The House of Mirth is set in New York’s High Society at the turn of the century, presenting to us roughly the time of the publication of the novel, 1905. New York City at the beginning of the twentieth century Then, I am going to contrast Wharton’s presentation of families from High Society with those from the middle and lower class and show up the significant differences.

After a short glance at New York in general, I am going to take a look at the main character, Lily Bart, showing her social downfall from High Society to complete poverty by looking at the different families from New York’s society. She herself said: “There it was before me in all its flatness and futility, asking to be dealt with as the theme most available at my hand, since I had been steeped in it from infancy.” įor my research paper, I will therefore analyze Edith Wharton’s view on New York’s society in The House of Mirth. Having grown up in this society herself, Edith Wharton is in fact predestined to give an insight view of the structures and events taking place there. The novel, often seen as the very work which helped Wharton on her road to success as an acknowledged American writer, is today mostly praised as a sharp and often ironical view on New York’s High Society of that time. Although written as early as 1905, it is still a joy to read today. New York City at the beginning of the twentieth centuryĮdith Wharton’s The House of Mirth is one of the most popular novels of the beginning of the twentieth century.

Wharton the house of mirth