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What if the life you are trained to want leaves no room for the freedom you need?
Lily Bart is beautiful, clever, and twenty-nine. She moves through New York high society with no fortune of her own, raised to secure her place by marrying money. Yet each promising match feels like a bargain she cannot quite accept. Her choices narrow as her debts grow.
In The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton brings Lily close to Lawrence Selden, a modest lawyer whose idea of freedom draws her. Around them, friendship and money are hard to separate. Gus Trenor offers financial help with expectations attached, while a reputation depends on people with interests of their own.
What you’ll discover
- A woman caught between worlds Follow Lily's longing for both luxury and independence, and feel the strain between them.
- The cost of help Watch apparent generosity become a claim on Lily's attention and her choices.
- Rooms full of calculation Enter country houses and parties where manners conceal judgments about money and rank.
- An uncertain promise of freedom Meet Selden, whose admiration for Lily runs deeper than his readiness to act.
- Beauty under watchful eyes See Lily through Wharton's close attention to dresses, faces, and the rules of belonging.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love a heroine with real wit and real stakes, who enjoy sharp portraits of high society, and who like novels where money, marriage and friendship pull against each other.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A private visit carries public risks
- Security and freedom pull Lily apart
- Easy money hides an unnamed obligation
- Admiration offers Lily no real protection
- Bertha turns hospitality into public disgrace
- Lily refuses a bargain for acceptance
- A social market disguises its costs
- Small compromises steadily narrow Lily's choices
Who’s who
- Lily BartA beautiful, witty woman of twenty-nine, raised to marry money, who finds that her charm and her conscience pull in different directions.
- Lawrence SeldenA lawyer of modest means and ironic mind, drawn to Lily, who prizes personal freedom and fears being hurt.
- Gerty FarishSelden's cousin, a kind, plain woman who runs a charity club and gives Lily steady friendship in a cramped flat.
- Gus TrenorA rich, coarse husband who offers to invest for Lily and expects favors in return.
- Bertha DorsetA restless, elegant woman who protects her own reputation and strikes at anyone who threatens it.
- Simon RosedaleA shrewd financier who wants to enter society and sees Lily as an ornament and an investment.
- Percy GryceA shy, wealthy young collector of rare Americana, devoted to his mother, whom Lily hopes to marry.
- Mrs. PenistonLily's rule-bound aunt, who provides shelter but no allowance and dislikes any scandal.
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The House of Mirth
by Edith Wharton · 1905
A Monday tea in a bachelor's flat sets Lily Bart on a path where every kindness has a price.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
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“No article on Mrs. Wharton would be complete unless mention was made of her passion for gardening and her art in developing beautiful gardens, both at her home in Hyères and at St. Brice, near Paris.”
In short
What would you give for one free afternoon? For Lily Bart, a single cup of tea in a bachelor's flat begins to cost more than she can pay.
The House of Mirth at a glance
- Reading time
- About 8 h 35 min6 h 50 min fast, 10 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 122,800 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1905by Edith Wharton
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A single tea party sets everything moving
Lawrence Selden is crossing Grand Central Station when he sees Lily Bart standing alone. She has missed her train to the Trenors' country house, and the next one leaves in two hours. She laughs that people sit out a cotillion, so why not sit out a train, and Selden offers her tea.
They walk up Madison Avenue after a brief shower. Selden admires the shape of her small ear and the thick fringe of her lashes. He feels that a fine glaze of beauty has been laid over common clay, then wonders if the clay was fine and merely shaped by circumstance into something useless. At the Benedick, where he lives, she admires his balcony, and he invites her upstairs.
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Details
- First published
- 1905
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 9 h 40 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-house-of-mirth.
Wharton, E. (2026). The house of mirth. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-house-of-mirth (Original work published 1905)
Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-house-of-mirth.
@book{wharton2026house,
author = {Wharton, Edith},
title = {The House of Mirth},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-house-of-mirth},
note = {First published 1905}
}
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What is The House of Mirth about?
It follows Lily Bart, a beautiful but poor young woman in New York high society, as she tries to marry for money while her choices, debts and friendships gradually narrow her options.
Who are Lily Bart and Lawrence Selden?
Lily Bart is the beautiful, witty heroine who needs a rich husband. Lawrence Selden is a lawyer who admires her and who values freedom over wealth, so their attraction holds both promise and risk.
What does the title The House of Mirth mean?
The title points to a world given over to pleasure and show, where parties and bridge hide anxious dealings over money, marriage and reputation. Wharton shows how much a seemingly light life can cost.
The author
Edith Wharton
1862–1937 · American novelist
Edith Wharton (1862–1937) was an American writer and designer born in New York City. She later lived in France, where she died. Her books include The House of Mirth (1905), Ethan Frome (1911), and The Age of Innocence (1920). She co-wrote The Decoration of Houses with Ogden Codman Jr. in 1897.
“she likes being good, and I like being happy”
More by Edith Wharton
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