Author: Edith Wharton
The Age of Innocence is a 1920 book by Edith Wharton, the first woman to ever win a Pulitzer Prize in 1921. It is truly no surprise this book won a Pulitzer award in 1921. This book could win a Pulitzer award in any year due to its compelling writing and sociological significance of this book, which captures New York society of the time it was written, as well as social changes that happened with the ‘roaring 20s’.
Wharton writes a story of New York Society at the time of social change. The book story is set in the 1870s in the upper-class Gilded Age New York City and portrays a story of the so-called ‘polite society’, and its rigid customs and social expectations. Wharton previously authored The House of Mirth which also tackled societal relations, published in 1905 which I have now obtained on Kindle and will read soon. She also wrote an autobiography and all these books, in different ways, capture the picture of the upper-class society in their own time making Wharton not just an author of fiction, for which she was celebrated, but also a social historian.
The Age of Innocence seems to struggle with reconciling the old with the new and whilst most of the book follows the New York society before social changes in the US, at the end of the book, we also get a glimpse of change and a critique from the author who throughout the book critiques society and its rigidity, particularly respective to ‘reserved’ and ‘discrete’ behaviour and communication style, but then she also critiques social changes. I was particularly captured by the behavioural part and have made a lot of notes for my research. Wharton shows us how things were said without being said, and how one had to put their emotions aside to appear polite, discrete and reserved. Fashion is also portrayed in the book, particularly expectations of fashion (e.g., getting new dresses from Paris but not wearing them for two years to avoid being too fashionable, which was seen as vulgar even though a large part of societal life was indeed centred on fashion and keeping up appearances, which is portrayed at length in the book). Parisian couture is portrayed as fashion for ladies of the New York society with Charles Frederick Worth being the designer ladies used to order their clothes. This is just narrated through mentioning of Worth and Paris so not entirely clear to a reader unfamiliar with fashion history, but I enjoyed this part and found it valuable for my teaching and research. For those who do not know, Charles Frederick Worth is often credited as the father of couture, and he was selling his creations to upper-classes and royals in Europe and the US.
The Age of Innocence centres on an upper-class couple and their impending marriage, which was overshadowed by the introduction of the bride’s cousin, Madame Ellen Olenska who caused a scandal by leaving her husband, Count Olenski. Olenska is American, but she was mainly brought up in Europe, and when writing about her ‘bohemian’ attitudes and behaviours, the author also critiques the puritanism and rigidity of American society as opposed to more open-minded European society. However, the novel never develops in an outright critique of the American society and its morals of the 1870s period; these are just thoughts that the groom, Newland Archer has, and his doubts and desires are portrayed in a somewhat negative way. Newland Archer falls for Madame Olenska and throughout the book, we follow his struggle with forbidden love, for Archer is marrying May, Olenska’s cousin. He defends Olenska when she resists societal and family attempts to make her return to her husband and continues to desire her discretely and quietly. Archer’s wife, May, is portrayed through his eyes as someone who is too committed to societal ways, what the family and society want, and who rigidly follows expected behaviours and communication styles. Newland describes her as someone whose eyes shine on the surface but has nothing behind, no opinion, no imagination, and no understanding of the world. Yet, at the end of the book, Archer realises that May knew more than she said and that she pitied him, and he truly regrets his resentment of her during their life together. He redeems May in the reader’s eyes and sees that she is more than what she has shown to him and the world.
The book is indeed mainly centred in the 1870s, and the story follows Newland and May’s betrothal and then early years of marriage in detail, with Newland and his struggle being the central plot. Then, the last few chapters suddenly move to 26 years later when Newland tells us what happened during those years. The ending is poignant and sad, albeit understandable. The ending questions differences in life experiences and culture, and whilst the 1920s in the US brought a huge social change, critiqued particularly in this part of the book where Newland narrates changes in the last 26 years of his life, he also suddenly contemplates how these changes have happened in Europe and realises there is a whole world that sets people apart. And whilst two people may have loved each other at a different time, even though that love never faded, can they be together after almost three decades of being apart and living in different worlds?
The Age of Innocence is a truly beautiful story of love and a brilliant sociological and historical account of the time in which the author lived.
Thank you for reading!