Gary Totten, associate professor of English, has published two articles on the American novelist, Edith Wharton. His essay, “ ‘Inhospitable Splendour’: Spectacles of Consumer Culture and Race in Wharton’s Summer,” was published in the journal, Twentieth Century Literature. 

In the article, Totten examines the connections between Wharton’s depiction of the novel’s female protagonist, early-20th century consumer practices, and attitudes toward race and gender. In his book chapter, “Selling Wharton” in Edith Wharton in Context, Totten examines Wharton’s relationship to book publishing and marketing throughout her career. 

Totten also presented a paper at the Western Literature Association Conference in Lubbock, Texas, Nov. 7-10. In his paper, “Remembering Alta California in Frank Norris’s McTeague,” he discussed the novel’s depiction of a Mexican-American character and what it reveals about late-19th century racial beliefs in the United States. 

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