Edith Wharton’s The Age of
Innocence is another book set in NYC, right around my place (12th
Street) in the Astor Place area, but a long time ago, circa 1870s in the high
society! Enter Newland Archer, a
gentleman, lawyer, and heir to one of the richest families in NYC who meets the
beautiful virginal May Welland. As the
wedding date looms, enter the even more beautiful cousin of May, Countess Ellen
Olenska, who has been living in Europe.
Her return is precipitated by a bad marriage to a Polish count.
Newland’s interactions with Ellen makes him begin to doubt his choice of brides,
but Ellen (and her family) are very worried about what the potential would be
for a divorce, can you say “family scandal” especially in this time period. After sharing his love for Ellen, Newland
gets pressure from others influencing him to not ask Ellen to divorce her
husband but to rush his marriage to May and all will be fine. The two marry, hoping this will relieve
Newland of his feelings to Ellen, it does not, though she has relocated to
Washington, DC. Ellen eventually returns
to NYC to help her grandmother who has taken ill. Newland is on the verge of getting her to
agree to be his mistress and Newland is about to tell May about his love for
Ellen when May tells him she is pregnant(!), with Ellen deciding to move back
to Europe. May explains to Newland that
she already told Ellen about the pregnancy (was it because she suspected an
affair?). Newland gives up his desperate
pursuit of further relationship with Ellen and stays married to May and is dedicated
to his family. Fast forward twenty-six
years after May’s death…. Newland and his grown son, Dallas, visit
England. While there, Dallas, notes he
would like to visit with his mother’s cousin who he learned was in the
city. They both go to visit. And you won’t believe what happens. You know I won’t give this one up! What a great “thwarted” love story. The pressures of society and how one gives up
what he really wants based on “peer pressure”… doesn’t that still happen today? A good read, though dated. I think a lot of the soap operas of the past
three decades used this story line over and over and over again.
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