
“Each time you happen to me all over again.”― Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence
With The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize. Wharton grew up during the gilded age as part of New York’s rigid and elite high society. This novel is set during the late nineteenth century, and Wharton draws upon memories of that time to create the background for the story. Newland Archer is a young attorney content with his life and particularly happy with his choice of a bride, the young, beautiful, and well connected May Welland. When Archer meets May’s cousin, the scandalous and beautiful Countess Ellen Olenska, he becomes fascinated by her. As they are thrown together more often and their feelings for each other grow, Archer faces the struggle of whether to go ahead with his marriage to May or to abandon her for the Countess, who is separated from her husband.
This story explores the complexities found in a life bound by rigid rules and expectations. Wharton also offers a glimpse into the society of her youth where hypocrisy, snobbery, and pretense were found in abundance and the ironic title of the book reflects how society’s outward polished behaviors were often at odds with its hidden schemes and manipulations. This classic remains relevant today with its honest, poignant, and even humorous take on the human condition.
Content Advisory: Infidelity, sexism, classism