Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth creates a subtle, ironic, and superbly crafted picture of the social operation of turn-of-the-century New York. In her harsh expression of community, she succeeds in portraying a world of calculation operating under the pretenses of politeness. The characters become competitors in the highly complex game of social positioning with an amorphous body of socially formed laws. Through her presentation of Lily Barton's ongoing struggles to "recover her footing-each time on a slightly lower level" in this game of skill, Wharton forces her audience to question this social order (272). Lily's fate gives way to a satirical commentary on how a social order governed by convention, sanctions, beliefs, and customs can crush its individual members by mutating into a force greater than its collection of participants.
Wharton's bleak portrayal of this environment reveals an exchange system in which transactions are made only to further one's personal interest. Shaping this perception are the relations between men and women; as Lily explains to Selden, women must enter into "partnerships" (14) to strategically enhance their standing in the social regime. Lily must use her beauty and charm to allure a mate with the monetary power which to solidify her place in the upper circle. Compatibility beyond the advantages of the match in the social scheme is of little import, explaining Lily attempts at alluring Percy Gryce "to do the honor of boring her for life" (29). With similar motivations, Simon Rosedale offers Lily complete financial backing in exchange for the social savoir-fare to enter New York high society. Lily recognizes Rosedale's "small, stock-taking eyes, which [make] her feel herself ...
... middle of paper ...
...man visiting a bachelor's residence (9). The problem of evaluating Lily through the framework of her decisions is the fact that, until the end, Lily still clings to material comforts provided by this world. One can even conjecture that her life was ended by her failure to be able to survive in a world in which economic wealth is been replaced by spiritual wealth.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Restuccia, F. L. "The Name of the Lily: Edith Wharton's Feminism(s)." The House of Mirth: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Benstock, S. (ed.). New York, Bedford Books, 1994, 404-418.
Robinson, L. S. "The Traffic in Women: A Cultural Critique of The House of Mirth." The House of Mirth: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Benstock, S. (ed.). New York, Bedford Books, 1994, 340-58.
Wharton, E. The House of Mirth. New York, Bedford Books, 1994.
I do not totally agree, nor do I totally disagree, with the point about grammar that Kyle Wiens’ argues in his article. As an employer, Wiens has the right to make any of his potential employees write a grammar test and deny jobs to those with poor grammar. In my own experience, I notice that people who have poor grammar skills tend to be less meticulous in their work, just as Wiens suggests in the article. Good grammar is virtually paramount for businesses such as the ones owned by Wiens, which are heavily language based. As well, especially in the new millennium, quality workers and employees are becoming increasingly harder to find among the expanding, figurative sea of qualified post-secondary graduates. Thus, I agree with Wiens’ policy of making all of his potential employees write a grammar test. His policy seems like an effective way of determining the best possible people to hire.
Haney-Peritz, Janice. "Monumental feminism and literature's ancestral house: Another look at The Yellow Wallpaper". Women's Studies. 12:2 (1986): 113-128.
Edith Wharton, originally named “Edith Newbold Jones”(Cliff Notes), was born on “January 24, 1862 in New York City to George Frederic Jones and Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander Jones and died on August 11, 1937”(Cliff Notes). She was born into a wealthy family and was a “designer, short story writer and American novelist”(Cliff Notes). Wharton descended from the English and Dutch cultures. She had two siblings, one known as “Frederic Rhinelander Jones” (Cliff Notes) who was sixteen years older than her, and “Henry Edward Jones eleven years older”(Cliff Notes). While her brothers attended boarding school, Wharton became “raised as an only child in a brownstone mansion on West Twenty-third Street in New York City”(Cliff
Feminist literary criticism looks at how literary works portray women. They look to see if there is any social power exerted by females. Feminists also see our culture as a "patriarchal society organized in favor of the interest of men." (HCA...
