The Age of Innocence (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Edith Wharton
- First Published: 1920
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Fiction of manners
- Subjects: Values, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Love or romance, Nineteenth century, New York City, Social issues, Marriage, Social life, Obsession, Upper classes, Adultery, Divorce, Duty, Lawyers, Bohemianism, Gossip, Scandal, Peer pressure
- Locales: New York, NY, Newport, RI
The Age of Innocence, often considered Wharton's masterpiece, takes a nostalgic look at the New York society of her childhood, which had undergone enormous changes by 1920. In a mood tempered from that expressed in the 1905 House of Mirth, Wharton criticizes many aspects of this society, especially its hypocrisy and tendency to stifle creativity and genuine emotion. In this retrospective she also finds value in its stability and traditions. At the height of her powers in this novel, Wharton brilliantly uses plot, character, dialogue, point of view, and irony to express...
[The entire page is 1477 words long]
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