Whatever happens: you’ll spend some dedicated time with an amazing writer and a truly mind-bogglingly frustrating main character.
I’m so excited to take this journey with you.
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In a week or so, I’ll send out a reminder along with a little bit of an introduction to the novel — and then, we’ll start reading it together on September 15!
‘Til next time, happy reading…
Am I reading this with you? Yes! Will my cat be helping? Also yes!
Really excited for my first Wharton! Also I *love* how you incorporated reading academic papers together into the schedule, after finishing Middlemarch I read some of the ones you recommended and it was such an enriching experience and I was also dying to discuss them, so this is great!!
Can't wait to start reading!