House of Mirth

The House of Mirth demonstrates Wharton's unmatched storytelling abilities and her astute perceptions of the savagery hidden beneath the well-bred veneer of high society. Before being published as a book on October 14, 1905, The House of Mirth was serialized in the Scribner's Magazine in January, 1905. The book was a huge success and gained both commercial and critical acclaim. It is one of the most well-known works of Edith Wharton and is still praised for painting a gut-wrenchingly accurate portrait of Ney York's aristocracy in the 20th century. The story can be perceived as a satire of manners about vast wealth and a woman who can only define herself through the eyes of other people. A tragedy of sorts is depicted in the story of Lily Bart's transformation from a former ingenue who was still attractive at the age of twenty-nine to a destitute and disheveled woman in her early thirties. However, Lily's tragedy is less the result of her own hubris than it is the result of the society's unwavering attitudes toward her beauty and spirit, which prevents the novel from being classified as a tragedy in the traditional sense.