The House of Mirth (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Edith Wharton
- First Published: 1905
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Naturalism
- Time of Work: Early twentieth century
- Setting: New York
- Principal Characters: Lily Bart, Lawrence Selden, Simon Rosedale, Percy Gryce, Gus Trenor, Judy Trenor, Bertha Dorset, George Dorset
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Naturalistic literature, Didactic literature
- Subjects: Values, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Love or romance, Suicide, Twentieth century, New York City, Social issues, Marriage, Betrayal, Class consciousness, Manners or customs, Social life, Blackmail, Upper classes, Greed, Truthfulness and falsehood, Ambition, Gossip, Wealth, Scandal, Finance
- Locales: New York
The Story:
Lawrence Selden enjoyed watching Lily Bart put a new plan into operation. She was a very beautiful and clever young lady, and no matter how impromptu any action of hers appeared, Selden knew that she never made an unplanned move. Lily had almost no money of her own; her beauty and her good family background were her only assets. Her father had died soon after a reversal of his financial affairs, and her mother had drilled into her the idea that a wealthy marriage was her only salvation. After her mother’s death, Lily was taken in by her aunt, Mrs. Peniston, who...
[The entire page is 2473 words long]
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