The Pecuniary Strength:A Study Of The Leisure Class In The House Of Mirth

Edith Wharton,one of the most important writers in the American Realist Movement,is also one of the most influential writers at the turn of the 20 th century in America.The House of Mirth,published in 1905,not only established itself in the American Literature canon,but also set the main theme for her later literary writing.It vividly represents the whole leisure class’ s materialistic pecuniary strength so as to harshly expose the spiritual emptiness and moral degradation under their glamorous and honorific masks.Taking the perspective of Thorstein Veblen’s theory of the leisure class,the present thesis aims to delve into the pecuniary strength among the groups of the leisure class in The House of Mirth.The introduction,first outlines the literary status of Edith Wharton and her works,concludes the major features of her writing and reviews the latest research achievements of the criticism on The House of Mirth.After that,the significance of the study from the perspective of pecuniary strength is expounded.Chapter One mainly explores one of the performances of pecuniary strength---conspicuous leisure in “immaterial goods”.By taking up meaningless occupation of rare documents,luxurious display of recreational art and long-continued development of refined manners,theleisure-class people not only disengage from productive works,but also more importantly,gain entertainment as well as good reputation at the same time.As the other more direct demonstration of pecuniary strength,the leisure-class people’s indulgence in conspicuous consumption in material goods is to be focused in Chapter Two.In this society,goods no longer serve the fundamental function of supporting one’s necessities.Instead,conspicuous consumption in material goods becomes the best means to put one’s pecuniary strength in evident.And since to achieve this purpose,one person’s mere efforts in valuable goods are far from enough,then it rises other popular means like genteel giving of costly entertainments and taking conspicuous wives as vicarious consumers.Chapter Three attempts to anatomize the influences that the very pursuit and display of pecuniary strength bring to the whole leisure class.All the lifestyles centered on the pecuniary strength definitely plunge the leisure-class people into inextricable existential crisis,letting them linger on the verge of surviving in the seemingly ideal social circle,experiencing the vanishing of nobleness and elegance,struggling in the paradox desire and traditional morality.And since everything in daily life is marked with price and exchange,literally or not,soon after inevitably comes people’s spiritual emptiness and the corruption of the whole leisure class.Whether to face up the life of living down or to struggle to make a difference in the leisure class,there never exist a possibility of being a complete socialman.By presenting and criticizing such social and cultural phenomena of the day,Wharton’s deep humanitarian concern for modern man’s spiritual emptiness and moral decay under the growing pecuniary culture are fully revealed,which also inspires modern people who are caught in these dilemmas to confront problems and live a valuable life.