Edith Wharton's "The House of Mirth" (1905) is a satirical, and also an analysis of a young, single woman trying to find her place in a materialistic and unforgiving society. Part of the "Routledge Guides to Literature" series, this volume is a guide to the novel, and also a way through the critical material that surrounds Wharton's text.

Including a selection of illustrations from the original magazine publication, which offers a unique insight to what the contemporary reader would have seen, this volume also provides: an accessible introduction to the text and contexts of "The House of Mirth"; a critical history, surveying the many interpretations of the text from publication to the present; a selection of new critical essays on the "The House of Mirth", by Edie Thornton, Katherine Joslin, Janet Beer, Elizabeth Nolan, Kathy Fedorko and Pamela Knights, providing a range of perspectives on the novel and extending the coverage of key critical approaches identified in the survey section; cross-references between sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism; and, suggestions for further reading. Part of the "Routledge Guides to Literature" series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of "The House of Mirth" and seeking not only a guide to the novel, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds Wharton's text.