The Gilded Age was a period of time in United States history that spanned from 1877 to 1896. The era was characterized by rapid economic growth and an influx of European immigrants. The rapid expansion of industrialization meant that some people experienced wage growth, though it was also a time of abject poverty for many immigrants from impoverished regions. The name “the gilded age” came from a Mark Twain novel called The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, written in 1873. The intent of the novel was to satirize the time period of serious social problems covered by the thin layer of gold gilding that was economic expansion.
The Gilded Age is usually seen in popular culture as a time of party, glitz, and glam, where high society reigned supreme. The richest of the rich built huge mansions incorporating the more expensive materials. Many books and television shows glorify those times despite the rampant inequality. If you want to learn more about the Gilded Age, check out these books from your favorite used book store in Israel.
The book The House of Mirth, written in 1905 by American author Edith Wharton, tells the tale of a young woman named Lily Bart. She is well-born but impoverished and belongs to the upper society class of New York City. Though Lily Bart was raised and educated to marry well both socially and economically, she reaches her 29th year without marriage prospects. The House of Mirth follows Lily’s descent from privilege to loneliness, stuck on the fringes of society. One scholar describes Lily’s story as an attack on “an irresponsible, grasping, and morally corrupt upper class.”
The House of Mirth uses the word “mirth” to show both mourning and amusement. The main theme of this book is the struggle between who we are born to be and what society tells us we should be. Because of this, The House of Mirth remains relevant in modern times just as it was when it was written. Lily Bart’s life and death show how society is so materialistic and self-serving that it destroys what is beautiful within it.
When The House of Mirth was published, one critic described it as “a novel of remarkable power,” which stands to reason why it has remained a popular novel throughout the years. Wharton uses Lily Bart to undercut a society that refused to back down in the face of change.
In the time after the Civil War, America became a battleground for pursuing the American dream. It was an era of love, women’s emerging rights, and sexual repression, cloaked in gold. A novel that captures this time in history is The Sex Wars: A Nove of Gilded Age New York by Margie Piercy. This novel follows the story of Freydeh, a Jewish immigrant who struggles to earn her passage to America. She finds out her sister is lost in New York City, so Freydeh sets out to find her. Along the way, her story twines with some famous people of the era, such as the sexual freedom activist Victoria Woodhall, Susan B Anthony, and Anthony Comstock. Each character has a perspective in this novel, so the reader sees the events from four different views. Anthony Comstock was the founder of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, a real person who still has censorship laws in New York.
This story parallels parts of modern history, which makes it more relatable. An election was stolen during this time, which bares an uncanny resemblance to the election stolen in 2000 in American politics, during which George W. Bush lost the popular vote but won in the electoral college. In fact, 5 presidents lost the popular vote and won in the electoral college throughout history, the most recent being the presidential election in 2016.
Sex Wars is a fascinating book about a part of history that is rarely taught in schools. It opens the reader’s eyes to the struggles that women have been put through and continue to fight even to this day.
Highlighting another interesting part of history is the book The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore. This story follows a young lawyer by the name of Paul Cravath, who is employed by a man named George Westinghouse. This client is being sued by Thomas Edison over the question of who actually invented the lightbulb and who holds the rights to electric power in the country. This case thrusts Paul into the world of high society during the late 1800s, but contending with Thomas Edison proves difficult. Paul also crosses paths with Nicola Tesla, who may be able to help win Paul’s case. Paul must learn to play a game without knowing the rules in order to make it through the tangled web that is electricity.
Most history books in schools tell us that, without a doubt, Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb. But that story is much more complex than we realize, and The Last Days of Night set out to show just that. This book shows that without Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse, electricity, as we know it today, might be a very different story.
Here we have another book written by Edith Wharton, though this one takes on a different tone than The House of Mirth. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton was written in 1920 and is set during the Gilded Age in New York City. Unlike The House of Mirth, this novel is more about the struggle of reconciling the old with the new rather than an outright bashing of high New York society. Wharton was in her 50s when she wrote The Age of Innocence and was, therefore, more reflective than in her younger years.
The Age of Innocence follows the story of Newland Archer, who is ready to marry the beautiful May Welland. However, her exotic cousin Ellen appears, throwing Newland off his plans and initiating scandal among New York high society. Newland sees May as part of old New York society, while her cousin represents a newer, more exciting venture. Archer struggles with his decision to marry May or run away with Ellen. The Age of Innocence questions the morals of New York society during the Gilded Age, though it never really condemns the time. It is possible current events influenced this novel while Wharton was writing it, along with her memories of society as a child.
The Gilded Age is a glorified time in history that tends to ignore the problems and highlight the fun and glitz of parties and high society. I hope that through these books, you’ll better understand this era in American history and how it affects society as we know it today.
By Nicole Madigan
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