Edith Wharton was an American novelist, poet and short story writer whose works display her mastery over the realistic fiction genre. Although she grew up in a world of refined manners and fashionable people, she was also aware of its superficiality, a theme that frequently appeared in her works. She began writing short stories and poetry at a young age, impressing such literary figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Dean Howells. Her stories range widely from powerful social commentary to titillating ghost stories that made Wharton extremely popular beyond her living years. In 1922, two years after winning the Pulitzer Prize for "The Age of Innocence," Wharton wrote "The Glimpses of the Moon." The novel centered around two young newlyweds, who arranged their marriage in order to take advantage of their wealthy friends' generosity. However, things do not end quite as they planned when they realize that marriage has truly changed them.