Subjectivity in Edith Whartons The House of Mirth Essay -- House Mirt

Subjectivity in Edith Whartons The raise of Mirth Edith Whartons The House of Mirth presents an interesting study of the kind construction of subjectivity. The Victorian society which Whartons characters inhabit is defined by a rigid structure of morals and manners in which integritys identity is rigid by apparent conformity with or transgression of social norms. What is unmistakable about this brand of social identification is its decidedly linguistic nature. In this context, behaviors themselves are rendered as text, and the incessant social appraisal in which the characters of the brisk participate is a process of deciphering this script of behavior. Peoples actions here are read, as it were, according to the unique social grammar of this society. The apologues treatment of this conception of social course session is brought to the fore through its devaluing of written texts in favor of legible behaviors. The novel signals this pattern from its opening. In the first scene we are introduced to Selden, engaged in what we discover is a typical activity for the novels personae, the silent, personal, interrogation of another person. If she had appeared to be catching a manoeuvre, we are told, he might have inferred that he had come on her in an act of transition between one and another of the country houses which disputed her presence(5emphases mine). Here, Selden, at his first glance of Lily, has taken to conjecturing all manner of explanations for her simple presence in the train station. He, like all members of his social niche, does not shy away from understanding until he is more fully appraised of her situation. Even, the slightest air of irresolution gives him license to skylark his at... ...bling Structure of Appearances Representation and Authenticity in The House of Mirth and The usage of the Country. Modern Fiction Studies 43.2 (1997) 349-73. Gerard, Bonnie Lynn. From Tea to Chloral Raising the Dead Lily Bart. 20th Century Literature 44.4 (1998) 409-27. Howard, Maureen. On The House of Mirth. Raritan 15 (1996) 23 pp. 28 Oct. 2002 <http//proxy.govst.edu2069/WebZ/FTFETCH>. Howe, Irving. Edith Wharton, a Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962. Miller, Mandy. Edith Wharton Page. 19 Nov. 2002 <http//www.Kutztown.edu/faculty/Reagan.Wharton.html>. Pizer, Donald. The Naturalism of Edith Whartons The House of Mirth. Twentieth Century Literature 41.2 (1995) 241-8. Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. (1905) New York Signet,. 1998.