The House of Mirth, By Edith Wharton
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.With Sex and the City 2 still in cinemas, let us pause a moment to reflect on the journey women have taken over the past 100 years. The very things that Carrie Bradshaw and clan are admired for – careless love and careless spending – were enough to ruin a woman at the turn of the previous century, as shown in Edith Wharton's 1905 novel The House of Mirth, one of a selection of Penguin Classics recently reprinted in partnership with the charitable (Product)RED brand.
Lily Bart is a 29-year-old high-society debutante in 1890s New York. Wharton details, in crackling and complex prose, the societal technicalities of the world she was born into. Bart hesitates to accept marriage and, in revenge, her social circle conspires to trap her in rumours of debt and an affair with a married man. She is propelled down the social scale and forced to take work in a milliner's. In disgrace, she takes an overdose. From our 21st-century point of view, the irony is that – work being a path to liberation for many a woman – Bart was taking the first steps to freedom.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments