Age of Innocence

[Unregistered]

The Age of Innocence is by Edith Wharton, not Jane Austen.

[Wendy]

I can see why the opinions of this book are all over the place. This book, like much of Jane Austin's works, requires a level of literary maturity in order to fully appreciate the text.<br><br>I first read "Age of Innocence" when I was 18. It was an assigned reading for me. I admit that I did skim through parts, finding them tedious and irrelevant. However, I did recognize that it was a good book, it was just too complicated for me to “get it” at the time.<br><br>I reread the book as an adult and now see its full value. It is a beautiful, masterfully written book.<br><br>To a person lacking life experience, the society of the 1870’s would seem irrelevant to modern day life; however, a more mature reader would better identify with the characters seeing the constraints within our own society. Our society has norms that we must follow, granted they are not as strict as the 1870’s norms, but there are constraints none the less.<br><br>This book should definitely appeal to feminist. As a woman, place yourself in the role of Newland. Then see how society holds a woman back, how it dictates the amount of choices she has. Another example of constraints within modern society is marriage. Even today, in the year of 2002, living together is still frowned upon. After a couple dates of 3 or so years, everyone “expects” them to marry, just as Newland was expected to marry the respectable woman. Society, parental pressure, and peer pressure affect our decisions today the way they did in 1870’s. The issues have changed, and people have become more tolerant, but you are not as free to live your life as you may think. <br>