The Age of Innocence

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Sophisticated art........2006-08-15

Lectori Salutem,

In the Beauty of young human beings, lies the hope of the world.
Those photographs are like classical music.
Some people are afraid of the power glowing from the portrets ,
and start a witch hunt. Don't do it. Never lose an opportunity to seen anything that is beautiful: For beauty is God's handwriting.(R W Emerson)

Ferdinand Huismans.

Self-Censorship from the land with no First Amendment.......2005-11-12

Doubtless going to rattle a few cages here, on *both* sides: the people who consider his stuff impermissibly naughty, and the people who wax rhapsodic about this particular work. But it has to be said.

Britain, the land that pioneered imprisonment without charge before we did, the land that criminalizes self-defense against burglars in your own home, is also the land without a First Amendment; and this has seemingly scared Mr. Hamilton into self-censoring and mutilating his own product. This is a first-rank tragedy, as he is arguably the best-known and most highly respected photographer of this entire genre, and therefore the most likely to prevail in a frontal assault against the philistinism which equates nude photography with pornography.

Instead, however, he has in this volume essentially raised the white flag and abandoned *nude* photography in favor of topless photos which won't arouse the ire of the British police. An astonishing number of his photos are awkwardly cropped for legal, rather than aesthetic reasons, so what was clearly shot as an integral figure study gets published as an amputated torso. This phenomenon was *not* present in his early works, including his films and his photos for the Spanish edition of "Playboy"--it manifested itself only when the world got uniquely psychotic about "child pornography".

Even in the USA, where a 17-year-old Marine who carries a machine gun for a living can be considered a "child" if photographed wrongly, Sally Mann and Jock Sturges haven't thrown in the towel (or draped the model in it ;-). Nor, of course has Bourboulon or Ionesco.

So I say: Boycott! The guy's got a right to protect his hide, of course, and even Galileo recanted when the Inquisition threatened to murder him for saying the Earth goes around the Sun. But would you spend your money on a book that says it's the other way around?

As complex as its subjects.......2004-04-30

This is possibly the most beautiful set of photo portraits I've ever seen. Like the subjects, though, the beauty has a scary side to it.

There's a lot more to say. The pictures are intense, and more intense as a collection. I'm sure everyone who sees it will have more to say, and everyone will say something different. For that matter, I could discuss this in three or four contradictory ways. This time, I prefer to let the pictures speak for themselves and to let the readers form opinions of their own.

Beautiful Subjects.......2004-04-03

Physical beauty is something that we have for only a brief period in our lives. It is a temporary stage during our lifespan. Unfortunately, we discourage young women from sharing their physical beauty with others who can appreciate it. It really is quite a shame that we try to enforce modesty. David Hamilton gave us this gift so that we may be able to share his admiration for the young, female physique. I am grateful to the young subjects, who were gracious enough to share their beauty with us.

This is a remarkable book. It is obvious that David Hamilton is very passionate about his subjects. He has taken his appreciation and admiration for young women and shared that enthusiasm with the world. I highly recommend this book.

Barely Misses the Mark.......2003-12-10

If I could have rated this book 4 1/2 or 4 3/4 stars I would have. It certainly is a beautiful artistic endeavor. However, it fails the mark of perfection because of a few (VERY FEW) photos that are too suggestive for girls of their age, and a few comments by the author that would seem to provoke dangerously misleading thoughts in the minds of young people who might get their hands on this book. As the step-dad of a teenage girl I have experienced first-hand the confusion of an easily influenced child, who lacks the full capacity to reason and misperceives what she has seen and heard. Too many (pre-teen and teen) children think they are supposed to be sexually active, and there are certainly a few paragraphs and photos in this book that would help contribute to that pattern of thought. There is some mild homosexual content in a few frames and some of the writings. Otherwise this is a finely crafted work.

Many of the photos are soft, muted, elegant, and almost dream-like, while others are sharp and rich in color and contrast. There are full figure studies and a variety of portraits. Some of the girls look confused, content, generally happy, thrilled, curious, and some disgusted. Unlike similar works by other photographers, the majority of the models do not appear to be emotionless, melancholy, or tormented. There are no portrayals of violence or mishap. The quotes from classic poetry are at times provocative but still tasteful and refreshing, especially if you are one who enjoys traditional Western European poetry. The author/photographer makes several attempts at poetic verse but they do not work so well.

