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The Age of Innocence (Norton Critical Editions)
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Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
Author: Edith Wharton
Publisher: W. W. Norton
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Our Price: $13.50
You Save: $ 1.50 ( 10% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
Author: Edith Wharton
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Average Customer Rating:
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The Age of Innocence (Norton Critical Editions) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780393967944
ISBN: 0393967948
Label: W. W. Norton
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 544
Publication Date: 2002-11
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Studio: W. W. Norton
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780393967944
ISBN: 0393967948
Label: W. W. Norton
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 544
Publication Date: 2002-11
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Studio: W. W. Norton
Editorial Review of The Age of Innocence (Norton Critical Editions)
Somewhere in this book, Wharton observes that clever liars always come up with good stories to back up their fabrications, but that really clever liars don't bother to explain anything at all. This is the kind of insight that makes The Age of Innocence so indispensable. Wharton's story of the upper classes of Old New York, and Newland Archer's impossible love for the disgraced Countess Olenska, is a perfectly wrought book about an era when upper-class culture in this country was still a mixture of American and European extracts, and when "society" had rules as rigid as any in history.
Customer Reviews of The Age of Innocence (Norton Critical Editions)
Customer Rating: 
Review Summary: The Petty Lives of the Rich and Prudish - A Beauty!!!
Review: "...people who dreaded scandal more than disease, who placed decency above courage, and who considered that nothing was more ill-bred than "scenes", except the behavior of those who gave rise to them." Edith Wharton "The Age of Innocence"
The realm of high society in 1870's New York was a world that was much more sated with hypocrisy and odious ostentation than of innocence. Most of the main characters in this classic made my stomach turn, talk about a bunch of phony, self-important, affected aristocrats. However, what really made this Pulitzer Prize winner so enjoyable for me is the main female character - Countess Ellen Olenska. What a wonderful creation! She is not the least bit pretentious (she actually treats her maid as an equal and friend) and possesses a genuine, compassionate heart of gold. She had the courage to stand alone and be her own person, despite being ostracized from her inner circle.
The story centers upon the upcoming marriage of one of N.Y.'s elite couples - Newland Archer and May Welland - and the free spirited Ellen, who has all of upper-class society in an uproar since separating from her abusive husband. For in their myopic world, divorce is not an option and most of her family and friends believe she should go back to her husband despite all the unhappiness he has caused her with his persistently perfidious ways. Ellen's arrival also abruptly shakes the fragile foundation of Archer and May's union. For when Archer first meets the Countess, his life and his future dreams suddenly change drastically. For the first time in his life, Ellen helps him see how truly trapped he is in his superficial world.
This may be a fictional novel, and it may take place in a different era and place, but the world of the privileged class hasn't changed all that much in today's American society. Bottom line, Edith's attention to detail is dead-on accurate when depicting the singular, shallow world of the elite. This is the first Wharton novel I have ever read, however, as a fan of Naturalism (i.e. Zola, Maupassant, Dreiser, Steinbeck, et al...) I knew I had to give her a shot. Needless to say, I was not disappointed in the least. I really enjoy her witty style and also the empathy she showed toward the plight of her characters, particularly her main protagonist Newland Archer and his shallow wife May.
Definitely recommended!!!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: a perfect world gone awry....
Review: Eighteenth century American "high" society is shown in this subtly uncomfortable, at times merciless novel by Wharton. It explores the unwanted, inevitable, but, in the end, understandable change that occured within a young man on the verge of being married.
On the onset, everything seemed headed for bliss: perfect fiancee, stable prospects, and a comfortable yet predictable soon-to-be married life. But then he meets the Countess Olenska, cousin of his betrothed. This epitome of eccentricity (and source of ignominy of her relatives) becomes strangely alluring to him, what with her unconventional looks, manner of dressing, chosen companions, and overall lifestyle.
As his interactions with her become more frequent, he finds his fiancee somehow paling in comparison next to the vibrancy of the Countess. He becomes disdainful of the ridiculousness with which young men and women are brought up into their glittering society, and who will no doubt foster the same beliefs and traditions to their sons and daughters. As his life and everything he was taught at birth ostensibly comes crashing down upon him, he discovers his attraction to the Countess grow into passionate love. But these two lovers are mired into a world that would shun their relationship: the Countess at the very least is still very much married, and Archer is still very much engaged to be so...
