The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton was one of the most influential American writers of the early 20th century. She was born in 1862 into a wealthy and aristocratic family, and grew up in a world of privilege and refinement. She was also a keen observer of the social changes and conflicts that marked her era, and used her novels and stories to explore the themes of class, gender, morality, and culture. In this blog, I will share with you some of the insights and inspirations that I have gained from reading her short novel 'The Age of Innocence', as well as some of the challenges and controversies that she faced as a woman and a writer.
She was born into a wealthy and influential family in New York, and she used her insider's knowledge of upper-class society to portray realistically the lives and morals of the Gilded Age. She also wrote about war, travel, and culture.
She was the youngest of three children, and her parents were George Frederic Jones and Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander, who were both descendants of old and prestigious families. She was educated by private tutors and governesses, and she learned to speak French, German, and Italian fluently. She also developed a passion for reading and writing from a young age. She wrote her first story when she was 11 years old, and she published her first book, a collection of poems, when she was 16.
From 1866 to 1872, Edith Wharton and her family traveled in Europe, visiting France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. She was exposed to different cultures, art, and history, which influenced her later works. She also met famous writers and interesting people. When she returned to New York, she found the society life stifling and boring. She felt constrained by the rigid rules and expectations of her class, especially as a women. She wanted more freedom and independence to pursue her interests and talents.
In 1885, Edith Wharton married Edward Robbins Wharton, a wealthy banker who was 12 years older than her. They moved to a large estate in Newport, Rhode Island, where Edith Wharton indulged in her hobbies. She also continued to write stories and novels, but she did not publish them under her own name until 1897. Her marriage was reportedly unhappy and unfulfilling. They had no children, and they eventually divorced in 1913.
Edith Wharton's literary career took off in the early 20th century, when she published some of her most acclaimed works. In 1905, she published The House of Mirth, a novel that exposed the hypocrisy and corruption of New York's high society through the tragic story of Lily Bart, a beautiful but poor woman who tries to marry into wealth and status. The novel was a bestseller and a critical success, and it established Edith Wharton as a major American writer.
In 1911, Edith Wharton moved to Paris, France, where she lived for the rest of her life. She became involved in humanitarian work during World War I, helping refugees, orphans, wounded soldiers, and other victims of the war. She also wrote several books about the war, such as Fighting France (1915) and A Son at the Front (1923), which showed her sympathy for the French cause and her admiration for their courage and resilience.
That takes us to 1920, when Edith Wharton won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel The Age of Innocence. The novel was praised for its realism, elegance, and insight into human nature. It was also adapted into a successful film by Martin Scorsese in 1993.
A Brief Summary of The Age of Innocence
The novel is set in the 1870s, in upper-class society New York City. It tells the story of Newland Archer, a young lawyer who is engaged to May Welland, a beautiful and innocent debutante. However, his life is turned upside down when he meets May's cousin, Ellen Olenska, who has returned to America after leaving her abusive husband, a Polish count. Ellen is unconventional, independent, and scandalous, and she challenges Newland's views on marriage, love, and society. Newland falls in love with Ellen, but he is torn between his duty to May and his passion for Ellen. He also faces the pressure and judgment of his family and friends, who expect him to uphold the rigid norms and values of their world. The novel explores the themes of tradition, conformity, freedom, individuality, and betrayal, as well as the contrast between the old and the new.
Ellen is a free-spirited and unconventional woman who challenges the rigid social norms and expectations of her time. She and Newland develop a mutual attraction and admiration, but they are also aware of the obstacles and consequences that their relationship would entail. The novel portrays the conflict between individual desire and social duty, as well as the hypocrisy and superficiality of upper-class society New York in the 1870s. Wharton uses rich and detailed descriptions to create a vivid picture of the setting and the characters. She also uses irony and satire to criticise the moral values and customs of her own era. The Age of Innocence won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1921, making Wharton the first woman to receive this honour.
I found it to be a compelling and insightful exploration of human nature and emotions. I particularly enjoyed how Wharton creates complex and realistic characters who struggle with their inner conflicts and external pressures. I also appreciated how Wharton showed the contrast between the old and the new, the traditional and the modern, and the conservative and the progressive in American culture. It is a novel that still resonates today, as it raises questions about love, marriage, and society that are relevant to our contemporary world.
Conclusions
Edith Wharton wrote more than 40 books in her lifetime, including novels, short stories, essays, memoirs, travelogues, and poetry. Some of her other notable works are Ethan Frome (1911), a novella about a tragic love triangle in rural New England; The Custom of the Country (1913), a satire on American materialism and ambition; The Reef (1912), a psychological drama about adultery and betrayal; Summer (1917), a romance between a young woman and an older man in a small town; The Children (1928), a comedy about a middle-aged man who falls in love with his friend's daughter; The Buccaneers (1938), a historical novel about five American girls who marry into the British aristocracy; and Ghosts (1937), a peculiar collection of supernatural stories.
She died in 1937 at the age of 75. She was buried in Versailles Cemetery in France. She left behind a legacy of literary excellence and social criticism, and she influenced many other writers.
Somewhat ahead of her time, Edith Wharton was a remarkable woman who broke significant barriers and left a valuable legacy of literature.