The Age of Innocence

“I can't love you unless I give you up.”- Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence

A timeless classic, and winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s brilliant reflection on love, sacrifice, and the enduring battle between personal freedom and societal expectation.

Set in New York City in the late 19th century, Wharton shows the hypocrisy, snobbery, and pretense of the Gilded Age with its rigid social codes, at a time when people “feared scandal more than diseases.”

At the heart of this poignant tale is Newland Archer, a young lawyer torn between desire and obligation as he navigates the suffocating constraints of a society obsessed with appearances and reputation. Engaged to the beautiful and proper May Welland, Newland’s life takes an unexpected turn when he meets Countess Ellen Olenska, May’s unconventional cousin who has returned from Europe amid scandal. Archer is caught between the expectations of his privileged world and his arranged marriage to the lovely, conventional May, and the pull of the forbidden passion in his love for her cousin. Torn between passion and duty, Archer struggles to choose a path that will either courageously define his life or damage it forever.

This classic Wharton tale of elusive love, provides an honest, humorous, and often painful look at the human condition. Her keen social insight and elegant prose paint a vivid portrait of a world where tradition reigns and true happiness often comes at a cost.