The Age of Innocence

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE is Edith Wharton's insider's look at New York society at a time when an address above 12th Street was considered the wild frontier. May Welland, demure and pretty, is born and bred to marry Newland Archer, a thoughtful barrister. He in turn loves the brazen, unconventional, and attractive Countess Ellen Olenska, who has left her Count behind in Europe and returned to New York alone to get over a bad marriage. As the delicacies of this love triangle are played out, Wharton takes the opportunity to effect a subtle critique of America's East Coast upper classes, not only painting a deliciously detailed portrait of old New York and the rigid rules that governed society, but also providing readers with entertainment of the highest order. With this novel, Edith Wharton became, in 1921, the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize.