Summary
The Touchstone by Edith Wharton is a novella published in 1900, marking her first entry into long-form fiction. The story follows Stephen Glennard, a man facing financial difficulties, who discovers that the private letters sent to him by a now-deceased, renowned author, Margaret Aubyn, could be sold for a substantial sum. As he publishes these intimate correspondences, Glennard grapples with guilt and the moral implications of his actions, especially as his marriage to his beloved Alexa becomes strained under the weight of his secret.
