1、The Age of Innocence,Edith Wharton (January 24, 1862 August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and designer.,the introduction of the author:,The Age of Innocence,The Age of Innocence (1920) is a novel by Edith Wharton, which won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize. The story is set in upper

2、 class New York City in the 1870s. In 1920, The Age of Innocence was published twice; first in four parts, July October, in the Pictorial Review magazine, and then by D. Appleton and Company as a book in New York and in London.,Plot introduction :,The Age of Innocence centers on one society couples

3、impending （即將發(fā)生的） marriage and the introduction of a scandalous（可恥的）woman whose presence threatens their happiness. Though the novel questions the assumptions and mores of turn of the century New York society, it never devolves into an outright condemnation of the institution. In fact, Wharton consi

4、dered this novel an apology for the earlier, more brutal and critical, The House of Mirth. Not to be overlooked is the authors attention to detailing the charms and customs of this caste,The novel is lauded for its accurate portrayal (準(zhǔn)確地描述）of how the nineteenth-century East Coast American upper cla

5、ss lived and this combined with the social tragedy earned Wharton a Pulitzer - the first Pulitzer awarded to a woman. Edith Wharton was fifty-eight years-old at publication; she lived in that world, and saw it change dramatically by the end of World War I. The title is an ironic comment on the polis

6、hed （文雅的） outward manners of New York society, when compared to its inward machinations.,Plot summary,Newland Archer was a gentleman lawyer and his family was one of the New York Citys best families, When he was happily anticipating a highly-desirable marriage to the sheltered and beautiful May Well

7、and, he soon found a reason to doubt his choice of bride after the appearance of Countess Ellen Olenska, Mays exotic, beautiful thirty-year-old cousin, who had been living in Europe. Ellen has returned to her New York family after scandalously separating herself from a bad marriage to a Polish Count

8、.,Major characters in The Age of Innocence,Newland Archer : The storys protagonist is a young, popular, successful lawyer and he lives with his mother and sister in an elegant New York City house.Dare to love and hate.,May Welland : Newland Archer wife. Raise to be a perfect wife and mother. She fol

9、lows and obeys all of societys customs, perfectly.,Ellen Olenska : She is Mays cousin and Mrs. Manson Mingotts granddaughter. She became a countess by marrying Polish Count Olenski, a European nobleman who never appears in the story.,New York City Society :powerful, wealthy families. These people fo

10、llow and impose a strict, rigid code of social custom and behavior. The people who do not follow their rules will be treated as the garbage in the city.,FOR a beautiful encounter,Newland told Ellen he loved her,but she couldt get together with him .Because he would marriage to his sister,may.She cle

11、arly realized that she couldt do something wrong in the city.Othersize,all of the citizen would look down upon her.,A piece of unhappy episode(插曲）,Newland and May married; he tried forgetting Ellen, but failed. His society marriage was loveless, and the social life he once found has become empty and

12、 joyless,A sad ending,Twenty-five years later, Archer could have meet Ellan,but he just stared at the balcony of her room.After that,he walked back to his hotel without meeting her.,Social reality Cruel Give up the true love Forced to seperate Cant do what they want to do in the age of innocence Reg

13、ret,what a pity,We must cherish our limited time to do what we want to do, love what we want to love,pursue what we want to own. Be brave in the age of innocence To be or not to be,its up to you.,In my opinion,Archer:she made an awful marriage,but should she hide her head? Should she slink around as

14、 if she disgraced herself? why shouldnt she be conspicuous if she chooses? Shes had a sad life.That doesnt make her an outcast. I neednt wait for their cue,if that;s what you mean.,May:May i tell you what most interests me about New York? Not all the blind obeying of somebody elses tradition.It seems stupid to make America a copy of another country.,May:Do you really love Ellan? Archer:As much as a man can be. May:Do you think there