The House of Mirth

Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect.
Review: Prior to reading The House of Mirth, I had read both The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome. The House of Mirth deals with moneyed New York families, as does The Age of Innocence, but The House of Mirth has a more serious tone and a more tragic storyline, in that the main character is a woman who is a victim of her times. Lily Bart lives in an era when to be poor is the worst punishment of New York society. The idea of having to work for a living is untenable. Her goal in life is to marry well, but she struggles with the idea of abandoning her goals for true happiness just to marry well. The story deals with her misadventures in society, and the sometimes painful price her relatives and friends extract from her in exchange for financial support. This is a very enjoyable, although sad, novel, and I recommend it particularly to those who have already read some Edith Wharton and wish to round out their selection of writing.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant but oh so bleak...
Review: "The House of Mirth" is a rich, nuanced study of New York upper class at the turn of the century. It is also a portrait of a single, beautiful, no longer so young (29-it is the turn of the century woman) struggling to survive in this society. This book will break your heart.
Lily Bart is nearly penniless, not an unusual condition for the heroine of a novel. However, in her case, she does not exist in the lower classes and is not struggling to make her way to the top. Instead, she has been born at the top and she lives in a world where breeding, beauty and money (preferably of an older vintage) matter the most. Bart possesses the first two attributes and she is using them to gain the third.
Bart's only hope for survival in the world of Old New York society is to make an advantageous marriage and in her case it has to be to someone wealthy. The book details the various compromises she can make--basically, the coarser the person, the higher a price he is willing to pay for her breeding.
Several themes run through this book: money, of course, and the various forms it takes in "society" (e.g., old money, new money, newer money); class (the book has many anti-semitic references to a wealthy individual who is Jewish--and who is willing to pay a high price for Lily initially); integrity (which basically belongs to those of such older families as Lily's); and finally, true love, which comes in the form of Selden, a young, poor but well bred New Yorker, whom Lily loves in spite of herself.
Wharton depicts Lily's downward course in the world. In many ways, Wharton's heroine travels in the opposite direction of characters in books like Dreiser's: a dreiser character might begin in poverty, sacrifice her virtue and integrity, and rise up in the world. In Lily's case, the more she holds on to her integrity, the harder she falls in the world.

I would recommend this book to those who like 19th and early 20th century American and British fiction. IN addition, those individuals who enjoy women's books from all eras should appreciate "The House of Mirth."

Rating:
Summary: Don't accept imitations
Review: This is the original "Sex and the City" and a century and the alleged sexual revolution have not lessened its sting. Any single woman of the present day can recognize some of herself in Lily Bart--the optimism, the refusal to settle, the accumulating horrors of growing old in the sexual marketplace. Even the economic details aren't far off--it's a nasty struggle to make it on your own in New York, and a lot of women seem to count on an "ATM" (see "Bergdorf Blondes") or rich boyfriend to make ends meet. As the years pass, this becomes less of an option, and all of us fear the modern version of the drudgery that Lily endures toward the end. A thought-provoking if somewhat depressing story, full of lavish period detail and Wharton's trademark precise and elegant prose. Read it and weep.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant but oh so bleak...
Review: "The House of Mirth" is a rich, nuanced study of New York upper class at the turn of the century. It is also a portrait of a single, beautiful, no longer so young (29-it is the turn of the century woman) struggling to survive in this society. This book will break your heart.
Lily Bart is nearly penniless, not an unusual condition for the heroine of a novel. However, in her case, she does not exist in the lower classes and is not struggling to make her way to the top. Instead, she has been born at the top and she lives in a world where breeding, beauty and money (preferably of an older vintage) matter the most. Bart possesses the first two attributes and she is using them to gain the third.
Bart's only hope for survival in the world of Old New York society is to make an advantageous marriage and in her case it has to be to someone wealthy. The book details the various compromises she can make--basically, the coarser the person, the higher a price he is willing to pay for her breeding.
Several themes run through this book: money, of course, and the various forms it takes in "society" (e.g., old money, new money, newer money); class (the book has many anti-semitic references to a wealthy individual who is Jewish--and who is willing to pay a high price for Lily initially); integrity (which basically belongs to those of such older families as Lily's); and finally, true love, which comes in the form of Selden, a young, poor but well bred New Yorker, whom Lily loves in spite of herself.
Wharton depicts Lily's downward course in the world. In many ways, Wharton's heroine travels in the opposite direction of characters in books like Dreiser's: a dreiser character might begin in poverty, sacrifice her virtue and integrity, and rise up in the world. In Lily's case, the more she holds on to her integrity, the harder she falls in the world.

