The 13th Commandment
Summary
A captivating exploration of early 20th-century societal pressures and burgeoning female autonomy, "The 13th Commandment" meticulously charts Daphne Kip's arduous odyssey from gilded cage disillusionment to profound self-sufficiency. Witnessing her patrician father's financial erosion and her suitor Clay Wimborn's precarious largesse, Daphne repudiates the era's transactional romantic paradigms. This resolve is galvanized by her brother Bayard's ill-fated union with a profligate chorine, propelling Daphne into the tumultuous waters of self-made success. Her initial foray into theatrical ambition falters, yet her entrepreneurial spirit finds fertile ground in a burgeoning lingerie enterprise, a venture that necessitates the severance of her engagement to Clay. As her business flourishes, Clay, having forged his own Western fortune, re-enters her orbit. The narrative culminates in a poignant affirmation of Daphne's hard-won independence, her agreement to matrimony predicated upon an equitable partnership of shared financial stewardship, a radical proposition for its time.
Synopsis
Disillusioned by the transience of wealth when her father's bank balance can no longer support his family's posh life style, and when her fiancé Clay Wimborn admits that he has gone into debt to shower her with presents, Daphne Kip determines to become financially independent. Her determination solidifies upon her brother Bayard's marriage to an extravagant chorus girl, after which Daphne strikes out on her own. At first she attempts to make her fame on stage, but fails. Next, Daphne opens a lingerie business and breaks her engagement with Clay, who then goes West. Just as Daphne's business venture proves to be a success, Clay returns, having made his fortune, and Daphne, feeling that she has become a self-reliant woman, agrees to wed him on the condition that they share all expenses.
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