Autorentext

Edith Wharton, born into old money, was brought up in the aristocratic society of New York in the late 1800s. She was a rebel of a woman, born before her time. Edith was raised with a lot of pressure to be a proper woman and wife, though her limited beauty and insistence to read and write brought trouble into her romantic life. What dalliances she did indulge in with men in her social circle always ended poorly. Even her eventual marriage was not a happy one, and she and her husband were both unfaithful. Ultimately, she moved herself to Europe and filed for a divorce. This theme of romantic frustration is seen frequently in her works as an author, which include well known stories like House of Mirth, Ethan Frome, and The Age of Innocence. It was due to her father's extensive library and a governess's intentional teachings that Edith developed such a powerful literary voice. In 1921, Edith Wharton became the first woman in history to win the Pulitzer Prize with a story that criticized the mating rituals of New York society. She spent her golden years in the French countryside, where she passed away on August 11, 1937.

Klappentext

Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Edith Wharton used her inside knowledge of upper class New York life in the early part of the 20th century as the basis for her 1905 novel, "The House of Mirth". The novel is the classic and tragic portrayal of Lily Bart, an intelligent New York socialite during the Victorian era, who seeks to secure a husband and a place in the society life of New York’s upper class. Lily, who was raised to strive for a socially and economically prosperous marital union, finds herself at the edge of thirty, her youthful beauty fading and her matrimonial prospects dwindling. The novel follows Lily’s descent down the social ladder over a period of two years as she circles the margins of New York’s upper class drawing closer to what seems an inevitable loneliness. Central to the theme of the novel is how the Victorian era offered women relatively few other alternatives to achieve upward social and economic mobility than through marriage. A classic depiction of a bygone era, "The House of Mirth" is at once a detailed portrait of New York society life and a social satire which harshly criticizes the moral failings of the rich. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.