I would recommend this book to those who like 19th and early 20th century American and British fiction. IN addition, those individuals who enjoy women's books from all eras should appreciate "The House of Mirth."

Rating:
Summary: The enigma of Lily Bart
Review: Can anyone truly tell me under what category our enigmatic Lily Bart should be placed? She's such....well.. an enigma, that she's difficult to put a finger on (no pun intended). Is she an antihero, a bona fide heroine, or somewhere stuck in the middle? In any event, at times I shook my head in disgust at some of her less than wise decisions, while I applauded and cheered as she undergoes a striking, yet tumultuous, epiphany of sorts that makes her all the more endearing and palpably real to the reader.

Seemingly infinite wealth, preeminent social status, and unmitigated decadence form the shaky foundation of Edith Wharton's fictional and frictional, yet highly plausible, house -- a house that, ironically enough, is conspicuously devoid of mirth. There exists, however, a method to Wharton's madness. As the bible verse(Ecl 7:4) states from which she nabbed the title, "...the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." As Lily is inexorably extricated from this house of miserable frivolity, I found it increasingly difficult to nonchalantly label Lily a failure, but rather as a heroine of noble courage.

The sheer genius of Wharton's amazingly fluid and enormously readable prose deftly concludes with "the word which made all clear" for Lily Bart and Lawrence Selden. The beauty of this is that Wharton does not lower herself and overtly spell it out to the reader as so many hackneyed authors do; instead, she places her blind faith in the astuteness of the reader to discern for oneself.

Note: for those ordering the large print version, it is well worth it for the contemporary reviews written in 1905 as well as Edith Wharton's correspondences to Charles Scribner, but do not, however, read the intro by Elizabeth Hardwick before the text due to the fact that she inexcusably reveals the denouement in her so-called "introduction."

Rating:
Summary: Mirth? I think not...
Review: Review of "The House Of Mirth"
Stephanie Grumbacher

Edith Wharton's classic, "The House of Mirth", while written well, was flawed in several ways. Wharton's over-dramatic tale of a social climbing girl who needed to grow up lacked emotion altogether. Lily Bart, who is considered a heroine in nineteenth century literature, drags on in unhappiness for 310 pages without ever stopping to think logically about her money or use of time, ending up poor and lonely. She is what women of 2004 would look down upon with disgust: fragile and weak. Yet the book pulls the reader in by trying to understand why Bart would do the things she does. The book becomes seemingly unbearable by Bart's actions, but addicting in a way that you want to see if Lily will come to her senses.

What the novel lacks in description it makes up for in its accurate portrayal of high profile society in the 1800's. Socialites like Bertha Dorset, who used their popularity and "rank" to keep her hold on people. Simon Rosedale thought that his money could get him whatever he wanted, including Lily. As for the dynamic in Lawrence Seldon and Bart's relationship, it lacked depth altogether. It seemed Lily only had one love, that being herself. "The House of Mirth", while an interesting look into the past, was overly drawn out and almost painful to read at points.

Rating:
Summary: Good piece of classical literature
Review: For those individuals who complain about poorly developed characters, this is the book for you. Lily Bart, and most of the other characters in this novel, are well fleshed out. Athough Lily Bart is a classically flawed character, you understand her motivations and those of the other individuals reacting to her. The novel is quite readable and although I am not sure that it should have made the list of the top novels of the 20th century, it is certainly a worthwhile classic to read. It does not end happily; as Anna Quindlen states in the intro, you really can hear a heartbreak at the end of a novel.

