Author Archives: evan

Posts by evan

Comments by evan

"I agree with the commenter in that, I too, believe that Claudia Roth Pierpont accurately identified Edith Wharton’s writing style. He does this by identifying her marriage as an influence to her writing. I agree that it was Edith Wharton's celibacy which caused her to conform Newland Archer to the New York gentility through marriage. This idea of conformity is heavily focused on, most likely due to Edith’s position as a woman in the 1800’s in the upper ranks of society, where many were judged and criticized. Furthermore, I believe that Wharton’s, The Age of Innocence, was not only centered around love but also derived from Wharton’s life. Such as themes of hypocrisy and superficiality throughout the aristocratic class which were focused on. For example, even though he is full of passion, Archer commits acts of adultery against May by having a love affair with Ellen. This story also takes place during the gilded age, a time of corruption and imbedded impurities in the American culture. I found Wharton reflected her feminist ideologies through Countess Ellen Olenska, by having her behave in ways that often went against contemporary society and its interpretation of the roles of women."
--( posted on Oct 4, 2016, commenting on the post Pierpont’s perspective on Edith Wharton’s writing style )