Author : Edith Wharton
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 300 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (122 download)
Book Synopsis The Age of Innocence Annotated by : Edith Wharton
Download or read book The Age of Innocence Annotated written by Edith Wharton and published by . This book was released on 2021-02-21 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Age of Innocence is a novel by Edith Wharton, published to widespread acclaim in 1920. Set in the late 19th century among the monied upper class in America during the gilded age, it recreates the setting and cultural details with exceptional realism while contrasting the elegant and mannered facade of the upper classes with their grasping and cruel schemes.The story opens at a performance of Faust at the old Academy of Music. A man named Newland Archer is in attendance, and revels in his success and prospects. The scion of one of the wealthiest and most socially important New York families, he is a successful lawyer and is set to marry the young, beautiful, and sheltered May Welland. May is an ideal social match for Newland, and he anticipates the perfection of their marriage in terms of the parties and connections opening up before him.Newland meets May's cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska. Thirty years old and beautiful, Ellen is independent and shows her scorn for the social niceties of wealthy society. Ellen is cultured and intelligent, but has caused scandal by leaving her husband, Count Olenska. Newland finds himself powerfully attracted to Ellen, and suddenly sees May as a dull and provincial girl. When Ellen announces her intention to divorce her husband--an act that would ruin the Welland family name--one of Newland's law partners asks that he intervene with Ellen and convince her not to. Newland begins calling on the Countess in order to convince her that she should simply remain living separately from her husband. Newland and Ellen begin corresponding via letters, and come to know each other very well as a result. Newland enjoys Ellen's intelligence and her willingness to question society's rules and her role in them, where May's willingness to play by those rules and conform to her family's wishes seems increasingly unattractive. Ellen agrees not to divorce her husband.His admiration and attraction to Ellen grows during this period. Alarmed at his feelings for Ellen, Newland travels to Florida to visit with May and her family and asks May to move up their wedding date because he can sense his resolve crumbling. May refuses, horrified at upsetting the careful balance of society rules. She accuses Newland of having second thoughts about her appropriateness to be his wife, and Newland insists he still loves her.Newland confesses his love to Ellen, who is shocked. She agrees to remain in America only if Newland promises they will merely be platonic friends, which he does. May relents and sends a telegram agreeing to accelerate the wedding plans, hinting that she understands better than Newland what is happening.Newland and May marry. Their marriage is one of convenience; there is no love or passion and Newland finds May dull. He also finds his old life of parties and social events dull, and thinks constantly of Ellen. Ellen has moved to Washington, D.C., and their correspondence has ended, but Newland finds himself thinking of her constantly. He meets Ellen by chance in Newport, Rhode Island and finds her circumstances have changed: The family has cut off her allowance because Count Olenska wishes her to return to him and she refuses.He tells her he wishes her to become his mistress, since divorce would be impossible for both of them. Ellen initially refuses, and returns to New York to care for her grandmother in order to have her allowance reinstated. Newland, with renewed access to Ellen, becomes determined to seize his chance at happiness and keeps pushing Ellen to become his mistress. When Ellen tells Newland she will consummate their relationship, Newland is ecstatic--but then Ellen informs him suddenly that she is returning to Europe, without explanation. Newland decides to leave May and accompany Ellen there.May announces to Newland that she is pregnant, however--and furthermore tells him she had confessed as much to Ellen earlier. Newland understands that Ellen decided...