Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Visiting professor of Isfahan University
2 Isfahan University
Abstract
One of the most important social phenomena of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in most countries of the world was the spread of consumerism. According to the sociological philosophy of Jean Baudry, in a consumerist society, a new behavioral pattern is observed, which is the increasing consumption of goods, and the results of this are that in such a society, people constantly feel empty, high human values are replaced by material values, human personality and identity are defined and justified in relation to material things, social relationships are completely adjusted based on materialism, and of course, women are twice as vulnerable as men in these conditions. It should be noted that Boudria's theory is not only important in the field of philosophy and sociology, but it is also very effective in reviewing literary works. The House of Mirth novel is one of the best realist works in the field of literature that realistically portrays the American society of the early 20th century. Since interdisciplinary studies help to advance and improve both fields, by analyzing this novel from Baudrillard's point of view, not only the views of this philosopher are understood more concretely and objectively, but also new and wider dimensions of this literary work are revealed to the reader. Therefore, with the interdisciplinary approach of philosophy, sociology, and literature, this research found that the characters in The House of Mirth, especially Lily, who is the focus of the novel, are so caught up in the American consumerist society that their relationships and individual identities have undergone many changes. Considering that not only the phenomenon of consumerism in the whole world in our current time is not limited at all, but it has also become more abundant through virtual marketing, has doubled the importance of the present research, which emphasizes the awareness of the issues arising from this phenomenon to preserve human identity in such a society. It is clear that reading this novel from the point of view of sociological philosophy has raised the level of readers' awareness in this field so that they can diminish and minimize the effects of consumerism in their lives as much as possible.
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