The House of Mirth
Author: Edith Wharton
Rating: â 5/5
Date Read: 2012/05/06
Pages: 351
Sometimes a certain book comes around at a particularly serendipitous time, and changes, inexorably, the way one thinks about the world. The House of Mirth was such a book for me, although I cannot articulate precisely why.
Miss Lily Bart flits about in a social world that is at once familiar and foreign. Born into New Yorkâs upper class, she repudiates âdinginessâ and contents herself with her own loveliness and aptitude for society. However, she has lost her fortune, lost her parents, and clings to the upper crust by her thin and manicured fingers. Wharton recounts her tragic fall from belle du jour to scorned demimondaine, with the harsh reality of the situation juxtaposed with effulgent prose.
What do two women in their twenties, one living in 19th century New York, one in 21st century Chicago, have in common? At first blush, not much: that luxurious world of servants, long voyages abroad, and societal scandal feels removed from modern workaday life. However, Lilyâs world is not unlike our own, where the shrinking middle class means that life leaves us either disgustingly rich, or disgustingly poor. Lily had always been told that she needed a particular lifestyle, that she was born into it, that she could be nothing but rich. As I read her story, I couldnât help thinking about friends of mine, still unemployed college graduates. They, too, had been told that they were destined for a good job and a nice home, just so long as they spent a few years getting a college degree. But that shimmery world of opportunity exists about as much for us as it did for Lily Bart, although I hope weâre a bit better equipped to deal with the letdown.
But as much as Lilyâs world reminds me of ours, I must recognize that women living now are far better off than the âgirlsâ moving through turn-of-the-century society. No one balks when women deign to support themselves with a job, even in retail. Friends do not propose that our troubles would be solved if we just married rich. And a woman who vows to no longer live beyond her means, who accepts honest work so that she can pay her debts, would not be considered an inspiration, as opposed to a cautionary tale.
The House of Mirth is worth reading, for the scandalous story, the sordid characters, the masterful writing. I canât promise youâll enjoy it as much as I did, but I bet the story will continue to resonate long after you read the last page.