The Age of Innocence a Tale of Lack of Innocence

In literature, authors often allow society and the place in time to build a fabric around their characters, to help the protagonist share the intended message of the piece.  According to a review of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton completed by The Guardian, this is clear in the context of the novel at hand.

Wharton’s tale is set in New York City in the seventies.  It details the life of a male protagonist who is engaged to a lovely, yet unimaginative girl.  When he meets an already married woman who seems to represent, to him, all things that are beautiful and absorbing, he becomes tempted to drop his existing engagement.  However, knowing that she is already married and that the move would be, at the very least, impractical, the protagonist carries on and marries his fiancé.

Despite the vows he has made, the man continues to contemplate the affair with the married woman.  He is on the verge of action when he learns that his wife is pregnant.  Immediately, all notions of engaging in the affair are left behind, not out of affection or humanity or a sense of knowing the choice would not have been the right one, but based on convention and obligation.

Wharton uses this situation to imply that some humans don’t act out of goodness and knowing right from wrong.  Rather, motivations are much simpler, driven by the demands of society and the perceptions others will hold of the decisions that are made.

The theme is interesting, but the methods of conveying it are rough, according to the review.  Characters placed in the seventies feel dated; the book feels as dead as the characters are.  The interest for the reader mirrors that of an old photograph or newspaper clipping—casual intrigue, but nothing really cemented.  If the theme of society’s conventions and expectations had been emphasized as the priority of the work, it would have perhaps been received better.  However, as it is, the characters feel like aged puppets, not real, relatable people.

from Laura Flippin http://ift.tt/1taBx7G Laura Flippin's new blog post: