Summary
In the brittle, champagne-soaked atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties, William de Mille’s 'The Fast Set' serves as a caustic anatomical study of marital entropy. Richard Sones, a man whose soul is tethered to the silent sanctuary of his library and the cerebral rigor of his prose, finds himself increasingly estranged from his spouse, Margaret. While Richard navigates the quietude of intellectual pursuit, Margaret is seduced by the frenetic, sybaritic pulse of the 'fast set'—a coterie of socialites where superficiality is the primary currency. Enter Ernest Steele, a seasoned predator of the bouidour whose specialty lies in the calculated cultivation of 'neglected' wives. Recognizing the yawning chasm in his marriage, Richard eschews conventional confrontation for a more avant-garde psychological warfare. He introduces Mona, a streetwalker, into Margaret’s gilded social circle, presenting her as a 'professional' whose honest trade exposes the dilettantish moral bankruptcy of the assembled guests. This social hand-grenade triggers a sequence of domestic upheaval, leading to a divorce petition that eventually forces the opportunistic Steele to retreat into the shadows of self-preservation, inadvertently facilitating a fragile reconciliation.
Synopsis
Richard Sones a novelist, enjoys the company of his books and intellectual friends, however, his wife, Margaret, loves the party life of a fast set. Adept at sympathizing with neglected wives, Ernest Steele finds Margaret receptive to his flattering phrases. Richard, realizing that he must take drastic action, invites Mona, a girl of the streets, to accompany him to one of Margaret's parties and there describes her as a professional in the game they play as amateurs. Margaret decides upon a divorce, but Steele fears for his freedom and brings about a reconciliation between the Soneses.enjoys the company of his books and intellectual friends, while his wife, Margaret, prefers the jazz life of a fast set. Adept at sympathizing with neglected wives, Ernest Steele finds Margaret receptive to his flattering phrases. Richard, realizing that he must take drastic action, invites Mona, a girl of the streets, to accompany him to one of Margaret's parties and there describes her as a professional in the game they play as amateurs. Margaret decides upon a divorce, but Steele fears for his freedom and brings about a reconciliation between the Soneses.
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