The House of Mirth (Signet Classics) by Edith Wharton (2000-02-01)

Book Review
HOUSE OF MIRTH
This classic novel revolves around Lily Bart. She is the only person in the novel with dimension. The others are tools for her demonstration and destruction. Lily is presented as a lesson in conditioning. Her character is fixed and permanent. She does not learn from life, only is diminished by it, though she has some distant understanding that, at the end, there was little she could have done to alter the inevitable. The novel would be grim and foreboding if the style were not so distinguished and the analysis of the heroine and the society in which she lives so compelling and repulsive.

Before returning to Lily Bart, something must be said of the fin de siecle New York moneyed class on the edge of which she lives. The people presented in the novel are mostly shallow, talentless, in fact meaningless. Selden, Gerty Farish and Rosedale are the exceptions. The others have appetites but no taste, copying one another as sharks do in a feeding frenzy, but maintaining their position by violent defense of their privileges. Each is classed by money and the length of time it is possessed. The mind, in their view, is an organ of little value unless it is an engine that permits more money to be acquired and promotes further ascent on the social ladder. Nothing has value unless it is confirmed by someone else. Everything is acquired but temporary. They are as vulgar as the British upper classes but without the structure and fittings of royalty and title. Perhaps, in Ms Wharton's view, the villain of the story is democracy in America that lifts people who are in truth so low so high. And then envies and applauds the miracle performed.

Lily is part of the decoration, a tool for entertainment and use which when it loses its purpose is cast aside, dismissed and forgotten. Were she a horse her destiny would be glue. If she had not certain definitions of conduct, she would inexorably have become a prostitute. But even for that role, she does not have aptitude. She must marry wealth. It is her mantra. Money is the buoy that will save her from drowning but there is a fatal indecision in her conduct and a taste for decency which defeats her impulse to survive. After exploring a few brief years of existence from twenty-nine to the low thirties, there is no role in the end for which she is fit other than corpse. Which she plays very well though unremarked by the society she esteems and despises.

The society that Ms Wharton presents is peopled by wealthy vauriens who have no purpose but status. Their prized activity is consuming and elbows. They are bicyclists bowing down in servility before those above them and pounding down as hard as they can on those beneath. They make no mark on time or place, only engulfing everything of value to their peers. They hold in contempt all under them and are devoured by fear of all above. They are predators who never are replete and visitors like Lily have no role but as prey. Of course were she to acquire a wealthy husband, she would instantly alter status and be classified after a short apprenticeship as ONE OF US. Though Wharton shows a few British upper class characters for contrast, they are done with so little emphasis that we readers don't understand the vital difference between the American rich and the British aristocrats. Both groups worship money but the Americans breath it and without it, they lose purpose. The British aristos are convinced of their actual worth which is independent of possessions, founded on history and a system of place which is permanent unless some truly catastrophic conduct intervenes. Wharton's Americans are vulgarians and not the least of the tragedy in this book is the energy and drive Lily employs to attain a place among these unremarkable plutocrats.

To sum up, Ms Wharton wants to demonstrate in a brief and heavily selected form the society of New York at the turn of the century. She shows perhaps ten or fifteen specimens and a limited number of scenes in which they interact, feeding on whatever is esteemed by a peer, and despising in unison whatever at the moment is considered unsuitable. Anything that threatens money is the most unsuitable of all, of course. Ms. Wharton succeeds in her task, presenting a loathsome but convincing pack of wealthy jackals, chewing up every comestible before them. They are thoughtless and reflect a collective rascality which goes for purposeful conduct and earns them esteem from anyone who fears or hopes to gain from them. The interchange of fear and greed motivates everything they do. Just as in the stock market, the players go from greed descending the Slopes of Hope and fear ascending the Walls of Worry. The social game has rules which are known and obeyed. They can be broken only by those few with the most, but the rules are created to maintain just those few so they have little incentive to diminish their advantages. So I have suggested Wharton's purpose and agreed that she has achieved it classically.

