The House of Mirth in Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

Apr 20, 2012 Casey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: the-serious-lit, 1001-books, dear-ones, modern-library-top-100-novels

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 York's upper class, she repudiates "dinginess" and contents herself with her own loveliness and aptitude for society. However, she has lost her fortune, lost her parents, and cling 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 York's upper class, she repudiates "dinginess" 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, Lily's 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 couldn't 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 we're a bit better equipped to deal with the letdown.

But as much as Lily's world reminds me of ours, I must recognize that women living now are far better off than the "girls" 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 can't promise you'll enjoy it as much as I did, but I bet the story will continue to resonate long after you read the last page. ...more

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Jul 07, 2014 Slinkyboy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001

I cannot deny that I'm a fan of Edith Wharton...

"She had the art of giving self-confidence to the embarrassed, but she was not equally sure of being able to embarrass the self-confident."

"...it is almost as stupid to let your clothes betray that you know you are ugly as to have them proclaim that you think you are beautiful."

"'What is truth? Where a woman is concerned, it's the story that's easiest to believe. In this case it's a great deal easier to believe Bertha Dorset's story than mine, beca ...more

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