First in Russian—one of the key novels by a classic of American literature, the author of such an acknowledged masterpiece as “The Age of Innocence,” awarded the Pulitzer Prize and adapted by Martin Scorsese. It was “The House of Mirth” that earned Edith Wharton the title “The Tolstoy in a Skirt.”
“The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, and the heart of fools is in the house of mirth,”—the biblical Ecclesiastes warned. And for young Lily Bart, the New York of the turn of the century symbolizes not so much a golden age as a golden cage. Only a favorable marriage can help her regain the high position her family lost after her father’s bankruptcy—but time and again Lily misses her chance, consumed either by a demon of self-destruction or by the expectation of great love. And for good reason she was compared to another victim of high society—Anna Karenina…
In 2000 the novel was adapted for film by Terence Davies; the lead roles were played by Gillian Anderson (Agent Scully from “The X-Files”) and Dan Aykroyd.