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The House of Mirth

By Edith Wharton
Series: Oxford World's Classics
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The House of Mirth follows Lily Bart, a beautiful but impoverished woman navigating New York’s high society in the early 20th century. As she seeks a wealthy husband to secure her position, Lily faces the crushing social expectations and limitations imposed on women of her era. Edith Wharton’s incisive narrative reveals the conflicts of family, marriage, and money through a sharp, modern lens.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This classic work suits readers interested in social drama, early 20th-century society, and feminist themes. Fans of literary fiction and cultural history will appreciate Wharton’s keen social observations and elegant prose.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Since its publication in 1905, The House of Mirth has commanded attention for the sharpness of Wharton's observations and the power of her style. Its heroine, Lily Bart, is beautiful, poor, and unmarried at 29. In her search for a husband with money and position, she betrays her own heart and sows the seeds of the tragedy that finally overwhelms her.

The House of Mirth is a lucid, disturbing analysis of the stifling limitations imposed upon women of Wharton's generation. Herself born into Old New York Society, Wharton watched as an entirely new set of people living by new codes of conduct entered the metropolitan scene. In telling the story of Lily Bart, who must marry to survive, Wharton recasts the age-old themes of family, marriage, and money in ways that transform the traditional novel of manners into an arresting modern document of cultural anthropology.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years, Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780199538102

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 November 2008

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Oxford University Press

Contributors:

  • Edited by Martha Banta

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 195.0mm

Weight: 254g

Pages: 368

Collections

Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Edith Wharton Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Series: Oxford World's Classics

About the Author

Professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles, Martha Banta is the author of Imaging American Women: Ideas and Ideals in Cultural History (New York, 1987).

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