'Beyond' George Eliot? Reconsidering Edith Wharton

Henry James recognized George Eliot as a formative influence on Edith Wharton and as an appropriate measure of her. In this article I question James' claim that Edith got 'beyond' Eliot, and I explore further Wharton's relationship to Eliot. Criticism has neglected this relationship. I substantiate it in order to challenge recent acclamations of Wharton.