I do realize that the entire theme of The Age of Innocence is the psychological tumult experienced by young girls who are approaching womanhood, so the sexual element does have to be "taken with a grain of salt." As an artist and photographer I do highly recommend this book and treasure my own copy, but I strongly suggest caution when selecting an audience to share it with; teenage boys are not a proper audience.

Overall this is quite a clean representation--with a few exceptions--of the human form and psychology of young women.

The Age of Innocence (Modern Library Classics)

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Societal Pressures
Wharton is a genius.
The Age of Innocence
A Well Written Novel and a Compelling Read
Age of Good Writing...

The Age of Innocence (Modern Library Classics)
Edith Wharton
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375753206
Release Date: 1999-03-02

Amazon.com

Somewhere in this book, Wharton observes that clever liars always come up with good stories to back up their fabrications, but that really clever liars don't bother to explain anything at all. This is the kind of insight that makes The Age of Innocence so indispensable. Wharton's story of the upper classes of Old New York, and Newland Archer's impossible love for the disgraced Countess Olenska, is a perfectly wrought book about an era when upper-class culture in this country was still a mixture of American and European extracts, and when "society" had rules as rigid as any in history.

Book Description

Newland Archer saw little to envy in the marriages of his friends, yet he prided himself that in May Welland he had found the companion of his needs--tender and impressionable, with equal purity of mind and manners. The engagement was announced discreetly, but all of New York society was soon privy to this most perfect match, a union of families and circumstances cemented by affection.
Enter Countess Olenska, a woman of quick wit sharpened by experience, not afraid to flout convention and determined to find freedom in divorce. Against his judgment, Newland is drawn to the socially ostracized Ellen Olenska, who opens his eyes and has the power to make him feel. He knows that in sweet-tempered May, he can expect stability and the steadying comfort of duty. But what new worlds could he discover with Ellen? Written with elegance and wry precision, Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece is a tragic love story and a powerful homily about the perils of a perfect marriage.

Commentary by William Lyon Phelps and E. M. Forster

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Newland Archer saw little to envy in the marriages of his friends, yet he prided himself that in May Welland he had found the companion of his needs--tender and impressionable, with equal purity of mind and manners. The engagement was announced discreetly, but all of New York society was soon privy to this most perfect match, a union of families and circumstances cemented by affection. Enter Countess Olenska, a woman of quick wit sharpened by experience, not afraid to flout convention and determined to find freedom in divorce. Against his judgment, Newland is drawn to the socially ostracized Ellen Olenska, who opens his eyes and has the power to make him feel. He knows that in sweet-tempered May, he can expect stability and the steadying comfort of duty. But what new worlds could he discover with Ellen? Written with elegance and wry precision, Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece is a tragic love story and a powerful homily about the perils of a perfect marriage.

Customer Reviews:

Societal Pressures.......2007-05-10

This classic is set in New York after World War I when high society was a way of life. You'll see how each decision made affects life.

Wharton is a genius........2007-04-20

Edith Wharton was (and still is) one of the greatest American authors to have lived. Her ability to capture the the ridiculous of the traditions her society clung to so desperately shows her forward thinking and liberal attitude towards life. The conflict Newland Archer goes through after meeting the Countess, the decision he must make between freedom and tradition is incredible. This book is not a blatant attack on society, but rather it is a foray into the interworkings of a man in a certain place at a certain time who must decide the course of his life; the choice between what is right in his head and what is right in his heart. The countess offers a world where there is the chance of something more, something different, at the expense of leaving his fiance, his family, his whole previous way of life. His struggle with this choice is eartbreaking, as is his decision in the end--and yet it is exactly what should have happened.
At the same time, it's also a story of a woman trying to find happiness in a world she does not completely understand, nor perhaps wish to understand. Countess Olenska is not a rebel, she is merely a woman ahead of her time. She desires a life where she makes the decisions, where she can have options beyond those traditionally given to her. Wharton's book is beautifully written and so incredibly natural, she doesn't preach, she doesn't push her agenda. She merely presents the facts as they are, the way life really operated in her time and her New York society and shows how people would truly and honestly react in these situations. Overall, this is one of the greatest books ever written and should be in everyone's library.

