In this paper we will describe the ambivalent relationship between American novelist Edith Wharton and the American city. Wharton is concerned with the lives of a rather closed set of people, namely the so called “old families” of New York. In Wharton's works, the world of the working poor is an invisible one. Although employees, servants, and maids were constantly present in and around the houses of the so called leisure class, they do not gain an independent voice, their struggle is being left untold. Wharton is interested in how the people she understood best, the families who inhabited society's highest valued spots, managed their situation. Edith Wharton’s view of the architectural status quo and the newest developments in her city has to be called ambiguous. She relished the Beaux Art architecture of grandeur and at the same time she despised everything that screamed newly-rich to her. Anti-Semitism is a topic in this paper, because it became a component of New York’s bourgeois identity as wealthy Jewish families were perceived to present a challenge to this high status group.
Questions we were, amongst others, concerned with are: What effect had the modern city life on the best established class? How were the customs and modalities of these people affected by the tremendous developments around them? And how did (gendered) individuals react to the entrance wish of the newly rich into their inner circles? In other words, the way in which in- and exclusion from a certain group worked, how these were executed and what the potentiality of a change in status meant for the mind of the involved characters is Edith Wharton's central concern.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Edith Wharton and New York City
2. The American City in Novels
3. Social Customs of the Wealthy
4. Edith Wharton’s Qualification to write about New York Society
5. Architecture
6. Luxury
7. Rites and Rituals
8. New Money – New Rules
9. Conclusion
10. Sources
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper explores the intricate and often ambivalent relationship between Edith Wharton and the rapidly evolving American metropolis at the end of the 19th century, specifically examining how her fiction reflects the social stratification and the rigid, yet decaying, codes of conduct within New York's upper class.
- The role of the American city as a defining environment in 19th-century literature.
- The impact of "new money" on established social hierarchies and traditional behavior.
- The use of architecture and gendered spaces to illustrate social status and personal confinement.
- The persistence of elaborate social rituals and the consequences of their erosion or violation.
Excerpt from the Book
Architecture
In the period between 1880 and the beginning of the first World War, France in particular and European culture in general were the role models for American style in arts and architecture. The most renowned New Yorker architects, such as Richard Morris Hunt, Charles F. McKim, or those of Mead&White had been trained at the Parisian “École des Beaux Arts”, where Classicism was taught. These architects held the proportions and forms of the classical five orders, namely Tuscan, Dorian, Corinthian, Ionic, and Composite, as eternal ideals. Nevertheless, they also incorporated state-of-the-art constructions such as the elevator, steel, and plate glass into their designs. (Auchincloss, cited in Lowe 202-204) These architects created sumptuous Gilded Age hotels, theatres, libraries, and museums that rivalled European palaces, as well as clubs and mansions for the rich and super-rich.
Edith Wharton’s view of the architectural status quo and the newest developments in her city has to be called ambiguous. She relished the Beaux Art architecture of grandeur and at the same time she despised everything that screamed newly-rich to her. One of Wharton's first publications was a book about architecture and design, “On the Decoration of Houses”. Here, she tried to form a new alliance between aspects of design and architecture that had hitherto not been meddled. Wharton wrote her book together with her own interior designer Ogden Codman. The ideas they formulated then already reflected what she held true later, when she incorporated architectural aspects to her ideas. "If, then, design is inevitable, the best art must be that in which it is most organic, most inherent in the soul of the subject.” (Wharton: Mirth, 229-30) Edith Wharton was both theoretically and practically fascinated by architecture and interior design. In the book, Wharton made it clear that she despised overdone ornamentals and promoted a more refined style. Later in her life, she engaged in garden architecture and created beautiful arrangements in her homes in France, which were widely admired by her contemporaries. (Auchincloss 129)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Edith Wharton and New York City: This chapter introduces Wharton's background within the New York elite and highlights the city’s rapid transformation during the Gilded Age as a central context for her literary work.
2. The American City in Novels: This section discusses the city as a defining background in American literature, contrasting the fluidity of New York with European traditions and explaining how upper-class families attempted to maintain stability through ancestry and wealth.
3. Social Customs of the Wealthy: This chapter examines the behavioral systems of the elite, focusing on how the sudden influx of "new money" disrupted established class boundaries and loosened traditional social bonds.
4. Edith Wharton’s Qualification to write about New York Society: This section analyzes how Wharton’s upbringing and personal experience allowed her to critically depict the restrictive nature of high society and the commodification of marriage for women.
5. Architecture: This chapter explores the influence of European Classicism on New York architecture and discusses how Wharton linked physical spaces—such as houses—to the gendered expectations and social status of her characters.
6. Luxury: This chapter defines luxury as the primary marker of the upper class, serving as a display of leisure and a way to differentiate the "American aristocracy" from those who had to perform manual labor.
7. Rites and Rituals: This section details the formal social routines of the period, such as calling and private dinners, which functioned as mechanisms to maintain network cohesion and test the social standing of newcomers.
8. New Money – New Rules: This chapter discusses the economic shifts brought by national corporations and factories, focusing on how the conservative elite struggled to adapt to or resist the presence of the newly rich.
9. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes how Wharton functioned as an expert observer of the social stratification and the transformative shifts occurring within the American cityscape at the turn of the century.
Keywords
Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, New York City, Gilded Age, Social Stratification, American Literature, Leisure Class, Modernity, Gendered Spaces, Social Customs, Urbanism, New Money, Tradition, Architecture, Social Rituals
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines the relationship between Edith Wharton and the American city of New York during the late 19th century, focusing on the social and cultural dynamics of the upper class.
Which novels by Edith Wharton are primarily discussed?
The study focuses heavily on "The House of Mirth" and touches upon "The Age of Innocence" and "The Custom of the Country" to illustrate social and environmental pressures.
What is the central research concern regarding Wharton's characters?
The research explores how individuals within the elite social circles responded to the changing environment, specifically the entrance of the "newly rich" and the strict adherence to social rules.
Does the paper use a specific scientific method?
The authors employ a literary-historical approach, analyzing primary texts alongside historical context and secondary sociological theories, such as those of Thorstein Veblen and Norbert Elias.
How is the "American city" characterized in this work?
The city is portrayed as a fluid, rapidly transforming environment marked by industrial growth, urban migration, and a lack of historical roots compared to European cities.
What role do social rituals play in the lives of Wharton’s characters?
Social rituals like "calling" and formal dinners act as necessary tools for confirming group membership and maintaining the exclusivity of the upper class.
How does the paper differentiate between Wharton’s perspective and that of naturalist authors like Dreiser?
Unlike naturalists who focused on the struggles of the working class and the slums, Wharton’s perspective is anchored in the "gilded drawing-rooms" of the elite, viewing the city from the inside.
What significance do houses hold in "The House of Mirth"?
Houses are analyzed as symbols of social status and safety; they serve as spaces where characters are tested, monitored, and either included or eventually excluded from society.
How is the concept of "Luxury" connected to social class?
Luxury is identified as a essential marker of success, implying the ability to live without manual labor and providing a visible display of one's aristocratic aspirations.
- Quote paper
- Nicole Schindler (Author), Julia Oesterreich (Author), 2005, Edith Wharton - "The House of Mirth" as a Portrait of the City, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/69474
