Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Let’s begin with Wharton’s 1905 bestseller. The House of Mirth depicts the manners and morals of turn-of-the-century New York society. Please introduce this classic to those who haven’t read it.
The House of Mirth doesn’t take place entirely in New York but it begins and ends there. Lily Bart, the heroine of The House of Mirth, was born on a higher rung of the social ladder than where she ends up. She is a compelling and tragic figure. The novel was very much concerned with the high society of the day, which was centred in New York – the famous 400 who fit in Mrs Astor’s ballroom. But even though it is concerned with a caste system that no longer exactly exists, The House of Mirth still resonates with readers.
With Wharton, it’s all so well wrought. You can feel the fabric of late 19th century New York and the social claustrophobia that existed behind the heavy drapes of its drawing rooms. But I wonder, why are readers so attracted to stories about the injustices of the upper class when we value social fluidity so highly?
Americans are always fascinated with the wealthy. It’s a bit of an illusion to imagine ours to be a classless society, as novelists like Wharton made brilliantly clear.
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Jay McInerney is the author of 10 books. Time cited his best-selling debut, Bright Lights, Big City as one of nine generation-defining novels of the 20th century. A graduate of Williams College, McInerney writes about travel, culture and wine for numerous publications including Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Review of Books. His most recent short story collection, How It Ended, was named one of the 10 best books of 2009 byThe New York Times
