Blog•Mar 10, 2026
Week 2: The House of Mirth | The Performance of Wealth: Leisure, Luxury, and Display
Week two of the literary series examines Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth through the lens of Bellomont, the country estate where leisure becomes a performance of wealth. The post argues that the estate functions as a social theater, where invitations, seating, and gestures signal status and reinforce hierarchy. Wharton’s depiction aligns with Thorstein Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption, showing leisure as labor that demands precise self‑management, especially for characters like Lily. The analysis highlights how even seemingly idle activities serve as strategic displays of power.
