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The Age of Innocence

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'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.

Characters:

The characters are intricately portrayed, with Archer embodying conflict, May exhibiting complexity beneath her innocence, and Ellen challenging societal norms.

Writing/Prose:

The writing is characterized by detailed descriptions and social commentary, blending elegant prose with subtle humor and irony.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative revolves around Newland Archer's struggle to choose between his societal obligations to his fiancée, May Welland, and his passion for her cousin, Ellen Olenska.

Setting:

The setting is a richly described New York society in the 1870s, highlighting its rigid social structures and cultural norms.

Pacing:

The pacing is measured, allowing for exploration of societal conventions and emotional depth, leading to a gradual buildup of tension.
Edith Wharton, a prolific writer best known as a novelist of manners whose fiction exposed the rigid mores of aristocratic society in a world that has all but vanished, was born Edith Newbold Jones in...

Notes:

Edith Wharton won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1921 for The Age of Innocence, making her the first woman to win the award.
The novel is set in the late 19th century, specifically the 1870s, during the Gilded Age of New York.
Newland Archer, the protagonist, is engaged to May Welland but falls in love with her cousin, Countess Olenska, who has just returned from Europe after leaving her abusive husband.
The story explores the themes of societal expectations, personal freedom, and the conflicts between love and duty.
Wharton's writing is noted for its sharp social commentary and vivid descriptions of high society, as well as the rich inner lives of its characters.
The Age of Innocence critiques the hypocrisy and superficiality of upper-class society, illustrating how the characters are bound by rigid social conventions.
In a pivotal moment, Newland must choose between his obligation to his fiancée May and his desire for Ellen, showcasing the constraints imposed by society.
The novel contains elements of anticipatory nostalgia, as characters reflect on their past choices and the passage of time.
The book serves as a commentary on the changing roles of women during the time, with Ellen representing a more modern and independent spirit compared to May.
Martin Scorsese directed a film adaptation of The Age of Innocence in 1993, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder.

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)

It Was OK
1 week

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

 
It Was OK
3 months

Social games in NYC

 
Loved It
5 months

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.

 
Loved It
10 months

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.

 
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