The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton · 1862–1937 · USA
Why it matters
Lily Bart, beautiful and almost ruthless enough, is priced out of old New York marriage market by degrees. Society as a machine for destroying women who hesitate: Wharton's coldest, finest tragedy.
At a glance
tragedypsychological novel
Difficulty 5/10medium pace342 pagesElegant but socially dense prose tracks the subtle status codes of old New York.
Deep dive
Wharton's coldest trick is narrative, not plot: a heroine punished at every turn for scruples the novel never quite lets her — or the reader — call virtue.
Where to go next
Edith Wharton · 1920The Age of InnocenceLvl 4Medium pace
Henry James · 1881The Portrait of a LadyLvl 6Slow burn
Willa Cather · 1918My ÁntoniaLvl 3Medium pace
Thomas Hardy · 1891Tess of the d'UrbervillesLvl 4Medium pace
Gustave Flaubert · 1857Madame BovaryLvl 5Slow burn
James Baldwin · 1956Giovanni's RoomLvl 5Medium pace