The age of innocence dover thrift editions 0800759298037. The word had fallen like a bombshell in the pure and tranquil atmosphere of the archer dining room. The age of innocence is the novel of edith whartons maturity in which she contemplates the new york of her youth, a society now extinct and even then under threat. Widely regarded as one of edith whartons greatest achievements, the age of innocence is not only subtly satirical, but also a sometimes dark and disturbing comedy of manners in its exploration of the eternal triangle of love. The novel opens in 1870s new york on a january evening. In this book, flowers are used to represent the opposition between innocence and experience. It won the 1921 pulitzer prize for fiction, making it the first novel written by a woman to win the pulitzer prize for fiction, and thus wharton the first woman to win the prize. The age of innocence word cloud classics 9781626860568. The age of innocence, edith whartons 12th novel, which takes its title from a 1785 painting of a little girl by joshua reynolds, was first serialised in four parts during 1920 in the pictorial. And he contemplated her own absorbed young face with a thrill of possessorship in which pride in his own masculine initiation was mingled with a tender reverence for her abysmal purity. Newland archer, countess ellen olenska, may welland, mrs.
Additional meanings are possible but not recorded here. Allstar but most of all i love the age of innocence for two scenes, one pure wharton, the other pure scorsese. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Jan 05, 2014 much of the 1920 book is centered on mary joness remarkable row of stone houses on fifth avenue, from 57th to 58th street. It was a world of structured leisure, in which attendance at balls and dinners passed for occupation, in which the. Archers son, recounting his mothers words, says to archer, she knew we were safe with. Contrast btween book and movie versions of the age of. The narrative follows newland archer, of uppercrust 1870s new york, whose passion for the mysterious countess ellen olenska leads. The age of innocence cliffsnotes study guides book. In the beginning of the novel, newland is engaged to may welland, however when her cousin ellen olenska returns from europe, he begins to doubt who he really loves. Allusions in the age of innocence essay 1552 words 7 pages. The age of innocence is a 1920 novel by american author edith wharton.
When i think of this book, i see fresh flowers on a dark table in the foyer, glowing golden in the slow afternoon sun. The social elite of new york city in the 19th century also the number of people mrs. Choose from 91 different sets of the age of innocence by edith wharton vocabulary flashcards on quizlet. The age of innocence was published around 1910 1920 but is set in the late 19th century, the time when edith wharton herself was growing up. Reading that, i noticed how early in the book i identified with the central character even though her life was so much different from mine her life choices and her perspective on life. The free library literature edith wharton the age of innocence book ii. The the age of innocence quotes below are all either spoken by julius beaufort or refer to julius beaufort.
All of new yorks high society is gathered for a production of gounods opera faust, including newland archer, recently engaged to pretty may welland. White is traditionally symbolic of purity and virginity, and the lilies of the valley act as a. The age of innocence questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on the age of. It is amazing how class has changed so much since the time this was written. The age of innocence arcadianpress edition kindle edition. Real estate of edith whartons the age of innocence the. The age of innocence is a partnostalgic, partsatiric recreation of the surfaces of new york city. The story is presented as a kind of anthropological study of this society through references to the families and their activities as tribal. The age of innocence, set in late nineteenthcentury new york society, did indeed become a bestseller and won the pulitzer prize the following year. You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. May is always carrying white flowers, usually lilies of the valley.
This is the kind of insight that makes the age of innocence so indispensable. The age of innocence is an enchanting victorian era novel that eloquently illustrates the price of being among new yorks high society the late nineteenth century. In fact, archer sends her a bouquet of these flowers every day of their engagement. Librivox recording of the age of innocence, by edith wharton. New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and. We assign a color and icon like this one to each theme, making it easy to track which themes apply to each quote below. Already a successful novelist in 1920 when she completed the age of innocence, edith wharton anticipated bestselling status for her new novel. On a january evening of the early seventies, christine nilsson was singing in faust at the academy of music in new york. The age of innocence, novel by edith wharton, published in 1920. Real estate of edith whartons the age of innocence. A few years ago, i read the age of innocence and thought it was okay.
The age of innocence, for which wharton won the pulitzer prize in 1920, is one of her most memorable novels. Candidez is a difficult word to translate, because in spanish it means l. The age of innocence marks the pinnacle of edith whartons career as one of the finest american novelists of her era. The age of innocence, written by edith wharton in 1920, is a novel about newland archer, set in new york in the 1870s. Learn the age of innocence by edith wharton vocabulary with free interactive flashcards. At the heart of the story are three people whose entangled lives are deeply affected by the tyrannical and rigid requirements of high society.
The story is set in the 1870s, in upperclass, gilded age new york city. The truth that lies behind fantasies the age of innocence by edith wharton is a book that gave the word love many other meanings, such as impossible, meaningless and incomplete. May is always carrying white flowers, usually liliesofthevalley. Welland, a great event for a young couple to give their first big dinner. I want somehow to get away with you into a world where words like. The project gutenberg etext of the age of innocence, by edith. The age of innocence centers on an upperclass couples impending marriage, and the introduction of.
Jul 28, 2014 the age of innocence, edith whartons 12th novel, which takes its title from a 1785 painting of a little girl by joshua reynolds, was first serialised in four parts during 1920 in the pictorial. The story is set in upperclass new york city in the 1870s. The age of innocence is author edith whartons 12th novel. Book summary it is a january evening in 1870s new york city and the fashionable are attending the opera.
