What is the plot of The Age of Innocence?
What is the plot of The Age of Innocence?
About The Age of Innocence Set among the very rich in 1870s New York, it tells the story of Newland Archer, a young lawyer engaged to marry virginal socialite May Welland, when he meets her cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, a woman unbound by convention and surrounded by scandal.
What is the main conflict in The Age of Innocence?
The protagonist Archer defends Ellen—who is a childhood friend and his fiancée’s cousin. This turning point introduces both aspects of the main conflict—Archer’s attachment to Ellen and society’s resistance to her.
What does the end of The Age of Innocence mean?
By the film’s end, when Newland is granted a second chance of sorts to reconnect with Ellen in Paris after May’s death, he seems to have accepted the insurmountable distance between his idyllic image of Ellen and the possibly disillusioning reality of what it would take to forge an honest relationship with her.
Where did the families in The Age of Innocence take their summer holidays?
Archer and May spend their second summer together at Newport, Rhode Island, the resort town where all the fashionable New York families vacation. Ellen, to Archer’s surprise, is here, too. Although they never see each other in Newport, his longing for Ellen comes back with renewed force.
Who married Newland?
Newland Archer His engagement to May Welland is one in a string of accomplishments.
Is Age of Innocence a true story?
From now on, Wharton said, “the historical novel will be the only possible form for fiction.” She wrote most of “The Age of Innocence” in 1919, the year after the Armistice, but the action is set in the 1870s, with only the last chapter jumping forward to the 1900s.
Who is the protagonist in The Age of Innocence?
Newland Archer
Newland Archer The novel’s protagonist. Archer is a wealthy young lawyer married to the beautiful debutante May Welland. He is in love, however, with May’s cousin Countess Ellen Olenska, who represents to him the freedom missing from the suffocating environment of the New York aristocracy.
What year is the age of innocence set?
1870s
From now on, Wharton said, “the historical novel will be the only possible form for fiction.” She wrote most of “The Age of Innocence” in 1919, the year after the Armistice, but the action is set in the 1870s, with only the last chapter jumping forward to the 1900s.
Why is Edith Wharton important?
Wharton broke through these strictures to become one of America’s greatest writers. Author of The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and The House of Mirth, she wrote over 40 books in 40 years, including authoritative works on architecture, gardens, interior design, and travel.
Did Newland Archer Love May?
Newland felt a surge of love for May. Particularly as she didn’t seem to have guessed the true nature of his feelings for the Countess. “No, my darling,” he declared. “It is you whom I adore.”
What does the title Age of Innocence mean?
The Age of Innocence is a title both ironic and poignant: ironic because the “age” or period of the novel, the late nineteenth century, teems with intolerance, collusion, and cynicism; poignant because the only innocence lost is that of Newland Archer, the resolute gentleman whose insight into the machinations of …
What was Edith Wharton known for?
Edith Wharton, née Edith Newbold Jones, (born January 24, 1862, New York, New York, U.S.—died August 11, 1937, Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt, near Paris, France), American author best known for her stories and novels about the upper-class society into which she was born.
What is the summary of the age of innocence?
At its heart, The Age of Innocence is the story of a troubled marriage. The (un)happy groom is Newland Archer, initially blissfully engaged to wed May Welland, pampered daughter of one of New York’s most prestigious families.
What was the age of innocence?
The Age of Innocence is a 1920 novel by Edith Wharton . The Age of Innocence may also refer to: The Age of Innocence (1924 film) The Age of Innocence (1934 film)
What is the theme of innocence?
A “loss of innocence” is a common theme in fiction, pop culture, and realism. It is often seen as an integral part of coming of age. It is usually thought of as an experience or period in a person’s life that leads to a greater awareness of evil, pain and/or suffering in the world around them.
