House Of Mirth (original 1905; edition 2006)

Moving and profoundly sad. Such a beautiful story written by a master of the English language. I cannot believe I waited so long to read this wonderful book. ( )

I can't believe I didn't read this book sooner, it's an absolutely fascinating look at Society at the turn of the twentieth century. The themes of money and independence resonate today just as they did back then and the characterisations are drawn vividly. I also enjoyed Wharton's prose, it's haunting, beautiful yet accessible. You could read the rest of my (rather lengthy) review on my blog (contains spoilers!): http://www.rulethewaves.net/blog/?p=6071 ( )

I can't believe I didn't read this book sooner, it's an absolutely fascinating look at Society at the turn of the twentieth century. The themes of money and independence resonate today just as they did back then and the characterisations are drawn vividly. I also enjoyed Wharton's prose, it's haunting, beautiful yet accessible. You could read the rest of my (rather lengthy) review on my blog (contains spoilers!): http://www.rulethewaves.net/blog/?p=6071 ( )

The House of Mirth is the tragedy of twenty-nine-year old Lily Bart who commits a series of egregious social faux pas that guarantee her downfall. Vain, a tease, pretentious, weak and bit stupid, Lily flits though the upper striatum of New York Society with a naïveté that is at odds with her upbringing. Trading in on her beauty and ability to charm the company she keeps, she flirts and snubs through parties on her way to… what? Unable to define her goals and discriminate to that end, she sabotages her opportunities on the premise of some vague morality. Though impoverished when her father is financially ruined and forced to live in a more circumscribed situation than what she was used to, she is nonetheless acculturated with the ways of the upper crust and thrives in the orbit of the wealthy. She knows the rules, the ways of the rich; and yet, she makes a series of incredulous decisions that defy not only convention, but common sense.

Edith Wharton has written a novel about societal Darwinism. Mrs. Astor’s 400 of The Gilded Age evolved, and arguably devolved, as established families lost money and standing and, new wealth and those of a “certain race” crept in. Those who failed to adapt would find themselves consigned to the fringes and even “out” altogether. The exposition of this process through a number of characters in the novel is extremely well portrayed, but none more so than with Lily herself. Lily finds herself caught in a time of transition into the new society at the turn of the century and struggling to adapt to newer circumstances. The novel is written with Lily’s voice and perspective (though technically in the 3rd person omniscient), yet, despite being privy to the inner workings of Lily’s mind which might lend understanding to her modus operandi, the reader finds a curious lack of the survival instinct.

If there is a failing of the novel, it would be that the reader can never come into full sympathy with the protagonist. Whatever you may think of Lily, as a romantic figure, tragic victim, insipid socialite… it’s nearly impossible to know Lily herself. Perhaps this is because Lily doesn’t have a clear definition of herself either. The reader, like her friends, never really knows Lily and it results in a series of misunderstandings. How can you have faith in someone you don’t really know and can’t get a handle on? As one of Lily’s erstwhile friends, Carry Fisher put it when trying to explicate Lily’s situation, “…but I never could understand you, Lily!” Edith Wharton doe not give the reader a special insight into Lily so we can only judge her instead of love her.
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At first this novel seemed to be an American version of Vanity Fair, only not as good. I found Lily to be a bit annoying which I never thought about Becky Sharpe. As the story proceeded, I realized that despite some similarities with Thackeray's work, The House of Mirth was its own story. Unfortunately, although my sympathy for Lily grew, she remained on the whole irritating. ( )