The Age of Innocence: Complete Text with Introduction, Historical Contexts, Critical Essays"Edith Wharton (1862-1937) wrote carefully structured fiction that probed the psychological and social elements guiding the behavior of her characters. 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."--Amazon.com. |
Contents
A Note on the Text | 10 |
Questions of Culture | 289 |
of Houses in The Age of Innocence | 318 |
Copyright | |
10 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
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