This novel is a veritable force to be reckoned with (though it was tough gaining momentum on the first few pages). Not only does it explore the many intricacies in romantic love, it sheds a blinding light on the ways society draws its defenses around itself, constructs rules and traditions to be followed for the continuation of its existence, and in turn drowns out the very foundations of reason. There is subtlety in the way the author exposed a society so caught up in the world they have built around itself that it becomes blind to change and is still, in so many ways, innocent in its need to keep itself closeted from things both severely chaotic and beautiful that make up the inherent human experience.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Devastating, Beautiful and Brilliant
Review: In the beginning of the book I felt suffocated and annoyed by the old New York society yet appreciated Edith Wharton's caustic and dry humor when describing it and its denizens. I worried, though, that the book would aggravate me too much because of the characters and all of their rigid rules and arrogant affluence. However, that was what Edith wanted. We are thrust into the world of Newland Archer.
Just like Newland, I experienced the Countess Olenska as a delightful diversion and immediately wanted to read more about her world and conversations. When she asks Newland if he is much in love with his fiancee, he replies: "As much as a man can be." She then asks, "Do you think, then, there is a limit?" Through his relationship to her, Newland comes to the realization that all he had dreamed of turned out to be created by a fabricated self. Ellen Olenska awakened his authentic self, but because he had spent his entire young life on conforming to what he thought would equate with happiness, his former fantasy is suddenly turned into a constricting nightmare that he has to continue navigating.
May is brilliantly portrayed as a perfect and vapid beauty, almost mannequin-like in her icy and "innocent" approach to their future together.
I think both men and women would gain a lot from reading this, because we all have at one time yearned for someone or something (whether another person, career goal, etc.) that would require sacrificing one's identity so that if you followed your heart you would lose everything in the process except for your true self.
The suspense and angst builds as the novel progresses until I wanted to scream at Newland to run away with Ellen. The story ends when we find out what decisions were made, and that is followed by many years later and what had become of everyone. That part, to me, was the saddest.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Societal Pressures
Review: This classic is set in New York after World War I when high society was a way of life. You'll see how each decision made affects life.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Wharton is a genius.
Review: Edith Wharton was (and still is) one of the greatest American authors to have lived. Her ability to capture the the ridiculous of the traditions her society clung to so desperately shows her forward thinking and liberal attitude towards life. The conflict Newland Archer goes through after meeting the Countess, the decision he must make between freedom and tradition is incredible. This book is not a blatant attack on society, but rather it is a foray into the interworkings of a man in a certain place at a certain time who must decide the course of his life; the choice between what is right in his head and what is right in his heart. The countess offers a world where there is the chance of something more, something different, at the expense of leaving his fiance, his family, his whole previous way of life. His struggle with this choice is eartbreaking, as is his decision in the end--and yet it is exactly what should have happened.
At the same time, it's also a story of a woman trying to find happiness in a world she does not completely understand, nor perhaps wish to understand. Countess Olenska is not a rebel, she is merely a woman ahead of her time. She desires a life where she makes the decisions, where she can have options beyond those traditionally given to her. Wharton's book is beautifully written and so incredibly natural, she doesn't preach, she doesn't push her agenda. She merely presents the facts as they are, the way life really operated in her time and her New York society and shows how people would truly and honestly react in these situations. Overall, this is one of the greatest books ever written and should be in everyone's library.
Review Summary: The Petty Lives of the Rich and Prudish - A Beauty!!!
Review: "...people who dreaded scandal more than disease, who placed decency above courage, and who considered that nothing was more ill-bred than "scenes", except the behavior of those who gave rise to them." Edith Wharton "The Age of Innocence"
The realm of high society in 1870's New York was a world that was much more sated with hypocrisy and odious ostentation than of innocence. Most of the main characters in this classic made my stomach turn, talk about a bunch of phony, self-important, affected aristocrats. However, what really made this Pulitzer Prize winner so enjoyable for me is the main female character - Countess Ellen Olenska. What a wonderful creation! She is not the least bit pretentious (she actually treats her maid as an equal and friend) and possesses a genuine, compassionate heart of gold. She had the courage to stand alone and be her own person, despite being ostracized from her inner circle.
The story centers upon the upcoming marriage of one of N.Y.'s elite couples - Newland Archer and May Welland - and the free spirited Ellen, who has all of upper-class society in an uproar since separating from her abusive husband. For in their myopic world, divorce is not an option and most of her family and friends believe she should go back to her husband despite all the unhappiness he has caused her with his persistently perfidious ways. Ellen's arrival also abruptly shakes the fragile foundation of Archer and May's union. For when Archer first meets the Countess, his life and his future dreams suddenly change drastically. For the first time in his life, Ellen helps him see how truly trapped he is in his superficial world.
This may be a fictional novel, and it may take place in a different era and place, but the world of the privileged class hasn't changed all that much in today's American society. Bottom line, Edith's attention to detail is dead-on accurate when depicting the singular, shallow world of the elite. This is the first Wharton novel I have ever read, however, as a fan of Naturalism (i.e. Zola, Maupassant, Dreiser, Steinbeck, et al...) I knew I had to give her a shot. Needless to say, I was not disappointed in the least. I really enjoy her witty style and also the empathy she showed toward the plight of her characters, particularly her main protagonist Newland Archer and his shallow wife May.
