Annotated Bibliography on "House of Mirth and Invisible Man"

Annotated Bibliography 4 pages (1200 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Vol. 37, No. 1 (2004), pp. 96-120.

Hardin's treatment of invisibility in Invisible Man bridges race, class, gender, and power and also sexuality. The author discusses the ways invisibility served as a survival mechanism vis-a-vis lynchings and other relatively common responses to visible deviances from the white establishment, like skin color. Passing as white could mean passing one's way into freedom, avoiding the brutality of racism. At the same time, passing can mean biracial identity construction, which is an even more problematic brand of invisibility. The biracial individual ultimately does not get away with "passing" for anything, and does not fit neatly into any pre-established ethnic category. The person is without a social home, without an identity. Yet invisibility can also be a response to and defense of homoeroticism and what Hardin calls a "transgressive sexuality," (96). Hardin effectively connects homoeroticism to miscegenation, as both signify liminal positions. Biraciality implies one does not fit into acceptable categories, just as homosexual desire precludes a person from squeezing into neatly defined social structures or normative behaviors. As Lily Bart likewise fails to fit into neatly defined social structures, this astute analysis will prove helpful in crafting my argument.

Kaplan, Amy. "Crowded Spaces in The House of Mirth." In Singley, Carol J. Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth: A Casebook. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Beginning with a discussion of Lily Bart's seemingly fake and unrealistic appearance when we readers first meet her, Kaplan launches into a deep discussion about social structures and stratifications. The stratifications and structures embedded in society have invisible origins; those who control social norms and power hierarchies are invisible to the masses and particularly to those who are disempowered by those very structures they create. Women in the case of The House of Mirth, and African-Americans in the case of Invisible Man are two major but marginalized groups. Their invisibility is manifest in Lily Bart's subversion of the institution of marriage and the patriarchal power it symbolizes, and the narrator's subversion of multiple types of dysfunctional structures.

Merish, Lori. "Engendering Naturalism." In Singley, Carol J. Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth: A Casebook. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Invisibility is a tacit theme in The House of Mirth, as much as it is an explicit one in Invisible Man. Merish talks about invisibility as a "disembodied abstraction" in this article (249). Ironically, Merish locates invisibility not with women, which would be the most logical place to look, but with men instead. Merish notes that in The House of Mirth, women's bodies are used "to display men's wealth and men's wears," and are therefore the visible counterpart to men's implicit and invisible power (249). Men in Wharton's novel "hover in the background," only appearing in relation to their utility or their money (249). Men's power and status is wrapped up in the power of their invisibility, as they are the puppeteers pulling the strings in the lives of women; Ellison would likely point out also that white men proffers the privilege of pulling the strings of power over people of color, too. Generally this article connects race, class, gender, and power in unique ways.

Restuccia, Francis L. "The Name of the Lily: Edith Wharton's Feminism(s)." Contemporary Literature Vol 28, No. 2 (Summer 1987), pp. 223-238.

Restuccia discusses the different types of "feminisms" in Wharton's novel, which the author calls a "social fable that indicts" society for producing "human feminine ornaments that it has no qualms about crushing," (p. 223). Just as Merish discusses women as servants to men's power, Restuccia likewise dissects The House of Mirth to… READ MORE

How to Reference "House of Mirth and Invisible Man" Annotated Bibliography in a Bibliography

Related Papers:

House of Mirth Thesis

House of Mirth: A social and character-Driven tragedy

The tragic end of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth has its roots in both the character of the central protagonist Lily… read more

Thesis 3 pages (1499 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

House of Mirth Research Proposal

House of Mirth -- by Edith Wharton

In the novel The House of Mirth Lily Bart actually wished to marry someone for love, but she felt pressure from society and… read more

Research Proposal 3 pages (1014 words) Sources: 5 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Invisible Man Term Paper

Invisible Man

RAPLH ELLISON- INVISIBLE MAN

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (1952) is a genuine commentary on the psyche of black minority that finds itself in the midst of a cultural… read more

Term Paper 7 pages (1784 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison and Racism Term Paper

Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison & Racism

The first chapter of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is set in a segregated town, where the hero, a young unnamed black man, graduates… read more

Term Paper 2 pages (613 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Ralph Ellison Invisible Man Term Paper

Invisible Man

Musically-Inspired or Inflected Narration, Description, Motif Use and Structural Arrangement within Invisible Man (1953) by Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison, the African-American musician-turned-author, and best-known of his first novel… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1450 words) Sources: 4 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>