The House of Mirth: Blog 13

    Throughout The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton uses long, descriptive diction to tell her tale of Miss Lily Bart.  At first, I thought her highly detailed response to literally just about everything to be extremely monotonous.  Finishing to book, I now have an appreciation of Wharton's long, drawn-out wording.  Because of this style, the audience has a much better understanding of the character's though, Lily's feelings, and the outcomes of the piece.  For example, when Lily, in her desperation, says that she will finally accept Rosedale's proposal in marriage,  Edith Wharton uses her wordy tone to illustrate Rosedale's "reddening to the roots of his glossy hair" (Wharton, 205).  Because of this detailed phrase, the audience can now predict that Rosedale now feels "comic discomfort: at the mention of marriage to Lily.

    Also, Edith Wharton's writing style lets readers in on the workings of Lily Bart.  If Lily's obsession to wealth was not constantly spread throughout the story, the audience would have little understanding behind the meaning of her actions.  The long phrases concerning Miss Bart's financial distress allowed me to, not agree, but see her thought process behind wishing marriage to Rosedale, denying the love of Lawrence Seldon, and sadly, taking a large dosage of her medication to end her life.  Wharton's diction aids the audience in recognizing that Lily Bart really did not possess the power to climb from the horrid life she created for herself.