The House of Mirth | Techniques
The House of Mirth is a traditional realistic novel. A carefully plotted work, much of the plot depends on coincidence and the misreading of appearances. For example, Lawrence Selden decides to propose to Lily Bart, only to see her leaving Gus Trenor's Fifth Avenue dwelling late at night. He assumes the worst about her and leaves for the Caribbean instead of proposing. Similarly, Lily comes to possess Bertha Dorset's love letters to Lawrence Selden because a cleaning lady saw her leaving Selden's apartment and assumed that she must be his mistress. Nearly every important twist in...
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