The Age of Innocence by Edith Warton

The Age of Innocence 

By Edith Warton 

Rating : 5/5 💗💘

Genres : Classics, 19th Century, Romance, Pulitzer Prize winner 1921, Generational Fiction. 

(Setting out to write this review, I was not sure what to say and definitely didn't think that I will write so many words! ) 

The character development is spectacular in this book. Infact, a person is not identified for his physical appearance/features but mostly segregated and defined by their inner natures. Overall I think this is not a tragedy..even it is not a wonderfully happy story with a happy ending. It has a tinge/touch of melancholy which is inspired by things unattainable but most wanted. 

The story brilliantly portrays the inner conflict a man goes through as he tries to upend the conventions and status quo of the society he has been part of since birth to follow the passions of his heart versus adhering to the dictates of an orthodoxical/ traditional society/family and suppressing his desires,creating an impenetrable inner sanctum for compensation. The plot is set in an older and conservative New York society when there was a clear distinction of classes of people into ruling/aristocratic whose time was spent in socializing and their major concern was to maintain a "pleasant" outer form shunning and frowning upon anything scandalous and people at the bottom of the pyramid who obviously have less wealth, less popularity and who are involved in intellectual and artistic pursuits. These two are worlds apart and rarely ever mingle..until a certain woman started introducing "changes".

The heroine of the story is Countess Olenska who is considered a "foreigner" despite having her roots in New York because of her upbringing in foreign lands and marriage to an European count. Though we hear very little from her and only occasionally she makes her appearance in a scene, she is the fulcrum the story rotates around. She is the most conspicuous of all because she happens to be an "anomaly", a "different" person no one can put their finger on. They are most often shocked and scandalized by her behavior which disregards the norms set in her surroundings. Although they initially try to see her from a considerate and forgiving perspective, eventually they breathe a sigh of relief when she decides to settle far away. She had few sympathizers as expected - her grandmother who lived an unconventional and legendary life herself and the protagonist of our tale,Newland Archer who desperately falls in love with her against his own prejudices. I don't agree with the view point that Newland's wife was an innocent watcher who played no part in sealing the fates of Newland and Ellen(that's Countess Olenska). She used trickery and deceit to turn the "mistress" away from her husband all the time proclaiming to give him up should he be in love with someone else. She comes off as very cunning and scheming of them all to me. I felt most wretched to witness the separation of Ellen from Newland as a result. 

Getting into the story, Ellen Mingott(Countess Olenska) comes back to her native land of America to live among her relations in New York City having broken up with her rich husband from Europe. From the moment of her return, she becomes the object of talk at dinner tables and opera houses by friends,families and others alike. They all agree that she is unconventional and doesn't really follow "rules". A bit spoilt by her "too free" upbringing and exposure to foreign lands. She has a cousin May Welland who is betrothed to be married to Newland Archer, a practicing lawyer. Though May like all her family initially sympathizes with Ellen, once she notices a growing intimacy and understanding between Newland and Ellen (even after their marriage), she plays an sinister role is getting "rid" of Ellen from their lives. Or maybe it is only a woman trying to secure her future and marriage to a husband with whom she is about to have a baby. But whatever it is, Newland makes his choice to remain a married man and not throw away a future in pursuit of wild passions even for a woman who must have been a representation of his inner symbol of "perfection". 

Even after years have passed and many changes are introduced into both thoughts and living conditions of people and Newland gets a chance to reconnect with Ellen and resume their journey, he takes an "old fashioned" view of things and doesn't let reality interfere with his most cherished fantasy/imaginary world of Ellen. He decides to leave his image of her "untainted". 

I think this book definitely deserved the pulitzer. Newland comes of as being the only reasoning voice supporting a woman where she can be allowed to have an equal role to that of a man in deciding her choice of life and having her own views upon life instead of blindly adhering to conventions. He almost fights with others to champion Ellen in whatever she does when the rest of the camp is brooding on her "mistaken" decisions. It perhaps sets a different tone at the time the book was meant to have taken place. I loved his character more than even Ellen and can't help but wonder what would have happened if he did pursue the path of his passion instead of repressing them to stick to a mundane family life. Would he have got bored of that quickly too? And would it have lasted with the same stability as his conventional marriage did? Should we all follow an unhappy,stable long life when there is an alternative that's more attractive, enchanting but perhaps not long lasting? I think, the answer is yes. :)