Record Number |
706190 |
ISBN |
9780553904451 (electronic bk. : Adobe Reader) |
Author |
Wharton, Edith, 1862-1937 |
Title |
The house of mirth [electronic resource] / Edith Wharton ; with an introduction by R.W.B. Lewis. |
Edition |
Bantam reissue |
Publisher/Date |
New York : Bantam Classic, 2008. |
Pagination etc. |
xxi, 434 p. ; 18 cm. |
Bibliography, etc. note |
Includes bibliographical references (p. [432]-434). |
Summary Note |
Edith Wharton depicts the glittering salons of Gilded Age New York with precision and wit, even as she movingly portrays the obstacles that impeded women's choices at the turn of the century. The beautiful, much-desired Lily Bart has been raised to be one of the perfect wives of the wealthy upper class, but her spark of character and independent drive prevents her from becoming one of the many women who will succeed in those circles. Though her desire for a comfortable life means that she cannot marry for love without money, her resistance to the rules of the social elite endangers her many marriage proposals. As Lily spirals down into debt and dishonor, her story takes on the resonance of classic tragedy. One of Wharton's most bracing and nuanced portraits of the life of women in a hostile, highly ordered world, The House of Mirth exposes the truths about American high society that its denizens most wished to deny. |
Subject |
Single women -- New York (State)New York -- 19th century -- Fiction |
Social classes -- New York (State)New York -- 19th century -- Fiction |
Upper class -- New York (State)New York -- 19th century -- Fiction |
Women -- New York (State)New York -- Social conditions -- 19th century -- Fiction |
New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction |
New York (N.Y.) -- 19th century -- Fiction |
Historical fiction. |
Electronic books. |
Internet Site |
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