Daisy Miller by Henry James (1878)

In Fitzgerald's "Hotel Child" (1931) the attempted exploitation was physical--Count Borowki was trying to take Fifi's money. In Henry James' Daisy Miller (1878), however, the exploitation is psychological. The rich girl, Daisy Miller, comes from a common background and desperately wants to be accepted by society, but the ladies of society have an emotional need to feel superior and will never accept her.

By society, James means the people who inherited their wealth and have never had to work. They spend their days traveling, visiting, and gossiping.

Daisy's father, on the other hand, is a self-made tycoon and, interestingly, far wealthier than everybody else.

The story is mainly told from Frederick Winterbourne's point of view, a member of society who's attracted to Daisy for mainly two reasons: she's really pretty and she's fun to be with.

Daisy is very noticeable. She has nice clothes and good looks. She's open, free-spirited, and has lots of gentlemen friends. All along we're not sure how innocent she is until the end. The ladies make it a point to observe her, spread rumors, and actively detest her. Winterbourne hears all the rumors and is torn between his desire for her and his need to stay in good standing with his class. He eventually chooses to stay with his class and gives up Daisy.

There are streaks of jealousy and hypocrisy here, too. The ladies are jealous that Daisy's family is actually richer than their own, and while they gossip viciously about her innocence, they have no problem with Winterbourne's affairs within their class.

Daisy Miller got a very negative reception when first introduced to the American public. Being told from Winterbourne's point of view, the reader gets the butt of all the vicious gossip. The American public took Daisy and her mother to be insults to American values and womanhood. Personally I got the same impression, too, but after further review, I see the gossip is malicious and unjust. Daisy really is a sweet, lively, and innocent girl.

Foster calls this an example of vampirism. The old ladies are psychologically exploiting the girl's liveliness, innocence, and desire to be accepted, but she is no match for their establishment and she comes to a tragic end. Winterbourne had a chance to save her but didn't. He thought about it but felt safer staying within their establishment.

The Penguin Classics edition, edited with an introduction by Geoffrey Moore and notes by Patricia Clark doesn't come out and call this vampirism, but their analysis largely corroborates with Foster's.

Something like this needs to be read more than once. Parts might get repetitive, but new elements overlooked before will be discovered in each successive reading. And it's only 70 pages.

References:
Henry James. Daisy Miller. 1878. Ed. Geoffrey Moore. Penguin Books. 1986.
Thomas C. Foster. How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Harper. 2003.