The Age of Innocence may have just as well have been titled TheAgeThatKilledRomance. Characters don't get to enjoy the kind of romances they see portrayed on the stage. No matter how moving such scenes are, they are constantly reminded that such love cannot exist in real life.
In their world, "love" is just another word for "marriage," which might involve affection and friendship, but never passion: marriage is really about bringing two people from equally prominent families together. Love is hardly possible when there is such an intellectual gap between worldly men, and women who are kept in a state of virginal ignorance. Some characters in the novel seek out passion in adulterous affairs or in multiple marriages. Others, like the main characters, find themselves unable to consummate their passion because of their sense of responsibility to the people around them.
Questions About Love
- In 1870s New York society, do you think people marry for love? If not, what are some of the other motivations that drive them to marry?
- Compare some of the relationships in the novel: certainly Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska, and Archer and May Welland, but also take a look at how other couples interact, such as the Leffertses, the Beauforts, the van der Luydens, and the Wellands. How would you describe these relationships?
- Why do you think so many scenes from plays and operas are described in the novel? How do these scenes help you understand the love relationships (or relationships lacking love) in the novel?
- So, what, according to the novel, is true love? Do Newland and Ellen love each other? Why do you think they are attracted to each other?
Chew on This
The Age of Innocence reveals the hypocrisy of the institution of marriage.
In The Age of Innocence, the kind of love that is celebrated in literature and music is impossible in real life.