Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth: A CasebookCarol J. Singley Edith Wharton is recognized as one of the twentieth century's most important American writers. The House of Mirth not only initiated three decades of Wharton's popular and critical acclaim, it helped move women's literature into a new place of achievement and prominence. The House of Mirth is perhaps Wharton's best-known and most frequently read novel, and scholars and teachers consider it an essential introduction to Wharton and her work. The novel, moreover, lends itself to a variety of topics of inquiry and critical approaches of interest to readers at various levels. This casebook collects critical essays addressing a broad spectrum of topics and utilizing a range of critical and theoretical approaches. It also includes Wharton's introduction to the 1936 edition of the novel and her discussion of the composition of the novel from her autobiography. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
A Backward Glance | 27 |
Introduction to the 1936 Edition of The House of Mirth | 31 |
Whartons House of Mirth | 39 |
Edith Whartons The House of Mirth | 63 |
Crowded Spaces in The House of Mirth | 85 |
A Novel of Admonition | 107 |
The Silent Close of The House of Mirth | 131 |
A Study in Point of View | 163 |
Narcissism in The House of Mirth | 181 |
Lily Bart and the Drama of Femininity | 209 |
Narrative Form and Commodity Spectacle in US Naturalist Fiction | 229 |
Representation and Authenticity in The House of Mirth and The Custom of the Country | 271 |
Staging Race and Class in The House of Mirth | 299 |
331 | |
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Common terms and phrases
American appearance beauty become Bertha body called Carrie century character commodity consumer critics crowd culture death described desire domestic economic Edith Wharton effect essay exchange face fact fashionable feel female feminine fiction figure final force friends gender give hand Henry heroine House of Mirth identity imagination interest James Jews kind language less letters Lily Bart Lily’s literary lives look male marriage marry means moral narrative nature never notes novel object observed once opening play position possibilities present produced question race racial reader relation remains represent Review role Rosedale scene seems Selden sense sexual social society stage story structure success suggests tells thing Trenor turn University Press woman women writing York