The Age of Innocence.......2007-02-19

While radical for its time, this novel now seems somewhat superficial and dated. The main characters are more two-rather than three-dimensional. The international theme, the conflict between American and European values, is not well developed. Compared to a Henry James novel, such as The Ambassadors,
that deals with the international theme, The Age of Innocence, functions on a lesser level.

A Well Written Novel and a Compelling Read.......2006-11-05

This is the last major novel of Edith Wharton (1862-1937). She was a New York writer who moved to France in 1910; and, she wrote six well-known novels starting with "The House of Mirth" in 1905. The present novel won a Pulitzer Prize in 1921 for best novel. I bought and read the Penguin Classics Red version. My version had the text only and there was no analysis. The edition posted here for sale has additional comments. The red version is slightly cheaper and from what I can determine ít is the same novel. The 363 pages are a fairly quick read and I read it in two evenings. The prose is straightforward and there are not too many characters. It is a well-constructed novel, i.e.: it is medium length, it has a good plot with interesting characters, well balanced, and it has some mystery.

The setting for the novel is a bit reminiscent of Henry James or F. Scott Fitzgerald. Wharton's characters are a bit more level headed and easy going than those writers. The characters do not go through violent swings of emotion as one sees with the Fitzgerald characters.

Without giving away the plot, the story is set in 1870s New York, among the wealthy social families. It is a love triangle among three wealthy people: two women and one young man. The man is Newland Archer, a young New York lawyer. She describes their balls and dinners and nights out at the opera. We follow them to Boston and out into the country on vacations and weekends off. There are no "common folk" here among the characters. They are all in a few related and wealthy families.

The novel is very well written. It is clear, concise, and it is an interesting and a compelling read. She generates enough interest to keep our attention throughout. Once you start to read, one will look forward to getting back to the novel during breaks. The main three figures are sympathetic characters and mostly an interesting story.

Wharton has an easy going and clear style that is easy to read. Most will enjoy this novel.

I recommend the read: 5 stars.

Age of Good Writing..........2006-10-16

I preface this review with an admission: any and all of Edith Wharton's works so far are like candy to me. Once I start one of her books, it will take quite a while before I put it down.

Age of Innocence to me is like a good Monet painting. It is surreal, interesting and sad, and yet there are so many layers to it. How you interpret it and how you decipher it's layers, is the key to enjoying it. Her verse is also intricate, careful and precise.

Note of caution: The movie is much better after you've read the book. There is great meaning in the pregnant stares and the social layers of society, something that is not easily expressed in a two hour long movie.

Edith Wharton : Novels : The House of Mirth / The Reef / The Custom of the Country / The Age of Innocence (Library of America)

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The age of the not-so-innocent
An essential collection for any library

Edith Wharton : Novels : The House of Mirth / The Reef / The Custom of the Country / The Age of Innocence (Library of America)
Edith Wharton
Manufacturer: Library of America
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0940450313

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The age of the not-so-innocent.......2007-04-28

America and Europe of the 1800s were stiff, gilded, formal place, full of "old" families, rigid customs and social transgressions.

And nobody chronicled them better than Edith Wharton, who spun exquisitely barbed novels out of the social clashes of the late nineteenth century. This collection brings together four of her best books, exploring the nature of infidelity, passion, social-climbing and a woman's place in an unfriendly world.

"Age of Innocence" is a pretty ironic title. Newland Archer, of a wealthy old New York family, has become engaged to pretty, naive May. But as he tries to get their wedding date moved up, he becomes acquainted with May's exotic cousin, Countess Olenska, who has returned home after dumping her cheating count husband. At first, the two are friends, but then they become something more.

