Image of The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence

by Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence was Edith Wharton's 12th novel and is located in familiar Wharton territory. The genteel snobbery of the upper classes with its underlying cruelty and heartless judgments passed on those who cross the line is wonderfully depicted in The Age of Innocence. The story opens at a glittering music concert, featuring the wonderful opera singer Christine Nilsson singing Faust at the Music Academy in New York. In the high-society club boxes, the leading lights of New York society train their opera glasses on the crowd, occasionally throwing a sniping remark or two. Newland Archer, a young, handsome, wealthy lawyer whose privileged background is matched only by that of his new fiancée, May Welland. As the self satisfied and complacent Archer surveys the crowd in the opera theater, he overhears two men gossiping about a lady who has just entered a nearby opera box. She is Ellen Olenska, the recent widow of a Polish count, who had shocked society a few years earlier by first marrying a complete outsider and then running away from him to live alone in various cities across Europe. For Archer, the issue is complicated by the fact that Ellen is his beloved May's first cousin. What follows has a devastating impact on the lives of everyone who is connected with the cousins. The story traces the roots of social prejudices and is an absolutely frank and fearless look at the hypocrisy, double standards and betrayals that people indulge in, in the name of “good form.” The Age of Innocence is filled with memorable characters like the elderly gossip Sillerton Jackson, who is not just considered to be an authority on “families” but also possesses an indelible memory about every single scandal and mystery that has occurred in the claustrophobic Manhattan society of the day. The Age of Innocence won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921 and takes its title from a famous eighteenth century English painting by Joshua Reynolds. It was initially serialized in 1920 in the Pictorial Review magazine, but later compiled into a book and published in the following year. As a ruthless and bitter commentary on the social mores of the day, The Age of Innocence is certainly an insightful book to enjoy.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

English

Published In

1920

Authors

Edith Wharton image

Edith Wharton

United States

Edith Wharton was an American novelist, short story writer, and designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper class New York "aristocracy" to realistically portray the lives and mor...

Books by Edith Wharton

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

A Man Could Stand Up Cover image

A Man Could Stand Up by Ford Madox Ford

The book follows Christopher Tietjens as he navigates the aftermath of the war and the changes that come with it. He must deal with his estranged wife...

Pinocchio Cover image

Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

Pinocchio is a classic tale about a wooden puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy. Carved by the kindhearted Geppetto, Pinocchio embarks on a series...

His Big Opportunity Cover image

His Big Opportunity by Amy Le Feuvre

This heartwarming children's story explores the themes of faith, kindness, and the importance of using opportunities to help others. Two young boys,...

Men Who Live It Down Cover image

Men Who Live It Down by Henry Lawson

Henry Lawson's 'Men Who Live It Down' is a collection of poems and prose that reflects the hardships and resilience of Australian working-class life,...

Minos of Sardanes Cover image

Minos of Sardanes by Charles B. Stilson

Step into the ancient world of mystery and adventure as Charles B. Stilson unveils the untold story of Minos of Sardanes, a captivating tale that unra...

Peep Behind the Scenes Cover image

Peep Behind the Scenes by Mrs. O. F. Walton

Rosalie, a young girl who lives in a circus, experiences the highs and lows of a life on the road. While she enjoys the excitement and freedom of trav...

A Slav Soul and Other Stories Cover image

A Slav Soul and Other Stories by Aleksandr Kuprin

In "A Slav Soul and Other Stories," Aleksandr Kuprin masterfully crafts a collection of narratives that offer an intimate glimpse into the complexitie...

Cousin Betty  Cover image

Cousin Betty by Honoré de Balzac

La Cousine Bette is an 1846 novel by French author Honoré de Balzac. Set in mid-19th-century Paris, it tells the story of an unmarried middle-aged wom...

The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft Cover image

The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft by George Gissing

In the quiet corners of literary history, nestled amid the forgotten pages, lies a masterpiece waiting to be rediscovered: "The Private Papers of Henr...

A Mirror Of Shalott Cover image

A Mirror Of Shalott by Robert Hugh Benson

The book follows the life of a young woman named Shalott, who resides in a quaint village. Shalott possesses a mysterious mirror that reflects not onl...

Reviews for The Age of Innocence

No reviews posted or approved, yet...