The Hum and Buzz of Implication Biography and Edith Wharton

[@jesseleeward8749]

I wonder if Hermione Lee is able to answer me. In these Victorian high society books and plays, money seems like a trap. Are the character's in Edith Wharton's books not liberated by money? Can the women of her world not buy themselves away from a competitive and jealousy ridden environment? Did Edith Wharton not buy herself away from social expectations when she left Newport? In Dickens, both Miss Havisham and Ebenezer Scrooge use money (to their own detriment) as a barrier between himself and other people. Money is what frees them from society. And how does animalistic and tribal culture exist in a world where access to resources is not as limited? Is a wealthy enough woman more or less dependent on her tribe than a common person? I know this is an old lecture but I wonder if Hermione has anything to say about that.

[@aclark903]

Call me a cynic if you like but didn't Wharton throw herself into the war in France not merely as an act of charity but also as a distraction from her status as a divorcee?

[@janethayes5941]

What very good questions and points you bring up.

[@friendformationbot]

The point of most Edith Wharton books is that the lack of money, not money, is the trap. The House of Mirth and the Buccaneers is about how women own nothing on their own and must marry in order to support themselves. The only truly wealthy woman was a widow who inherited from her husband.

[@Doriesep6622]

Starts at 6:20.

[@jaredvaughan1665]

The Brontes followed by Austen are the pinnacle of female novelists.