After Newland marries May, the attraction to the mysterious Countess and her free, unconventional life becomes even stronger. He starts to rebel in little ways, but he's still mired in a 100% conventional marriage, job and life. Will he become an outcast and go away with the beautiful countess, or will he stick with May and a safe, dull life?

"The Custom of the Country" takes whatever is biting about "Age of Innocence" and magnifies it. Undine Spragg is a mesmerizing beauty from a tiny town, whose parents made a small-scale fortune and have moved to the glitzy world of New York. Undine wants the best of everything, more than her family can afford, but she thinks it's all worth it -- so she marries a besotted son of "old New York," but it doesn't take long for him to realize how incompatible they are.

And he doesn't realize that Undine is hiding a (then) shameful secret -- she was once married and quickly divorced from a vulgar businessman. In the present, Undine continues her quest for a life of pleasure, moving on to a French nobleman and getting just as dissatisfied with him. The only way to succeed lies in the one man who sees her for what she is.

But the mockery in "House of Mirth" is not meant to be funny, but saddening and eye-opening. Like most not-so-rich women, Lily Bart is on the prowl for a marriage to keep her in luxury and affluent circles. What's more, she has the rapid intellect to be able to navigate these treacherous waters.

But her schemes and plans start to collapse, as she rejects all her adoring suitors because they aren't rich enough, and a nasty society matron decides to deflect attention from her adultery by accusing Lily falsely. Her life rapidly descends into a spiral of wretched unemployment and poverty, until the tragic finale.

"The Reef" is far more romantic in nature, but Wharton still tackles the touchy, shades-of-grey nature of relationships and infidelity. George Darrow receives a telegram postponing a meeting with his might-be-fiancee, reserved widow Anna Leath. Hurt and angry, he chaperons a young American woman, Sophie Viner, around Paris... and then has a fling with her.

Several months later, he and Anna have patched up their relationship, and are on their way to the altar and a steady, rewarding life together, travelling the world. But Anna's stepson is also secretly engaged -- and to Darrow's horror, it's none other than Sophie, Anna's daughter's governess. Of course, they can't keep this secret.

Wharton tended to pay attention to three things: human nature, society, and how the two often clashed. These four books are, in fact, crammed with the societal clashes of the time: infidelity, divorce, the impact of "new money," and what it took for a person to break out of the bounds of society -- and the cost it had.

Her writing is striking even now -- it has the formal, detailed quality of nineteenth-century prose, but it isn't nearly as stuffy. Instead, her writing is lush, perfumed languid and shimmering with repressed emotion -- even "Custom of the Country," with its nasty shallow anti-heroine, has moments of pure lyrical beauty, although they usually come from someone else.

These four novels are perhaps the best that Edith Wharton ever penned -- intricate looks at society and human nature, wrapped up in beautiful writing. Definitely a must read.

An essential collection for any library.......2000-09-19

Along with her good friend Henry James, Edith Wharton was an expert at studying the stiff social fabric of New York in the 1800's. In this collection of some of her best work, the reader is invited into the lives of characters who struggle against the confines of society, for love and/or their own sanity. The House of Mirth is one of the best novels I've ever read, with the thoroughly captivating character of Lily Bart taking center stage. Wharton proved that she could see love and all of its tribulations through the eyes of a man when she wrote The Age of Innocence. No matter what she wrote, she did so with unerring detail and an almost uncanny knack for "the right phrase" for every situation. This collection is an interesting study not only of "old New York" but of characters who stay with you long after the last sentence is savored.

The Age of Innocence (Barnes & Noble Classics)

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Wonderful read works on so many levels
Brilliant
Archer is a Poor Little Rich Man [58][42]
Fantastic
Virtue and Vacuity

The Age of Innocence (Barnes & Noble Classics)
Edith Wharton
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 1593080743

Book Description

Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s masterful portrait of desire and betrayal during the sumptuous Golden Age of Old New York, a time when society people “dreaded scandal more than disease.”