Rating:
Summary: 3 and 1/2 Stars -- A brutal comedy of manners
Review: The House of Mirth is the book that established Edith Wharton as a major writer. As such, it is not the future Pulitzer Prize-winner's best book, though it does have its strong points. The comedy of manners, particularly around the turn of the 20th century, was effectively monopolized by British literature; this book is one of American literature's first successful books of the type. As such, it is a book distinctly of its time: its setting is certainly not universal; arguably neither is its theme. And yet, the book has been in continual publication for nearly a century for several good reasons. First of all, like her good friend Henry James, Wharton was a master prose stylist. Smart, sophisticated, and witty, her prose is perfectly-suited for a book of this type. Many of the book's features place it squarely in Victorian-era America, in the cradle of New York's upper-class -- in other words, square in the middle of the Gilded Age. The era's infamous social etiquette is on full display here: one that knows little of it will come away from the book knowing much. In the middle of this situation, then, is the book's protagonist: Lily Bart. Wharton uses the story of Bart's rapid downfall to satirize several aspects of New York's turn-of-the-century upper-class society: its selfishness, cruelty, and blindness; its preoccupation with gossip and its disdain for truth; its inhumane treatment of those it believes to be inferior; and more. The book also focuses on the situation that a young lady who was born and bred from the cradle to be rich and taught no skills other than how to woo a rich man into marriage -- a woman, in short, like Lily -- was often forced into at the time. Lily, despite being the most prized beauty of the entire scene, has a seemingly-perverse record of failing to marry rich men whom she has under her thumb. In this, we find Lily to be something of an essentially contradictory character: not a mere gold digger, but hardly a rebel, either. When she is ejected from society's upper echelons, she does not become strong and individualistic: she crumbles. It is in this aspect that the book differs so greatly from present-day culture and ideas about women. This is, by no means, a feminist book: strong-minded women reading this book today, unless they look upon it from a purely-literary viewpoint, will not only despise it, but hate Lily for her failure to stand up for herself. This is an anachronistic reading of the book, of course, but it is precisely the reason why the book's relevance to the contemporary world is questionable at best (this point is illustrated by the largely-unsuccessful recent film adaptation.) Still, the book is both a penetrating comedy of manners and a fascinating period piece. Its exquisite writing style also is quite remarkable, and this is an essential book for prose stylists. This book comes highly-recommended for fans of the works of E.M. Forster and Kate Chopin's The Awakening -- and, of course, of Wharton's other writings. For a truly great work from this author, though, read Ethan Frome.

Rating:
Summary: The House of Mirth
Review: Again Ms. Wharton satirizes the American social elite of the 'gay nineties'. Lily Bart reaches the age where she must get married to save her social status. Unfortunately for Lily she can not make the committment to forego love for convenience.

Lily keeps her emotions for Jack Stepney in check even though she feels some spark. Lily's pride prevents her from finding happiness and leads to her ultimte undoing.

The House of Mirth is better than The Age of Innocence.

Rating:
Summary: Where the heart of the fools is
Review: It is a strange society. Everybody is being watched, every single move, words; they dress code reveals a lot: women with big hats, men with fancy suits and top hats. This is the society they are trapped into. It is very hard to get into it, and easy to be dumped out of. This is the world where Edith Wharton's characters from 'The House of Mirth' inhabit: the early XX Century New York. Actually this is the world where Wharton herself lived in.

Lily Bart is a marriageable orphan who is trying to marry a rich man. Her first victim is Percy Gryce, a very rich and insecure man, guided by his mother. When this attempt fails, her friendship with Laurence Selden almost leads to a match, but rumors of her being friends with married man, only brings her ruin and social exclusion. A series of unfortunate events --among them losing money in gambling-- and a very mean 'friend' called Bertha Dorset lead Lily to the ruin.

More than anything, 'The House of Mirth' is a study of the social condition of the New Yorker wealthy women in the early XX century. Rather than being a heroine, Lily is a human being struggling with her problems. She is neither rich nor strong enough to be independent, so that marriage is the only way of keeping a comfortable life, unlikely man. Early in the novel, Lily and Selden are discussing marriages and she says that 'a girl must, a man may if he chooses'. This states clear the difference of men and women, the lack of freedom, and the way people have to live under the social establishment if they want to succeed.

Writing as an insider --and so she was-- Wharton is able to give a faithful and acid view of that society. Inspired from a verse in the Bible, she titled the novel with a wonderful contradiction; there is neither a 'house', nor 'mirth' in the novel. They both are very abstract ideas that we get from the book.

'[Lily Bart was] so evidently the victim of the civilization which had produced here, that the links of her bracelet seemed line manacles chaining her to her fate'. I believe the writer felt this same way --maybe that's why she moved to Europe and lived there for many years. Personal connections to the book aside, Edith Wharton has written one of the best American books of the XX Century. Her prose is brilliant, and her story engaging.