The House of Mirth

The House of Mirth Summary | Book 1: Chapter 1 Summary

The House of Mirth, set in New York City in the first decade of the twentieth century, is a novel about high society, and about women's role within that society. It tells the story of one woman's life in particular, Miss. Lily Bart, who we meet in the first chapter at Grand Central Station. She is waiting for a train that will take her to one of her many social engagements, when she happens to spot an old friend in the crowd, Mr. Lawrence Selden. She is happy to see him, and calls out to him. He has a very evident admiration of her, and is more than happy to oblige her request that they have tea together somewhere while she waits for her train.

Mr. Selden suggests a popular nearby cafe, but Miss. Bart, ever mindful of the "appearances" that are the focal point of her life and the novel, expresses a preference for a more discreet location, meaning one where they will not be seen together. Far from being offended by this obvious snub, Lawrence Selden is both intrigued and amused by his companion's carefully calculated antics.

They decide to walk for a while, and happen to come to the street where Selden lives in a building called the Benedick. He casually invites Miss. Bart up to have tea in his apartment, and she surprises him by accepting. As they have tea together, she expresses her envy that, as a man, he is allowed to live by himself in his own apartment. Selden reminds her of his cousin, Gerty Farish, who is also a woman and lives alone. She is disdainful of the way Gerty Farish lives, in poverty, and of how she must work to be able to afford even her meager living conditions.

Miss. Bart admonishes Mr. Selden for never coming to visit her at her aunt's house, where she lives when she is not staying at the estates of her wealthy friends. At this point, the conversation becomes more flirtatious as she wonders aloud about the possible reasons why he does not come to visit her. She blatantly alludes to the fact that she does not want to marry him, and he confesses playfully that this is the reason why he has stayed away. He is at once amused by and attracted to her, and she seizes this moment of indecision to return his mocking tone. She expresses the fact that what she needs is not yet another man to "make love" to her with pleasantries, but a friend who will be frank and honest with her. She wonders if he might be that friend. He quickly assumes his new role of friend by bluntly asking her why she has not yet married. When she responds evasively, he further presses the question, asking, "Isn't marriage your vocation? Isn't it what you're all brought up for?" She assents, but implies that she is waiting for the right man, meaning a very wealthy man, and admits that she has thrown some good prospects away for this reason.

He continues to admire her beauty with "a purely impersonal enjoyment" as they smoke a cigarette together, and the conversation turns to his book collection. A new thought evidently crosses her mind, and she begins to question him with interest about his books, and about Americana collectors. This foreshadows a conversation she will have in the near future with a prospective suitor, but Selden is too caught up in her beauty to wonder at her sudden interest.

As the first thing we learn about Lily Bart is that she is beautiful, the first thing we learn about Selden is that he is poor, when Lily asks, "Don't you ever mind not being rich enough to buy all the books you want?" She then asks if he would consider marrying for money, to which he forcefully responds, "God forbid!" She once again expresses her envy that whereas "a girl must, a man may if he chooses." She talks about how necessary it is for a woman to keep up appearances if she wants to be accepted in decent society, whereas a man like Selden can be slightly shabby and still mingle with high society.

On her way out of the building, Lily meets Simon Rosedale, an up-and-coming Jewish businessman. He asks her whom she has been to see at the Benedick, and she lies to him, replying that her dressmaker's shop is in the Benedick. It is an obvious lie, and he is not deceived. She quickly hails a taxi and is taken away before he has time for more questions.