This is Newland Archer’s world as he prepares to marry the beautiful but conventional May Welland. But when the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York after a disastrous marriage, Archer falls deeply in love with her. Torn between duty and passion, Archer struggles to make a decision that will either courageously define his life—or mercilessly destroy it.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful read works on so many levels.......2007-09-23

This was one and still remains one of my favorite books from college. If you've seen the movie you might be misled into thinking this is a romance, which it's not, as most respectable English teachers would be quick to tell you. However, the truth be told is that it actually does work on a romance level too if that's what one is looking for. Wharton's descriptions bloom like spring flowers, and her understanding of how the young feel when they are in love is dead-on accurate.

More than a romance, I would call it one of those truly literary works as its themes, which mainly have to do with class hierarchy and its ridiculously arbitrary rules, are so meticulously and carefully developed that the theme, story, and characters truly become a seamless whole.

Wharton is truly one of the 20th century writers, and I expect her light to continue to shine brighter as the years go by. I'd also like to add that House of Mirth is another spectacular book that is far better than the movie (not that I've minded any of Wharton's movie adaptations--they are better than most.) So for crafty storytelling, beautiful imagery, and an eye for subtle satire you've come to the right author.

Brilliant.......2007-07-09

I don't read books twice, at least not often. This is one of the few and the only one if you omit children's books! It is a book that struck deep into my heart and made me re-read passages just to marvel at the prose, the wisdom, and the simple elegance of Edith Wharton's narrative of the human condition. I literally wept as the sad tale of impossible love unfolds. It is a credit to Wharton's writing that her characters press onward and take their defeat with grace and class, therein making this bittersweet novel more honest, both intellectually as well as romantically.
I can not say that you will like this, although if you have read Ethan Frome, you will be familiar with the gift Wharton has for skipping the sugar-coating and allowing the reader some credit. This is one of only a handful of novels that have moved me on a deep level. That may not mean much to you, but it means a lot to me.

Archer is a Poor Little Rich Man [58][42].......2007-03-31

This story about the turn of the last century and the old-fashioned protagonist, Archer Newland, is queerly both outdated in most all aspects and capable of being read by many future generations of readers.

Just about everything in this book has little to do with our present day lives - before electricity, before phones, before either world war, and set amid the upper crust New York society made up of persons (even those of the Mingotts who dwell up by that "park" near that art museum of the future) who babble and gossip among and about themselves - for better and worse.

The heroine, Madame (Ellen) Olenska, shakes their pedigree tree when she and her European-reared mannerisms cajole easily and deftly with the suspicious and tightly-cliqued New York wealth. By always doing the right thing, she eventually shatters Archer's life - or does she? Her character personifies the coined term, "Do the right thing."

Because this script is penned by a woman's hand, it uniquely depicts the male perspective in an extremely accurate tone. Wharton's soft message against the not-as-soft strictures of elitist northeastern society can be read with double entendre: as Wharton is one of those she criticizes with glove hands and boiled-noodle whips.

A constant theme in this book is high class society's hypocrisy. And, one discussion between Archer and his law partner about women's rights -- most specifically Madame Olenska's attempt to exercise (what was then) exclusively male rights -- beautifully depicts how his liberal opinions jibe with his personal life -- one strewn in old fashioned and high browed morals. The greatest hypocrisy almost floors the reader with an ending which evidences Archer's decisions to be, as self-described, "old fashioned."

The topic is much like Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." But, their writing style is different and so are their books' respective messages - or at least the tone in which the messages are delivered. I prefer the midwesterner's style over the northeasterner's prose, but to each their own taste. This writer reminds me more of the her British contemporaries: Forster, Waugh or Murdoch. In any event, Wharton is a master, and has a handful of great novels from which any reader should be lucky enough to have time to read.

Fantastic.......2006-08-25

Edith Wharton's novel about the suffocating nature of 1870s New York aristocracy is a fantastic read. The story is centered around Newland Archer, a man torn between the acceptable love of his society (the adorable but painfully bland May Welland) and the disgraced, fiery passion of the Countess Olenska (May's cousin). While Newland is engaged to May, he finds that he longs for life outside of the ever-enclosing walls of these New York socialites. Countess Olenska in many ways represents a new kind of love, one that is daring and passionate and throws caution to the wind. However, if Newland were to call off his engagement to May, the scandal could destroy the Archer and Welland families forever. A beautifully tragic story about lost love, The Age of Innocence is a haunting and moving work.