Lily is shown always as the suppliant, someone of little stature. Her dreams are few and modest. She is presented as severely conditioned, unable to develope. She is fulfilled by the clothes she wears, the society she frequents, and the latest attitude she presents. She takes little space and it grows less as the book develops, ending finally in the contemptible boarding house room with its narrow single bed and sparse light. As an inept milliner-seamstress, she excites little pity from others and only a measured sympathy from herself. A classical tragedy causes a heightened awareness of the cruelty of life and focuses on an ill-chosen action, but this tragedy is a domestic misfortune that is sad and of brief duration.

The remaining question then is a literary one of where this work stands. The main character, Lily Bart, is memorable but in silhouette. She is a tragic figure, but since her major dream is contemptible, it discolors everything else including the sweetness and true gentleness of her person. All the other characters are flat and forgettable, necessary only for Lily's ruin, so the book stands and falls entirely on Lily whose shoulders are not constructed for such heavy-lifting. So The House of Mirth takes its place in the high upper ranges of the second rank. The writing is faultless and the style estimable, but the contents are soon overcast by haze and, if not forgotten, not remembered with great acuity.
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An incredible journey of love, fear, and the need to belong. Two themes that run thick through this novel are that of self-awareness and identity and of the true price of mirth. The piece is set in a different period, but - like much of Wharton's writing - this pieces begs to be categorized as a gothic romance.

This is an excellent book that remains relevant for today's audiences. It is an extremely well written work that explores themes regarding women and upper class New York City society consistent with many of her other works. A predictable dreary ending mars the work, in my opinion.

This was recommended on The Slate Culture Gabfest podcast so I thought I would give it a try to fill in some of my classics reading. I really liked it! The protagonist is very sympathetic and considering it's very personal, shallow stuff at stake, it is pretty compelling.

I enjoyed the story. For me the writing style seemed somewhat flowery which was probably the style of the day. It was interesting to me to see the differences in speech, thought and behavior of men and women compared to now.

In the midst of postmodernism it seems more dated that I remembered it from when I first read it some 50 years ago. Still, it marks a measure for where people were then and the distance from then to the present. Such tradeoffs, both in form as well as content. A worthwhile imaginative experience.

Edith Wharton has created a story that is still so relevant for many of us today. There are no perfect people in this book; each character has his or her faults (some more than others), and that is part of what makes this story great; it is realistic. Get off the computer now and read!

This is a recent, no frills edition published by the Freeriver Community. It's printed like a manuscript, with one chapter beginning immediately and often at the bottom of the same page that the preceding chapter ends. The font size could be bigger. The cover graphic is lovely.
Edith Wharton is definitely the master story-teller about society in old New York at the end of the 19 Century, coinciding with the French "Belle Epoque." Lily Bart is striving to maintain social status with limited funds, relying on her beauty, charms and the charity of friends and family. For Downton fans, she's a contemporary of Lady Cora and would share her society before Lady Cora married the Earl of Grantham. Lily Bart has the same goal in mind; to marry well, preferably a man with a title. It's a worthwhile read for the look into the social norms of the late 19th Century and the double standards women endured. A word of caution, the treatment of one particular character would not be appreciated today. It's subtly anti-Semitic and would not be considered politically correct.

Sad book. Lily you kept cheering for but she never could make a "right" decision. She held to many secrets that let to her end when she didn't have to hold them. Not sure if that makes her good or bad?

Fascinating study of a brilliant and beautiful woman ultimately destroyed by both her indecisiveness and the misplaced values she shares with her world. Set more than a century ago, it remains stunningly relevant..

The intimacy with which Wharton reveals her heroine, Lily Bart, makes her choices poignantly heroic though sadly unfortunate. Her character deepens as her troubles overwhelm her and Wharton's imagery renders her self-sacrifice both bitter and sweet. Seldon, like Angel Claire, understands too late what he has lost by pride and a soul depleting withholding of affection. In judging Lily too harshly, he sacrifices his own happiness and a shared life in a true house of mirth.

I love Edith Wharton. Fell in love with her books as a youth and reread them every couple years. This book is the one that always makes me catch my breath and wonder aloud how anyone can write this well. It is utterly heartbreaking.

