‘It was the “simple country wedding” to which guests are conveyed in special trains, and from which the hordes of the uninvited have to be fended off by the intervention of the police.’ On Lily’s aunt, Mrs Peniston: ‘ To attempt to bring her into active relation with life was like tugging at a piece of furniture which has been screwed to the floor.’ Gryce was like a merchant whose warehouses are crammed with an unmarketable commodity.’ On the eligible but tedious bachelor, Percy Gryce : ‘Mr. What I wasn’t quite expecting was the deft way in which the author wields the literary equivalent of a scalpel to dissect the snobbery, hypocrisy and downright cruelty of the New York social scene. I mentioned the mocking humour and here are a few of my favourite examples: Knowing Edith Wharton’s reputation as a writer but not having read any of her books, I was anticipating wit and dry humour. *links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme Published: 16 th May 2012 Genre: Literary Fiction, Modern ClassicsĪ.uk ǀ ǀ .uk (supporting UK bookshops) Whilst many have sought her, something – fastidiousness or integrity- prevents her from making a ‘suitable’ match. But as she nears thirty, her foothold becomes precarious a poor girl with expensive tastes, she needs a husband to preserve her social standing and to maintain her in the luxury she has come to expect. Lily Bart, beautiful, witty and sophisticated, is accepted by ‘old money’ and courted by the growing tribe of nouveaux riches.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |