Edith Wharton s classic novel The House of Mirth is a brillaint expos of the pretense and greed of fashionable New York Society.
With an Introduction by Anna Quindlen.
A brilliant portrayal of both human frailty and nobility and a bitter attack on false social values The House of Mirth has been hailed by Louis Auchincloss as uniquely authentic among American novels of manners.
But her good taste and moral sensibility render her unfit for survival in a vulgar society whose glittering social edifice is based on a foundation of pure greed.
In this devastatingly accurate and finely wrought tale Lily Bart the poor relation of a wealthy woman is beautiful intelligent and hopelessly addicted to the moneyed world of luxury and grace.
In The House of Mirth which helped to establish Edith Wharton s literary reputation she honed her acerbic style and discovered her defining subject the fashionable New York society in which she had been raised and that held the power to debase both people and ideals.
Edith Wharton s classic novel The House of Mirth is a brillaint expos of the pretense and greed of fashionable New York Society