I can't classify this book- not comedy, mystery, or romance like may Victorian tales. It's more a look into society in the 1900s and how social standing is everything. Girls in high society were raised with few skills, and the main character, Lily had one gift- she was pretty, when her money was gone she was able to live off her friends - for a while, until her poverty became obvious. Then she became a social leper, her friends avoided her as if they might catch what she had. What she didn't have was the skills to earn a living- this story traces the character's descent from being a "must invite" to the gentry's parties to drug addicted poverty. I found Lily to be frivolous and not always likable- she depended on her looks to support her in the lifestyle she aspired to and scoffed at many opportunities that could have prevented her downfall. Still, it is a book worth reading and closer to the reality of what life was like in those years.

This was a beautifully written story but very depressing. I'm glad I read it but found it a little too wordy at times which was why I gave it four stars. I liked The Age of Innocence much better and will read more of her books.

This is another one of Edith Wharton's better books. For those of you who prefer the less sensational writings of today, Wharton provides excellent glimpses into life during the late 19th and early 20th century, mostly among the wealthy, largely idle 'upper class' of New York and the Hamptons.

This book was an interesting glimpse into the lives of upper class New Yorkers in the early 1900s. There wasn't much action, and it went on just a little too long, but it was easy to see why this book caused controversy at the time of its original publication.

Anyone who reads Wharton knows what a in-depth view she gives of life. Her descriptions are incredibly detailed. This is not plot driven and is for those who don't enjoy detail and description of 19th century.

I read this for the second time recently. The first time was 20 years ago and, although I remembered I liked it, I did not recall much else. I was struck by it this time--perhaps it is better for more mature readers.

Book has an unforgettable ending - one that I will never forget. I had just read Wharton's Age of Innocence, and I was expecting this book to be similar. In some ways it was - time frame, mannerisms of characters, but I enjoyed Age better.

I love the beautiful cover and the artwork on the sleeve. If you have a difficult time with fine print this is not the selection you should make, or at least have a good pair of readers handy if you do make this selection.

The story is wonderful and Edith Wharton is an exceptional author.

Unfortunately, this Penguin Classics press is the worst printed book I have ever seen. The pages are not printed consistently and the ink seems to have bled. The front cover doesn't even align properly with the pages and leaves them partially uncovered. It's incredibly poor quality. Don't bother buying this copy if you can get your hands on another. Usually, penguin classics are well done, but this was a huge disappointment.

I also received this "new" book in a damaged condition. I've ordered used books in "good" condition that were in better shape. The shipping box was fine so it had to have been packaged this way.

Two things this novel is not: Feminist literature; a manners novel. Don't get me wrong, both can be found within its pages, but the wider perspective is much broader. The fun part is that it is also a fabulous read. When the novel was not causing me to conduct raging debates in my thoughts, it was thoroughly enjoyable entertainment. What a word smith Wharton is.

House of Mirth was interesting because it was written at the beginning of women's suffragism. Edith Wharton came from a wealthy family, the elite of New York. She was considered a kook in her American social circles. Fared much better in Europe. She was sort of our American Oscar Wilde, poking fun at the social fakery of the time - of the gilded age. I liked her writing but it was a bit stilted. (That's a judgement from the modern age of 2015.) Still, she was a revolutionary thinker. It didn't hurt that she had a very rich daddy and could live well. A poor girl at that time - wouldn't have done so well embracing such rebelliousness. The heroine of this novel is self sabotaging, ruins herself trying to leverage up in suitors. She needed, wanted money and position. The only good guy in the story - she gave the boot to and went on to ruin herself. She had some vices, too. Gambling. It's a tale of the price we pay for what we pursue. Worth reading.

This novel illuminates what "Old New York" was like for women. Raised to be an ornamental wife, Lily Bart painfully navigates rigid class structures and the politics of the wealthy set in NYC. Marriage had little to do with love and much to do with consolidation of wealth and power. This story reveals how tenuous life for women of this era could be and how vacuous wealth and social status are.

a beautiful classic, psychologically and artistically. Edith Wharton has a rare understanding of the human response, and can articulate the complex motives and understands of various characters. We do get to see life as it happens -- or doesn't.

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. Illustrated by A. B. Wenzell.

This novel offers a social commentary on the lifestyles and behavior of super-rich society. The House of Mirth is one of my all-time favorite books.

Thought this was a well written, interesting book taking place in the Edwardian period. Interesting to learn more about the mores of the time. However, I didn't like the ending even though I'm not sure there could have been a happier ending in that time period. Considering it was Edith Wharton's first novel, it was well done.