Plot The House of Mirth

the tragic heroine of house of mirth (1905), lily bart, lingers @ broad staircase, observing high-society people gathered in hall below.

lily s failure percy gryce occurs when @ week s end tall, handsome , engaging lawrence selden unexpectedly shows @ bellomont. lily chooses spend sunday afternoon him instead of meeting percy morning church services , afternoon walk. though made clear selden during tête-à-tête in flat looked @ him friend won’t afraid disagreeable things her, becomes drawn him romantically. succumbing agreeable femininity, selden begins fall in love lily, yet realizes cannot marry man of modest means.

her strategy marry percy gryce thwarted bertha dorset still wildly interested in selden whom has been carrying on extramarital affair. when realizes selden came bellomont see lily, bertha retaliates making sure percy finds out lily s gambling, smoking, , borrowing money men pay off gambling debts. percy gets scared off , thereafter marries evie van osburgh. mrs. dorset s public pride in match-making victory makes lily subject social ridicule. lily decides not burn bertha s love letters selden, purchased char woman @ selden s apartment house mistook lily selden s paramour.

lily attempts neutralize deleterious effects of gossip surrounding renewing association nemesis, bertha dorset, attending unsuccessful house party @ bellomont, , cooperating carry fisher’s mission bring newcomers, wellington brys, high society. following mrs. fisher’s advice, wellington brys throw large general entertainment featuring series of tableaux vivants portrayed dozen fashionable women in set including miss bart. pièce de résistance of highly successful event turned out portrayal of mrs. lloyd in sir joshua reynolds famous 18th-century painting (1775–1776). portrait shows attractive woman suggestively clad. curtain opens on last scene gasp of approval heard audience not reynold s brilliant interpretation of mrs. lloyd loveliness of lily bart herself —marking pinnacle of social success. selden observes in tableau—elegant in simplicity— if first time sees real lily bart , feels desire her. finds alone in ballroom toward end of musical interlude collective praise admirers subsiding. leads garden tells loves , kiss. lily sighs, ah, love me,love me—but don t tell me so! (141) , takes leave. selden gathers coat leave disturbed ned van alstyne s remarks, . . . .gad, show of good-looking women; not 1 of em touch little cousin of mine. . . . never knew till tonight outline lily has.” (142)

the next day lily receives 2 notes—one judy trenor inviting dine evening @ town house , other selden asking meet following day. though had dinner engagement, agreed visit judy @ ten o clock. however, late-evening encounter turns out gus alone. gus vehemently demands kind of attention thought had paid for. pleading naivité business matters , appealing friendship, promises pay $10,000 owes him. heightened anger , resentment, accuses lily of playing him while entertaining other men. lily gets him off , gets herself hansom cab. shaken , feeling alone, calls on friend gerty farish succor , shelter rest of evening. following day lily pleads aunt her debts , confesses has lost money gambling @ bridge on sundays. aunt julia refuses except cover $1,000 $2,000 bill clothes , accessories. feeling trapped , disgraced, turns thoughts of selden , love savior , has change of heart towards him looks forward visit @ 4 o clock.

instead, visitor turns out simon rosedale who, smitten appearance in tableau vivant, proposes marriage mutually beneficial. considering rosedale knows her, skillfully pleads time consider offer selden not appear 4:00 appointment nor send word in explanation. instead has departed havana , on europe on business.

to escape rumors arising gossip caused financial dealings gus trenor, , disappointed interprets selden s emotional withdrawal, lily accepts bertha dorset s spur-of-the- moment invitation join , george on mediterranean cruise aboard yacht, sabrina. bertha intends lily keep george distracted while bertha carries on affair young ned silverton. lily s decision join dorsets on cruise proves social undoing.

in order divert attention , suspicion of social circle away her, bertha insinuates lily carrying on romantic , sexual liaison george commanding not return yacht in front of friends @ close of dinner bry s held duchess in monte carlo. selden helps arrange lodging night cousin jack stepney under promise leave promptly in morning, ensuing social scandal ruins lily s reputation , causes friends abandon , aunt julia disinherit her. undeterred such misfortunes, lily fights regain place in high society befriending mr , mrs gormer , becoming social secretary, introduce gormers high society , groom them take better social position. however, enemy, malicious bertha dorset, gradually communicates them scandalous personal background of lily bart, and, so, undermines friendship lily had hoped socially rehabilitate her. 2 friends remain lily: gerty farish (a cousin of lawrence selden) , carry fisher, cope social ignominy of degraded social status, whilst continually advising lily marry reasonably possible.

despite efforts , advice of gerty , carry overcome notoriety, lily descends through social strata of high society of new york city. obtains job personal secretary of mrs. hatch, disreputable woman , succeeds in marrying wealthy young man in lily s former social circle. resigns after lawrence selden returns warn of danger, not in time avoid being blamed crisis. lily finds job in milliner s shop; yet, unaccustomed rigors of working class manual labour, rate of production low , quality of workmanship poor, , fired @ end of new york social season when demand fashionable hats has ceased.

meanwhile, simon rosedale, jewish suitor earlier had proposed marriage lily, when higher in social scale, returns life , tries rescue her, lily unwilling meet terms. simon wants lily use love letters, bought servant, confirm occurrence of love affair between lawrence selden , bertha dorset. sake of selden s reputation, lily not act upon rosedale s request, , secretly burns love letters when visits selden, 1 last time.

eventually, lily bart receives ten-thousand-dollar inheritance, aunt peniston, repays gus trenor. distraught misfortunes, lily had begun regularly using sleeping draught of chloral hydrate escape pain of poverty , social ostracism. 1 day, lily takes overdose of sleeping draught , kills herself. hours later, lawrence selden arrives quarters, propose marriage, finds lily bart dead; able close her.

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