
'The Age of Innocence' by Edith Wharton is a novel set in New York high society in the late 1800s, focusing on the protagonist Newland Archer and his internal struggle between societal duty and personal desires. The book delves into themes of love, societal expectations, and individual freedom, as Archer navigates his engagement to May Welland while being drawn to the unconventional Ellen Olenska. Wharton's writing style is praised for its wit, intricate observations, and portrayal of the stifling nature of societal norms during that time period.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
Topics:
Notes:
Has Romance?
The Age of Innocence features a significant romantic element, emphasized by the love triangle and the emotional conflicts experienced by the characters.
From The Publisher:
The intelligent and charming Newland Archer - a member of one of New York's most prominent families - is living the life that has always been expected of him: he is engaged to the beautiful and well-connected May Welland and understands the rarefied world of Fifth Avenue society inside out. However, with the arrival of May's cousin, the free-spirited and unconventional Countess Ellen Olenska, Newland begins to doubt all that once seemed so natural to him.An extraordinarily well-observed dissection of New York high society in the 1870s - the world in which Edith Wharton grew up - The Age of Innocence shines a critical light on the social mores and values of the old order.
Ratings (51)
Incredible (6) | |
Loved It (26) | |
Liked It (13) | |
It Was OK (5) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (108):
Read It (53) | |
Want To Read (43) | |
Not Interested (12) |
4 comment(s)
3.5 stars. I enjoyed the discussion of class and somewhat enjoyed the story but I feel like I've need to reread it someday. Might see the movie and then read the book again because I feel I didn't fully grasp the story but it's just might be because of the headspace I was in. But enjoyable nevertheless
Social games in NYC
When I read
The Age of Innocence as a teenager, I couldn’t put a finger on why the book resonated with me. Reflecting on how I was raised—with innumerable rules, some explicitly stated, some only implied—I realize that I have more in common with members of 1870s New York high society than one would expect.
More than anything, I see myself in Newland Archer, and I don’t like it. Newland is someone who lives more in his head than in life. He is content with his existence as long as he is allowed to have his books and have at least, if not a taste, a strong whiff of something more interesting. I worry that I have the same propensity—to live so much in my mind that I forget to live in the real world, and to conform to society’s rules as long as I have my books, tv shows, films, music, and other intellectual trinkets.
I understand
The Age of Innocence, yet I can’t say that I love it.
The end was just a heartbreaking gut punch.
About the Author:
Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was one of America's greatest writers. The author of more than forty books, including The Age of Innocence, Wharton was the first woman awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Yale University, and full membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Wharton was the principal designer of her 1902 country home The Mount in Lenox, Mass. The Mount's elegant house and gardens reflect the neoclassical design principles that she espoused in her works The Decoration of Houses and Italian Villas and Their Gardens.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.