The Age of Innocence

Warton, Edith

ISBN 10: 0486298035 / ISBN 13: 9780486298030

Published by Dover Publications, Incorporated, 1997

About this Item

Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Seller Inventory # 594087-6

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Age of Innocence
• Publisher: Dover Publications, Incorporated
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0486298035
• ISBN 13: 9780486298030
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: New Ed.
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 0.366 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

Edith Wharton (1862–1937) wrote carefully structured fiction that probed the psychological and social elements guiding the behavior of her characters. Her portrayals of upper-class New Yorkers were unrivaled. The Age of Innocence, for which Wharton won the Pulitzer Prize in 1920, is one of her most memorable novels.
At the heart of the story are three people whose entangled lives are deeply affected by the tyrannical and rigid requirements of high society. Newland Archer, a restrained young attorney, is engaged to the lovely May Welland but falls in love with May's beautiful and unconventional cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska. Despite his fear of a dull marriage to May, Archer goes through with the ceremony — persuaded by his own sense of honor, family, and societal pressures. He continues to see Ellen after the marriage, but his dreams of living a passionate life ultimately cease.
The novel's lucid and penetrating prose style, vivid characterization, and its rendering of the social history of an era have long made it a favorite with readers and critics alike.

From the Back Cover

Edith Wharton (1862–1937) wrote carefully structured fiction that probed the psychological and social elements guiding the behavior of her characters. Her portrayals of upper-class New Yorkers were unrivaled. The Age of Innocence, for which Wharton won the Pulitzer Prize in 1920, is one of her most memorable novels.
At the heart of the story are three people whose entangled lives are deeply affected by the tyrannical and rigid requirements of high society: Newland Archer, a restrained young attorney; his lovely fiancée, May Welland; and  May's beautiful and unconventional cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska. The romance that blossoms between Newland and Ellen and its consequences illustrate the conflict between living a passionate life and behaving in accordance with family and social expectations. The novel's lucid and penetrating prose style, vivid characterizations, and its rendering of the social history of an era have long made it a favorite with readers and critics alike.