The Greater Inclination

Originally published in 1899, The Greater Inclination was Wharton's first collection and comprised seven short stories and a play in two parts. Most of the pieces had been previously published in magazines, with one, The Portrait, composed specifically for the book to replace another that Wharton thought was too over-wrought. Of those pieces included, two of them stand out; the new composition is one and the other is The Muse's Tragedy. In the latter, Wharton contrives to make a comparison between a fictional muse as she appears to an aspiring writer and critic from works she inspired, and subsequently in real life when they meet by chance in Venice, spending a month together. The writer thinks he has stumbled upon a career-defining opportunity when they promise to meet up again in six weeks, but then he receives her letter and is brought back to earth.