Definitely recommended!!!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: a perfect world gone awry....
Review: Eighteenth century American "high" society is shown in this subtly uncomfortable, at times merciless novel by Wharton. It explores the unwanted, inevitable, but, in the end, understandable change that occured within a young man on the verge of being married.
On the onset, everything seemed headed for bliss: perfect fiancee, stable prospects, and a comfortable yet predictable soon-to-be married life. But then he meets the Countess Olenska, cousin of his betrothed. This epitome of eccentricity (and source of ignominy of her relatives) becomes strangely alluring to him, what with her unconventional looks, manner of dressing, chosen companions, and overall lifestyle.
As his interactions with her become more frequent, he finds his fiancee somehow paling in comparison next to the vibrancy of the Countess. He becomes disdainful of the ridiculousness with which young men and women are brought up into their glittering society, and who will no doubt foster the same beliefs and traditions to their sons and daughters. As his life and everything he was taught at birth ostensibly comes crashing down upon him, he discovers his attraction to the Countess grow into passionate love. But these two lovers are mired into a world that would shun their relationship: the Countess at the very least is still very much married, and Archer is still very much engaged to be so...
This novel is a veritable force to be reckoned with (though it was tough gaining momentum on the first few pages). Not only does it explore the many intricacies in romantic love, it sheds a blinding light on the ways society draws its defenses around itself, constructs rules and traditions to be followed for the continuation of its existence, and in turn drowns out the very foundations of reason. There is subtlety in the way the author exposed a society so caught up in the world they have built around itself that it becomes blind to change and is still, in so many ways, innocent in its need to keep itself closeted from things both severely chaotic and beautiful that make up the inherent human experience.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Devastating, Beautiful and Brilliant
Review: In the beginning of the book I felt suffocated and annoyed by the old New York society yet appreciated Edith Wharton's caustic and dry humor when describing it and its denizens. I worried, though, that the book would aggravate me too much because of the characters and all of their rigid rules and arrogant affluence. However, that was what Edith wanted. We are thrust into the world of Newland Archer.
Just like Newland, I experienced the Countess Olenska as a delightful diversion and immediately wanted to read more about her world and conversations. When she asks Newland if he is much in love with his fiancee, he replies: "As much as a man can be." She then asks, "Do you think, then, there is a limit?" Through his relationship to her, Newland comes to the realization that all he had dreamed of turned out to be created by a fabricated self. Ellen Olenska awakened his authentic self, but because he had spent his entire young life on conforming to what he thought would equate with happiness, his former fantasy is suddenly turned into a constricting nightmare that he has to continue navigating.
May is brilliantly portrayed as a perfect and vapid beauty, almost mannequin-like in her icy and "innocent" approach to their future together.
I think both men and women would gain a lot from reading this, because we all have at one time yearned for someone or something (whether another person, career goal, etc.) that would require sacrificing one's identity so that if you followed your heart you would lose everything in the process except for your true self.
The suspense and angst builds as the novel progresses until I wanted to scream at Newland to run away with Ellen. The story ends when we find out what decisions were made, and that is followed by many years later and what had become of everyone. That part, to me, was the saddest.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Societal Pressures
Review: This classic is set in New York after World War I when high society was a way of life. You'll see how each decision made affects life.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Wharton is a genius.
Review: Edith Wharton was (and still is) one of the greatest American authors to have lived. Her ability to capture the the ridiculous of the traditions her society clung to so desperately shows her forward thinking and liberal attitude towards life. The conflict Newland Archer goes through after meeting the Countess, the decision he must make between freedom and tradition is incredible. This book is not a blatant attack on society, but rather it is a foray into the interworkings of a man in a certain place at a certain time who must decide the course of his life; the choice between what is right in his head and what is right in his heart. The countess offers a world where there is the chance of something more, something different, at the expense of leaving his fiance, his family, his whole previous way of life. His struggle with this choice is eartbreaking, as is his decision in the end--and yet it is exactly what should have happened.
At the same time, it's also a story of a woman trying to find happiness in a world she does not completely understand, nor perhaps wish to understand. Countess Olenska is not a rebel, she is merely a woman ahead of her time. She desires a life where she makes the decisions, where she can have options beyond those traditionally given to her. Wharton's book is beautifully written and so incredibly natural, she doesn't preach, she doesn't push her agenda. She merely presents the facts as they are, the way life really operated in her time and her New York society and shows how people would truly and honestly react in these situations. Overall, this is one of the greatest books ever written and should be in everyone's library.