Roman Fever Organization and Setup

Edith Wharton's short story, Roman Fever, is exceptional for its organization and the overall setup of the story. The story is very different from the rest of the collection that the class is reading due to the real slowness and ambiguity of the beginning. The introduction and the first part of the story doesn't really draw the reader in as most of the other stories do. Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley are two women who are recently widowed and are vacationing together in Rome. The two seem to be friends and are out on a veranda-type area enjoying each others company. As I read, I didn't find the story that compelling. Then, in the middle of the story, the two characters begin to think about their relationship and, the story becomes very interesting, and shocking, from that point on. Even though Wharton starts slowly, I think that her method of engaging the reader is great. The change of pace really propels the story and creates a change in perspective that begins to introduce new thoughts and new interpretations. This all culminates with the twist at the end where Delphin, Mrs. Slade's husband, is actually Barbara's, Mrs. Ansley's daughter, father. The change of pace and the twist at the end of the story both helped to created a terrific story.