The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton presents an interesting study of the social construction of subjectivity. The Victorian society in which Wharton's characters live is defined by a rigid structure of morals and customs in which one's identity is determined by apparent conformity or transgression of social norms. What stands out in this type of social identification is its decidedly linguistic nature. In this context, behaviors themselves are rendered as text, and the incessant social evaluation in which the characters of the novel participate is a process of deciphering this script of behavior. People's actions here are read, so to speak, according to the unique social grammar of this society. The novel's treatment of this conception of social reading is brought to the fore through the devaluation of written texts in favor of readable behaviors. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The novel signals this pattern from the beginning. In the first scene we are introduced to Selden, engaged in what we discover to be an activity typical of the novel's personae, the silent, personal interrogation of another person. “If she had appeared while taking a train,” we are told, “could he have inferred that he had met her in an act of transition between one and another of the country houses that contested her presence?” ). Here, Selden, upon first seeing Lily, began to conjecture all sorts of explanations for her mere presence in the train station. He, like all members of his social niche, does not avoid judgment until he has assessed her situation more thoroughly. Even the slightest "air of indecision" gives him license to divert his attention from whatever he did to ascertain the reason for his appearance in what, apparently, was not a strange place. We are told on this first page that this is not aberrant behavior, the private entertainment of some annoyingly curious person. As Wharton informs us, "it was characteristic of her, [Lily], to always excite speculation, that her simplest acts seemed the result of far-reaching intentions" (5). Indeed, "in judging Miss Bart he, [Selden], had always made use of the 'design argument'" (7). Each of Lily's acts has a meaning that can be discerned through an investigation like Selden's. Selden reads his behaviors, evaluating the syntax of the activity while searching for its semantic content. Some words (acts) pronounced (performed) in certain contexts tell us what the speaker (actor) intends to communicate. Given this interpretation of behavioral texts, it is therefore not surprising that, upon entering Selden's apartment, Selden and Lily share a brief conversation regarding another form of text, his book collection. We can clearly see that books make their first appearance not as sources of knowledge, but as a social pretext. In the course of the conversation we learn that those who collect Selden books are generally an exception, they do so not to read them, but simply to own something of high value due to its rarity. At this early stage, therefore, it is suggested that written texts are subordinate to behavioral texts, in the sense that they are used in the service of actions made intelligible through behavioral interpretation. As we will see, being seen reading a book or newspaper is much more important than actually reading it. In fact, the pretense of reading written texts, in one of its few appearances, is the perfect ruse with which to hide one's true reading. the behavior ofanother person. This is highlighted most prominently in the scene where Lily meets Percy Gryce on the train. There is the image of Percy "concealing himself behind an open newspaper" while Lily "begins cutting through the pages of a novel, quietly studying her prey [Percy]" (20). Wharton even speaks of Percy's "conscious absorption" into the paper, an absorption that leads Lily to deduce that she is well aware of his presence. Her reading is an act of deflection, the written text used as fiction in the service of reading (or avoiding to read) another person. This use of written texts is common throughout the novel, for example, that in Bellemont "the library was never actually used for reading, although it had some popularity. as a smoking room or quiet retreat for flirt." (63). And right in that library, Wharton reintroduces Selden, who, "though he had a book on his lap, was not busy with it" (63). unread in a scene where the reading of others is perhaps more acute, the interactions between the sexes. This juxtaposition between reading behaviors and written texts is emphasized most strongly in the case of Percy Gryce identifies strongly with his habits as a book collector. The only qualities of Gryce for which he is known socially it's his money and his books. Wharton tells us that "the existence of the collection was the only fact that ever brought glory to the name of Gryce" (24). Furthermore, Percy conceives of his own social worth in terms of his book collection, enjoying the thought of "the interest it would arouse if the people he meets on the street or among whom he sits on a journey were suddenly told that he was the possessor of a book." . of the Gryce Americana" (24). But Percy's sense of identity was not just contained in his possession of an incomparably large collection of Americana, his awareness of this identity was itself determined through reading. Although Percy avoided personal attention, he was an avid reader of book collecting diaries, always looking for references to his collection. It is through reading, then, rather than through actual social interaction, that he “came to think of himself as a figure prominent in the public eye" (24). In other words, while most people's self-concept was determined by mutual reading of the behaviors of others in a public context, Percy's self-concept was determined by surrogate use of texts written to judge one's worth. It does not seem to me a coincidence that Percy, one of the most socially awkward figures in the novel, is the only one that Wharton identifies with written texts. It is almost as if his association with these texts precludes him from interacting according to the grammar of behavioral textuality like other members of his society. It is important to note, also, the great authority of this form of text, an authority that transcends the truth of the intentions that the text is supposed to communicate. For example, take Lily's interaction with Rosedale after leaving Selden's apartment in Book 1, Chapter 1. As Lily admits in the next chapter, "a simple statement of fact would have rendered [her observed visit to Selden] harmless ". Yet he still makes up a lie that Rosedale considers false. It's not so clear why he does this. It seems quite obvious that you are momentarily afraid that a statement of fact might actually be compromising. Perhaps it is not right for her to visit Selden after all. I think, however, that this can be better understood in terms of the authority of Rosedale's reading of Lily's behavior. What makes Lily immediately reluctant to divulge the truth of the situation is paralyzing.