Abstract

"Lurking Feminism" explores Edith Wharton's legacy as a writer of supernatural fiction through her subversive use of the ghost story to express feminist concerns. Her stories protest the domination of patriarchal structures and language. Moreover, they probe the complexities facing both men and women in defining gender roles and experiencing sexuality, in overcoming power struggles in relationships, and in resolving internal conflicts between debilitating, but often safe, attitudes and behaviors, and the desire for growth.