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The House of Mirth - Review
Jul. 27th, 2012 05:41 pmWould that this book were not still so relevant. Sadly, Edith Wharton's 1905 novel of a woman brought low by her inability to win at the "social game" and unsuitability for anything else pretty much still describes modern society, albeit today the stakes are lower and rules liberalized. (For a modern, comic re-enactment in the same city, see Seinfeld: yes, it is because of society, George.)
This is the second Wharton novel I've read, the first being Ethan Frome, and I greatly admire both works. Wharton is a fantastic writer across the board: an excellent student of a human nature, a careful plotter and developer of character, a trenchant social critic, and a subtle artist with the English language. Her prose never calls attention to itself but always says exactly what it needs to with just the right touch of beautiful description and potent metaphor.
( Light Spoilers )
This is the second Wharton novel I've read, the first being Ethan Frome, and I greatly admire both works. Wharton is a fantastic writer across the board: an excellent student of a human nature, a careful plotter and developer of character, a trenchant social critic, and a subtle artist with the English language. Her prose never calls attention to itself but always says exactly what it needs to with just the right touch of beautiful description and potent metaphor.
( Light Spoilers )
