Scan barcode
A review by knitnetic
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
3.0
Those who know me well may be aware of a long-standing rule of mine: always read the book before you see the movie. It was this very rule that brought about the reading of this book, as a certain friend has been after me for months to watch the Martin Scorsese film based on this book.
I have to say, this book was hard to start. Set in 1870's New York, the book builds a world full of social characters and mores different from any I've ever known - this is, in fact, one of the central themes of the story. In its pages, Wharton tells the story of Newland Archer and May Welland, a young couple who get engaged in the first chapters of the tale. Newland, a young man just out of a disappointing and somewhat scandalous love affair, is sure that the innocent May is just what he needs as a wife. Yet, as he gets to know May better, he begins to wonder if this is in fact true - if, perhaps, the only benefit of her innocence is "that he might exercise his lordly pleasure in smashing it". His acquaintance with May's cousin Ellen, a woman who has just left her wealthy European husband, doesn't help his confusion. Though she is scandalous and free, just what a proper New York gentleman ought to despise, he finds he cannot help but prefer her frank and somewhat cynical view of the world. As he is forced to choose between the woman he loves and the woman to whom he is pledged, Wharton explores the hypocrisy and ridiculousness of New York high society.
Wharton takes on an interesting task in this book - that of telling the unromantic love story between two people the reader cannot help but dislike. Newland, for all he speaks of new ideas, is really a very conservative man in his actions. May, on the other hand, proves that innocence does not preclude one from visciousness, as she summarily cuts Ellen off from a life with Newland. (Scorsese, better known for "Goodfellas", "Gangs of New York", and "The Departed" calls this the most violent movie he's ever directed). It is only Ellen with whom the reader may identify, a woman wronged first by her family, then by her husband, who, in spite of these repeated abuses, refuses to be made a victim.
If Lolita has the best first chapter in literature, The Age of Innocence ties only with A Tale of Two Cities for the best closing chapter - a chapter about which I cannot speak for fear of ruining it. Though I actually read this final chapter first (I had heard it was fantastic) I was unprepared for its power when read at the end of the entire story.
Final Opinion: One of the classics you'll be glad you read.
I have to say, this book was hard to start. Set in 1870's New York, the book builds a world full of social characters and mores different from any I've ever known - this is, in fact, one of the central themes of the story. In its pages, Wharton tells the story of Newland Archer and May Welland, a young couple who get engaged in the first chapters of the tale. Newland, a young man just out of a disappointing and somewhat scandalous love affair, is sure that the innocent May is just what he needs as a wife. Yet, as he gets to know May better, he begins to wonder if this is in fact true - if, perhaps, the only benefit of her innocence is "that he might exercise his lordly pleasure in smashing it". His acquaintance with May's cousin Ellen, a woman who has just left her wealthy European husband, doesn't help his confusion. Though she is scandalous and free, just what a proper New York gentleman ought to despise, he finds he cannot help but prefer her frank and somewhat cynical view of the world. As he is forced to choose between the woman he loves and the woman to whom he is pledged, Wharton explores the hypocrisy and ridiculousness of New York high society.
Wharton takes on an interesting task in this book - that of telling the unromantic love story between two people the reader cannot help but dislike. Newland, for all he speaks of new ideas, is really a very conservative man in his actions. May, on the other hand, proves that innocence does not preclude one from visciousness, as she summarily cuts Ellen off from a life with Newland. (Scorsese, better known for "Goodfellas", "Gangs of New York", and "The Departed" calls this the most violent movie he's ever directed). It is only Ellen with whom the reader may identify, a woman wronged first by her family, then by her husband, who, in spite of these repeated abuses, refuses to be made a victim.
If Lolita has the best first chapter in literature, The Age of Innocence ties only with A Tale of Two Cities for the best closing chapter - a chapter about which I cannot speak for fear of ruining it. Though I actually read this final chapter first (I had heard it was fantastic) I was unprepared for its power when read at the end of the entire story.
Final Opinion: One of the classics you'll be glad you read.