"Wealth, Inequality, and the Novel"
University of Chicago
October 15, 2022
Kenneth W. Warren, Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor of English

At least since the 18th century, novelists have wrestled with the question of whether the very idea of character—both as a moral quality and a representation of individuality—can withstand the pressure exerted by extreme wealth. To a great extent, however, this question has been raised only to assuage us with an assurance that the integrity of character can survive the erasure of social limits, and restraint made possible by extraordinary riches.