“As he entered the box his eyes met Miss Welland’s, and he saw that she had instantly understood his motive, though the family dignity which both considered so high a virtue would not permit her to tell him so. The persons of their world lived in an atmosphere of faint implications and pale delicacies, and the fact that he and she understood each other without a word seemed to the young man to bring them nearer than any explanation would have done.” (Wharton 16) This statement vividly illustrates the power of the unsaid within New York society during the 1870’s, the time in which The Age of Innocence was set. At that time, there existed a powerful set of rules, regulations, and codes pertaining to one’s conduct that were most often unspoken and, therefore, were never “formally” outlined. However, this did not in any way lessen the degree to which these standards were adhered to, and, thereby, upheld as if they were carved in the same stone as the Ten Commandments. Because New York Society did not have much need for religion, other than for rites of passage, the rules of society were to them like rules of their religion. As a woman who was raised in this society, Edith Wharton was able to illustrate with great clarity the influence that the unsaid had when it came to knowing how one should behave if society is to look on them favourably. She further goes on to express the perils of a life lived within these particular codes.
According to the Susan Adams and Kyle Wiens article writes for Forbes and Harvard Business Review. Grammar helps people look very intelligent towards life, (Adams). It shows you how to organize your resume for a job, (Adams). The poor grammar shows sloppiness toward an essay or interview for jobs, (Adams). The writer’s integrity determines your reputation, (Adams). Always be serious about your subject matter, (Adams). One rule is to listen and pay attention to others, (Adams). They need to have respect for your readers because it shows that you are thinking about the topic and making an effort, (Adams). Grammar errors make people look unintelligent, (Wiens). People judge a person based on their grammar, (Wiens). Good grammar is credibility because of blog posts, Facebook status, and e-mails, (Wiens). Paints the picture of an employee that need to tell a good report of whom, or what was doing at the job, (Wiens). A person attitude can reflect on the company, business, and agency, (Wiens).
Nussbaum, Felicity. “Risky Business: Feminism Now and Then.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 26.1 (Spring 2007): 81-86. JSTOR. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Physical abuse, the act when someone intentionally damages another party involving contact envisioned to cause feelings of physical discomfort, objection, or other physical distress and bodily harm ("Child Physical Abuse"). Physical maltreatment occurred among animals, too. In most cases, physical abused offenders tend to be the victims of the same physical misuse, but adults can be victims as well without the same effect. Physically abused children be prone to the risk of later interpersonal problems (of or relating to relationships or communication between people) involving aggressive behavior, and adolescents are at a greater risk for substance mishandling ("Long-term physical and mental health consequences of childhood physical abuse: Results from a large population-based sample of men and women", 2007, p. 1). In addition, indications of despair, emotional distress, and suicidal thoughts are also common features of individuals who have been tangibly battered. Studies have shown that children with a history of physical mistreatment may meet Diagnostic and Statistical Mental Disorder (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for post-traumatic stress ("Inkling for Web"). There are different types of people who are physically corrupted on a daily basis.
In the article “ I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why? By Kyle Wiens, explain why he would only hire people with great grammar for his companies. Wiens believes that grammar is something essential on a daily basis.“I have a zero tolerance approach to grammar mistakes that people look stupid”1 according to Kyle Wiens, owner of iFixit or Dozuki (online repair manual companies). To look professional on any kind of job and specially on important companies like his, people should be prepared for anything. A person with great grammar would be the best eligible for a job on any important company.
In this part of the paper we will focus on religion in Turkey, how does Turkey different from other Muslim countries, what are the main factors influencing religion belief today, and how religion influences peoples’ behavior and society as a whole. We will cover question part later in our second report.
...both males and females use the expression “thank you” after a door is held open for them equally. While the numbers are very close, according to this analysis more females use this term than males. While the purpose of this experiment was to see which sex used the phrase more often, it was also able to show that more people say it in general. This fact in itself is comforting
[9] Ginsborg, Paul, A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics 1943-1988, (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003), 48.
Abrams 1604 - 1606. Peterson, Linda H. "What Is Feminist Criticism?" Wuthering Heights. Ed. Linda H. Peterson, Ph.D. Boston: Bedford Books, 1992.
A. A. Edith Wharton’s Women: Friends & Rivals.
Jehlen, Myra. "Gender" Critical Terms for Literary Study. Ed. Frank Lentricchia and Thomas McLaughlin. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press,