Penguin English Library the House of Mirth (The Penguin English Library) - Softcover

9780141199023: Penguin English Library the House of Mirth (The Penguin English Library)
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
The Penguin English Library Edition of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton 'It was characteristic of her that she always roused speculation, that her simplest acts seemed the result of far-reaching intentions' A searing, shocking tale of women as consumer items in a man's world, The House of Mirth sees Lily Bart, beautiful and charming, living among the wealthy families of New York but reluctant to finally commit herself to a husband. In her search for freedom and the happiness she feels she deserves, Lily is ultimately ruined by scandal. Edith Wharton's shattering novel created controversy on its publication in 1905 with its scathing portrayal of the world's wealthy and the prison that marriage can become. The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth," warns Ecclesiastes 7:4, and so does the novel by Edith Wharton that takes its title from this call to heed. New York at the turn of the century was a time of opulence and frivolity for those who could afford it. But for those who couldn't and yet wanted desperately to keep up with the whirlwind, like Wharton's charming Lily Bart, it was something else altogether: a gilded cage rather than the Gilded Age.

One of Wharton's earliest descriptions of her heroine, in the library of her bachelor friend and sometime suitor Lawrence Selden, indicates that she appears "as though she were a captured dryad subdued to the conventions of the drawing room." Indeed, herein lies Lily's problem. She has, we're told, "been brought up to be ornamental," and yet her spirit is larger than what this ancillary role requires. By today's standards she would be nothing more than a mild rebel, but in the era into which Wharton drops her unmercifully, this tiny spark of character, combined with numerous assaults by vicious society women and bad luck, ultimately renders Lily persona non grata. Her own ambivalence about her position serves to open the door to disaster: several times she is on the verge of "good" marriage and squanders it at the last moment, unwilling to play by the rules of a society that produces, as she calls them, "poor, miserable, marriageable girls.

Lily's rather violent tumble down the social ladder provides a thumbnail sketch of the general injustices of the upper classes (which, incidentally, Wharton never quite manages to condemn entirely, clearly believing that such life is cruel but without alternative). From her start as a beautiful woman at the height of her powers to her sad finale as a recently fired milliner's assistant addicted to sleeping drugs, Lily Bart is heroic, not least for her final admission of her own role in her downfall. "Once--twice--you gave me the chance to escape from my life and I refused it: refused it because I was a coward," she tells Selden as the book draws to a close. All manner of hideous socialite beasts--some of whose treatment by Wharton, such as the token social-climbing Jew, Simon Rosedale, date the book unfortunately--wander through the novel while Lily plummets. As her tale winds down to nothing more than the remnants of social grace and cold hard cash, it's hard not to agree with Lily's own assessment of herself: "I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else." Nevertheless, it's even harder not to believe that she deserved better, which is why The House of Mirth remains so timely and so vital in spite of its crushing end and its unflattering portrait of what life offers up. --Melanie Rehak

From the Publisher:
10 1.5-hour cassettes

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherPenguin Classic
  • Publication date2012
  • ISBN 10 0141199024
  • ISBN 13 9780141199023
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages310
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780140187298: The House of Mirth (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780140187298
Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1993
Softcover

  • 9780486420493: The House of Mirth (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels)

    Dover ..., 2002
    Softcover

  • 9781909621978: The House of Mirth (Macmillan Collector's Library)

    Macmil..., 2017
    Hardcover

  • 9780307949523: The House of Mirth (Vintage Classics)

    Vintage, 2012
    Softcover

  • 9780553213201: The House of Mirth (Bantam Classics)

    Bantam..., 1984
    Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Seller Image

Edith Wharton
Published by Penguin Books Ltd, London (2012)
ISBN 10: 0141199024 ISBN 13: 9780141199023
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Grand Eagle Retail
(Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Launching a major new paperback series- Penguin English LibraryThe Penguin English Library Edition of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton'It was characteristic of her that she always roused speculation, that her simplest acts seemed the result of far-reaching intentions'A searing, shocking tale of women as consumer items in a man's world, The House of Mirth sees Lily Bart, beautiful and charming, living among the wealthy families of New York but reluctant to finally commit herself to a husband. In her search for freedom and the happiness she feels she deserves, Lily is ultimately ruined by scandal.Edith Wharton's shattering novel created controversy on its publication in 1905 with its scathing portrayal of the world's wealthy and the prison that marriage can become.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War. Lily Bart, beautiful and charming, living among the wealthy families of New York but reluctant to finally commit herself to a husband. In her search for freedom and the happiness she feels she deserves, Lily is ultimately ruined by scandal. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780141199023

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 14.14
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Edith Wharton
Published by Penguin Books Ltd (2012)
ISBN 10: 0141199024 ISBN 13: 9780141199023
New PAP Quantity: 12
Seller:
PBShop.store US
(Wood Dale, IL, U.S.A.)

Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # GB-9780141199023

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 14.15
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Wharton, Edith
Published by Penguin Classic (2012)
ISBN 10: 0141199024 ISBN 13: 9780141199023
New Soft Cover Quantity: 10
Seller:
booksXpress
(Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780141199023

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 15.62
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Edith Wharton
ISBN 10: 0141199024 ISBN 13: 9780141199023
New paperback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Blackwell's
(Oxford, OX, United Kingdom)

Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780141199023

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 10.38
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.68
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Wharton, Edith
Published by Penguin Classic (2012)
ISBN 10: 0141199024 ISBN 13: 9780141199023
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Books Unplugged
(Amherst, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition. Seller Inventory # bk0141199024xvz189zvxnew

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 21.80
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Edith Wharton
Published by Penguin Classics (2012)
ISBN 10: 0141199024 ISBN 13: 9780141199023
New Paperback Quantity: 12
Seller:
Monster Bookshop
(Fleckney, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780141199023-GDR

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 10.48
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 11.34
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Wharton, Edith (Author)
Published by Penguin Classics (2012)
ISBN 10: 0141199024 ISBN 13: 9780141199023
New Paperback Quantity: 2
Seller:
Revaluation Books
(Exeter, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 416 pages. 7.72x5.04x0.87 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0141199024

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 9.87
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 12.62
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Edith Wharton
Published by Penguin Books Ltd (2012)
ISBN 10: 0141199024 ISBN 13: 9780141199023
New Paperback / softback Quantity: 7
Seller:
THE SAINT BOOKSTORE
(Southport, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. Lily Bart, beautiful and charming, living among the wealthy families of New York but reluctant to finally commit herself to a husband. In her search for freedom and the happiness she feels she deserves, Lily is ultimately ruined by scandal. Seller Inventory # B9780141199023

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 12.07
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 11.29
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Wharton, Edith
Published by Penguin Classic (2012)
ISBN 10: 0141199024 ISBN 13: 9780141199023
New Softcover Quantity: 13
Seller:
Brook Bookstore
(Milano, MI, Italy)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # IRFBBWIVCQ

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 16.02
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 8.65
From Italy to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Wharton, Edith
Published by Penguin Classic (2012)
ISBN 10: 0141199024 ISBN 13: 9780141199023
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0141199024

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 24.02
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book