“The House of Mirth,” Edith Wharton
Writing from one of my favorite time periods, Wharton
describes the life of a once rich but now poor woman in upper class society who
is struggling to lead her life with the style and elegance she once did.
Wharton’s objective with this novel was to expose the hypocrisy of the upper
class and the society she herself was living in, and boy does she accomplish just
that. Through her character she shows that it is near impossible for a woman to
maintain, let alone improve, her life without a man in it. Society has made
women dependent on men. But men however, are completely able to better
themselves through hard work or through gambling, and society praises them
while judging women for doing the same things. I highly suggest reading this,
or any novel, by Wharton. I know I’ll be adding her other novels to my list.
“Can’t Buy My Love,” Jean Kilbourne
Although originally published in 1999, which seems like so
long ago, Kilbourne’s book shows just how much nothing has changed. She
explores the dark side of advertising, pointing out the damage and harm it does
not only to society as a whole, but especially to women and children. Using
girls’ and women’s body to sell products such as cars, alcohol and food, we
find that on the whole the only thing that has changed since she wrote the book
is the status of cigarettes. No longer advertised as much and generally known
as a health hazard, cigarettes are on their way to demise. But it is a true
shame that for the most part, advertising remains the same and its harmful
effects continue on in the present.