Wharton's novel is alternately described as a satire of New York City's wealthy and a
tragedy
about a physically attractive woman whose beauty causes men to desire to possess her and women to be jealous of her.
Is House of Mirth a classic?
The House of Mirth was
the first literary classic
that I picked up entirely on my own, without prodding from a teacher or a parent, and adored. … On its surface, The House of Mirth reads like a 19th-century novel.
Is The House of Mirth a tragedy?
Wharton's novel is alternately described as a satire of New York City's wealthy and a
tragedy
about a physically attractive woman whose beauty causes men to desire to possess her and women to be jealous of her.
What is the theme of The House of Mirth?
The main theme of The House of Mirth is
the economic position of women in upper class U.S. society at the beginning of the century
. Denied legitimate means of self-support, women were forced to make themselves beautiful and submissively charming to marry a wealthy man or they faced poverty or dependency.
Why is House of Mirth called House of Mirth?
The title comes from a line in the Hebrew Bible, Ecclesiastes 7:4 to be more specific: “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning;
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth
.” In other words, wise people think about death and loss and other serious matters, while foolish people are busy thinking of only …
Is Lily Bart poor?
The House of Mirth is a 1905 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It tells the story of Lily Bart, a well-born but
impoverished
woman belonging to New York City's high society around the end of the 19th century.
Is Lily Bart a tragic hero?
Abstract. This monograph is about Miss Lily Bart who is the main protagonist in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth. She is
a female tragic hero
in this novel, and she has the main characteristics of a tragic hero according to the Aristotelian tragedy.
How does The House of Mirth end?
The novel ends
with Selden and Lily, alone together at last
, as he realizes how much he loved her and how his own cowardice had kept them apart at the crucial moment when they could have been married.
What year is House of Mirth set in?
The film, which takes place during
1905-07
, depicts several characters attending a performance of the opera “Cosi fan tutte” – but that opera was first performed in New York in 1922.
When was House mirth written?
The House of Mirth, published in
1905
, marks Edith Wharton's emergence as one of America's greatest writers.
Who does Lily Bart end up with?
After seeing him perform, the two end up spending the night together at a hotel. In the season finale Much ‘I Do' About Nothing, Lily prepares for her wedding to Bart. He asks her once and for all to let
Rufus
go, and she agrees to. They end up marrying and plan to spend the summer renovating her penthouse.
How old is Lily Bart?
Lily is
twenty-nine when
the novel begins and though her beauty has lasted she has also known eleven years of late nights and hard dancing.
What does Lily Bart want?
The protagonist of the novel, Lily Bart, is a beautiful young woman searching for
the right husband
who will give her the money and status to remain in upper-class New York social circles.
Is Lily Bart a moral person?
By breaking the social rule and taking money from Gus,
Lily compromises herself morally
: he essentially propositions her for sex as a result. But, in other cases, social convention conflicts with morality. According to society, Lily ought to marry a man like Percy Gryce.
Who is the protagonist in House of Mirth?
Lily Bart
.
Lily
, the novel's protagonist, is an unmarried 29-nine-year-old woman who desires to be a social success. Her mission is to marry a relatively wealthy man, thereby ensuring her financial stability and a place in the higher levels of New York society.
What is the word at the end of House of Mirth?
If you want to wrap this up and slap a bow on it, you could read an essay by scholar James Gargano called “
House of Mirth: Social Futility and Faith
.” He argues that the “word” really is just one single word, and that that single word is “faith.” Lily has to learn to take a leap of faith by marrying Selden, by living …
