Buy The Age of InnocenceEdith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921, is a quiet but powerful novel about love, society, and the painful limits of tradition. Set in 1870s New York City, the story explores how the pressure to follow social rules can shape—and sometimes ruin—people’s lives. The main character, Newland Archer, is a wealthy young man engaged to the proper and lovely May Welland. But when May’s cousin, the mysterious and independent Ellen Olenska, returns from Europe, Newland finds himself drawn to her bold spirit. As he falls in love with Ellen, he also begins to question…
Trapped by Tradition: Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence
Wharton writes with elegance and care, using sharp details and quiet moments to show how much people hide behind manners and tradition.
