I particularly enjoyed reading The Age of Innocence because Edith Wharton writes with fluidity and a great attention to detail. One of my favorite aspects of Wharton’s writing, besides her eloquent and elaborate syntax, is her ability to describe everything in great detail without making her work seem mundane and uninteresting. Her style of writing makes the story not only easy to follow but also enjoyable for the reader. Likewise, the reader is also able to relate to the storyline because it encases topics that are all too familiar: love, a failing marriage, society, and New York City. With the style of writing as well as the themes in The Age of Innocence, I can’t help but think back to when I read The Great Gatsby and Anna Karenina, with all three works sharing striking similarities.
In the beginning of American Rhapsody, Claudia Pierpont discusses Edith Wharton’s work. The information in her essay about Wharton’s life gives the reader a much clearer and more genuine view when reading The Age of Innocence. One thing that stood out to me the most in the essay, was the statement that Wharton thought marriage to be awful and divorce to be even worse. The reason that I was so struck by this part is that Wharton’s view on marriage is so unconventional especially for a woman during her time and even in this day in age. By including this information in her essay, Pierpont gave me a new perspective on Wharton and made me understand her choice of storyline even more. So, I agree with Pierpont’s views on Wharton’s work, especially when she describes it as slightly feminist because a woman decides to take a stand against society’s standards.
