Wharton's Contemporaries (Kinda)

I was thinking recently about what exactly could a contemporary of Edith Wharton be?  I found myself scratching a hole in my head because I think society has changed so much that it isn’t really possible for one.  Our culture nowadays seems to vilify the wealthy much more than they possibly did in her day.  Yes, Wharton doesn’t always paint the best picture of the lifestyle and the people of the upper-upper-class, instead analyzing and critiquing the social norms.  Instead today, most people who are rich in creative media are one-dimensional characters that are placeholders for the villain.  Rich somehow has become a stigma of bad character, instead of just having a bad character that just happens to be within the society, or good characters trying to break free of society.  One example I can think of, not because of its critical merits but because of its popularity, is many of the reality T.V. show on the Bravo network: Real Housewives of Where ever, Millionaire Matchmaker, Shahs of Sunset, etc.  The people on these shows, from the little I have watched over at my neighbors, paint these characters to be bickering, nagging, complaining, simpletons.  They seem to, intestinally or not, criticize this lifestyle and how silly their problems are.  Another modernish example is the movie Arthur (the one with Dudley Moore, instead of the wacky leather-pants-wearing Russell Brand [even if they are the same story, I just loathe Russell Brand]).  Arthur has to not only get over his own drinking problems, but also overcome the issue of the societal expectations that are unwillingly placed upon him.  Something that relates to Ethan Frome: Arthur initially chooses his money over Liza Minnelli, showing his ability to decide and follow through much better than Ethan, who doesn’t run away with Mattie out of fear of losing his money.  That being said, the tone and style of the story and how it’s told is completely different from Wharton.  However, one movie of recent memory does, what I think, parallel the style of Wharton, is the Italian film, I am Love.  I am Love is a story about a wealthy industrial family, which starts to split at the seams under a crushing standard of expectations and manners.  The film is subtle and straightforward; there isn’t any flowery music or any close-up emotional shots.  It all takes place as if you were just standing in the room, watching.  It takes attention from the observer, and makes its points with a fine drill, instead of a sledgehammer, much like Wharton does in her finest work.