The Age of Innocence

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Edith Wharton: The Age of Innocence (2004, Barnes & Noble)

Paperback, 336 pages

English language

Published Aug. 26, 2004 by Barnes & Noble.

ISBN:
978-1-59308-143-0
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OCLC Number:
57384708

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4 stars (30 reviews)

Edith Wharton's most famous novel, written immediately after the end of the First World War, is a brilliantly realized anatomy of New York society in the 1870s, the world in which she grew up, and from which she spent her life escaping. Newland Archer, Wharton's protagonist, charming, tactful, enlightened, is a thorough product of this society; he accepts its standards and abides by its rules but he also recognizes its limitations. His engagement to the impeccable May Welland assures him of a safe and conventional future, until the arrival of May's cousin Ellen Olenska puts all his plans in jeopardy. Independent, free-thinking, scandalously separated from her husband, Ellen forces Archer to question the values and assumptions of his narrow world. As their love for each other grows, Archer has to decide where his ultimate loyalty lies. - Back cover.

161 editions

Sharp, cloying and bitter sweet

4 stars

In a world of stuffy convention, privilege and ennui, Wharton traces a life that repeatedly declines to take the 'road not travelled'.

Anyone who's made a compromise with life (and who hasn't) will find some resonance here. And while the oppulent and convention-bound world can be a stifling read, that's part of the point, and Wharton's sharp irony carries you through

Review of 'The Age of Innocence' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

There is more blushing in this novel than I have encountered elsewhere. The blush seems to be the main mode of expression, since the characters cannot say anything clearly to each other. Newland Archer often "starts" and then says 1/3 to 1/2 of a sentence in anger that quickly evaporates. I'll have to see the movie now to see if Daniel Day Lewis says anything. I also found Newland's attraction to the Countess to be quite mysterious. It is the central undiscussed mystery of the story. I know that life often works that way, but if you are writing a novel you could say something about the crush besides that she doesn't mind living in the same city block as artists do, and that she can decorate a room with only a single feather and blown flowers.

Here is my favorite quote, a description of Boston:

"The streets near the …

Review of 'The Age of Innocence' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Here is what I wrote in my journal at the time I read it:

>>Once I started it, I plodded through it to the end. I had to read it in graduate school. I must say that I found the ending to be a poignant one. I initially resisted the novel because it appeared to be a "teacup tragedy." And the image of the tea cups along with the formal dinners and the social gatherings seem to confirm this. Yet I found Edith Wharton to be more readable than Henry James [I had to read James as well for that class]. One thing I found interesting about the novel was the depiction of social codes and language. Characters would converse but often what was left unsaid was more significant.<<

I only gave it two stars not because it is bad, but because, it was, well "ok," which is what two …

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Subjects

  • Literature - Classics / Criticism
  • Fiction
  • Literature: Classics
  • Classics
  • Fiction / Classics
  • LITERATURE - LIT CLASSICS TRD PB