The age of innocence poem by clive blake poem hunter. The age of innocence edith wharton oxford university press. Silencing women in edith whartons the age of innocence clare virginia eby follow this and additional works at. The work presents a picture of upperclass new york society in the late 19th century. Archer and janey archer, lawrence lefferts, sillerton jackson, medora manson, ned winsett, mrs. Antonyms for innocence include immodesty, impurity, unchasteness, unchastity, badness, blame, corruption, evil, knowledge and sin. His eyes remained unseeingly fixed on the thronged sunlit square below the window. In my view of the age of innocence is a fascinating, well written story that gives us a vivid picture of edith whartons early life and the way she struggled with the dilemma of choice. See plot diagram summary book 1 set in victorianera new york, the age of innocence tells the story of newland archer, a young man who inwardly bristles at the respectability and duty that his social position demands. Wharton was the first woman to receive this high literary honor. The narrative follows newland archer, of uppercrust 1870s new york, whose passion for the mysterious countess ellen olenska leads him to question the very foundations of his way of life. White is traditionally symbolic of purity and virginity, and the liliesofthevalley act as a reminder of mays state of innocence about sexual and. But almost absent from whartons writings is marys sister rebecca.
Top synonyms for innocence other words for innocence are purity, inner beauty and innocent. Where can irony be found in the age of innocence by edith wharton. The age of innocence is the name of an evocative portrait painted by sir joshua reynolds of the daughter of his favorite niece. The age of innocence quotes society and class what was or was not the thing played a part as important in newland archers new york as the inscrutable totem terrors that had ruled the destinies of his forefathers thousands of years ago.
In 1921, the age of innocence became the first novel written by a woman to win a pulitzer. The age of innocence questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on the age of innocence. The age of the age of innocence the new york times. The project gutenberg etext of the age of innocence, by. Irony is a literary device used by edith wharton all over the novel the age of. In a way, in the age of innocence, edith wharton wrote an allegory of. This teachers literature guide includes information about author edith wharton and discussion questions. In an era before the advent of electric lights, telephones or motor vehicles, there exists a small cluster of aristocratic old revolutionary stock families that rule new yorks social life. The age of innocence, edith wharton the age of innocence is a 1920 novel by the american author edith wharton.
How would you interpret there was no innocence more. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Litcharts makes it easy to find quotes by chapter, character, and theme. Winner of the 1921 pulitzer prize, the age of innocence is. Julius beaufort character analysis in the age of innocence. Its brilliant anatomization of the snobbery and hypocrisy of the wealthy elite of new york society in the 1870s made it an instant classic, and it won the pulitzer prize in 1921. In 1921 the age of innocence achieved a double distinction it won the pulitzer prize and it was the first time this prestigious award had been won by a woman author. The the age of innocence characters covered include. As young newland archer, lawyer and man about town, gazes up at his soontobe fiance, may welland, in the mingottfamily opera box, he is disconcerted by the arrival of mays cousin, the countess ellen olenska, who has left her profligate but wealthy polish husband. The age of innocence quotes explanations with page. When he thought of ellen olenska it was abstractly, serenely, as one might think of some imaginary beloved in a book or a picture. The age of innocence is a title both ironic and poignant.
She was born in 1862 into the exclusive, entrenched and apparently immutable world of wealthy new york families. Innocence meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. It was her twelfth novel, and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the. In some ways, edith whartons classic novel feels more current than ever. Read the age of innocence by author edith wharton, free, online. The story is set in the 1870s, in upperclass, gildedage new york city. Whartons story of the upper classes of old new york, and newland archers impossible love for the disgraced countess olenska, is a perfectly wrought book about an era when upperclass culture in this country was still a mixture of american and european extracts, and. A list of all the characters in the age of innocence. Selected vocabulary from edith whartons the age of innocence. Much of the 1920 book is centered on mary joness remarkable row of stone houses on fifth avenue, from 57th to 58th street. For instance, the word collective can function not only as an adjective but as a noun, the meaning of. Reading length provides a calculation for the word count of this book, find out how long it will take you to read. The project gutenberg ebook of the age of innocence, by edith wharton this. It may not be very obvious at first but the book is meant to be a criticism of this time period which she grew up in.
Edith wharton 1862 1937 was an american writer, and winner of the pulitzer prize in 1921, the first woman to do so. Edith whartons the age of innocence please note that the definitions provided typically refer only to the meaning of the word in the context of the novel. The convenor summed up by saying, that he closed the book with a. Newland is consumed by his unconsummated love affair with his wifes cousin, the scandalous foreign countess ellen olenska the novel begins in the early 1870s, on the day of. It won the 1921 pulitzer prize for fiction, making wharton the first woman to win the prize.
The age of innocence, edith whartons most famous novel, is a love story, written immediately after the end of the first world war. Age of innocence literature guide page 2 teachervision. Though the age of innocence is set, except for its denouement, in the 1870s, its mood reflects edith whartons awareness of the tremendous changes about to alter forever the insular world of old new york. This wordsworth edition includes an exclusive introduction and notes by stuart hutchinson, university of kent at canterbury. Though the committee had initially agreed to give the. The age of innocence by edith wharton reading guide. The appearance of mays cousin, the controversial countess olenska, who isgasp. Not only would the first world war change the whole consciousness and shape of the world, but other major changes would occur in the united states as well.