The 19th and 20th century authors Henry James and Edith Wharton are commonly compared to each other and their works are criticized as being close, if not identical. For ten years, the two authors have been close friends and even travel together across France and Europe in search of inspiration and new ideas. Wharton had never taken any kind of criticism well. Eventually, Edith Wharton sent her first written story, “The Line of Least Resistance,” to Henry James and she learned to accept criticism respectfully, from one author to another. Henry James quickly became an essential literary advisor for some of his most famous works. But soon she began to closely follow James' example and began writing in his style. This style included the construction of appearances as well as a tragic ending. Writing with the mores, customs, and beliefs of upper-class society also allowed James to question the truth of that society. While including this style in Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton also reflects Henry James's ideas of an unreliable narrator, through the point of view of a different gender than the author, in The Turn of the Screw. By writing through another person's mind, Henry James and Edith Wharton both used their knowledge of psychology to influence their works. But even though psychology is only a minor influence in Wharton's work, his texts bear a strong resemblance to James's influence. Since Henry James was a friend, critic, and mentor of Edith Wharton, her novel Ethan Frome, published in 1911, reflects the influences James had on her writing, particularly from her novel The Turn of the Screw, published in 1898. Henry James was one of the most famous authors of his generation. He was born on April 15, 184...... middle of paper ......orks, LLC., 2011. Web. February 11, 2012. “Biography of Edith Wharton.” Biography. True story. A&E Television Networks, LLC., 2011. Web. February 11, 2012. “Henry James.” The National Portrait Gallery. Smithsonian. Internet. February 11, 2012. Howe, Irving, ed. “On the reef: a letter. » Edith Wharton: A collection of critical essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962. Print.James, Henry. The turn of the screw. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1991. Print. Killoran, Helen. “The Critical Reception of Edith Wharton.” Google Books. 2001. Internet. February 11, 2012. Liukkonen, Petri. “Edith Wharton.” Books and writers. Creative Commons, 2008. Web. February 14, 2012. Powers, Lyall H., ed. Henry James and Edith Wharton: Letters: 1900-1915. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1990. Print. Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. New York: Penguin Group, 2005. Print.