Virtue and Vacuity.......2006-04-16

The Age of Innocence is an exercise in ironic nostalgia. While ridiculing the hypocrisy, strictures, and sense of entitlement of turn-of-the-century New York aristocracy, Edith Wharton ends her novel with a modern world that is free of such twisted morality, but also devoid of passion, noble restraint, and appreciation of the human experience.

Couched in the first unappealing context is a tale of awkward love, with rough edges and misunderstood silences. Newland Archer, although married to May Welland, is drawn to her cousin Ellen Olenska. Ellen has a casual relationship with the petty proprieties of aristocratic New York, and his disillusionment with his marriage and society is matched by hers. Although rebels in spirit, Newland and Ellen are ultimately guided by a simple morality based on the very real consequences of human interactions.

The Age of Innocence provokes discussion by raising questions but rarely suggesting any answers. After savaging the strictures of old New York, Wharton leaves us with a gem of an observation that love, in fact, may be diluted by the modern freedoms we now enjoy:

"`The difference is that these young people take it for granted that they're going to get whatever they want, and that we almost always took it for granted that we shouldn't. Only, I wonder - the thing one's so certain of in advance: can it ever make one's heart beat as wildly?'"

Similarly, she not only questions those who pretend to be virtuous, but also the very virtues themselves.

"Archer felt irrationally angry. His host's contemptuous tribute to May's `niceness' was just what a husband should have wished to hear said of his wife. The fact that a coarse-minded man found her lacking in attraction was simply another proof of her quality; yet the words sent a faint shiver through his heart. What is `niceness' carried to that supreme degree were only a negation, the curtain dropped before an emptiness?"

May is virtuous by contemporary standards: she is modest, humble, soft-spoken, and kind. Yet these virtues form but a veil to hide the vacuity of her character. Intelligent enough to see through the hypocritical morality of her time, she has neither the desire to do so, nor the will to do anything but adhere to it herself. Yet the partially gender-segregated structure of society, combined with her evident virtues, make her an ideal spouse.

Definitions of virtue may have changed for us in our time, but the struggle between virtue and vacuity is a constant. Perhaps we should take a page out of Wharton's playbook: let us incessantly question that which we hold dear, lest it slip away.

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GREATEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN ON SILENTS

The Movies in the Age of Innocence
Edward Charles Wagenknecht
Manufacturer: Limelight Editions
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0879100982

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GREATEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN ON SILENTS.......1999-02-07

Every major film historian and scholar concurs that THE MOVIES IN THE AGE OF INNOCENCE is the greatest book ever written on silent films. None of us younger historians can ever hope to come close to the quality achieved by this great man. As far as I'm concerned, his word is law as far as movie history is concerned. Mr. Wagenknecht turns 99 this March on the 28th, and is recovering very nicely at his home from the bad spell he went through October through January. We owe a tremendous debt to this great man.

The Age of Innocence (Oxford World's Classics)

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More than I thought it would be-"The Age of Innocence"
Not so innocent

The Age of Innocence (Oxford World's Classics)
Edith Wharton
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192806629

Book Description

'They lived in a kind of hieroglyphic world, where the real thing was never said or done or even thought, but only represented by a set of arbitrary signs.' Edith Wharton's most famous novel, written immediately after the end of the First World War, is a brilliantly realized anatomy of New York society in the 1870s, the world in which she grew up, and from which she spent her life escaping. Newland Archer, Wharton's protagonist, charming, tactful, enlightened, is a thorough product of this society; he accepts its standards and abides by its rules but he also recognizes its limitations. His engagement to the impeccable May Welland assures him of a safe and conventional future, until the arrival of May's cousin Ellen Olenska puts all his plans in jeopardy. Independent, free-thinking, scandalously separated from her husband, Ellen forces Archer to question the values and assumptions of his narrow world. As their love for each other grows, Archer has to decide where his ultimate loyalty lies.

Customer Reviews:

More than I thought it would be-"The Age of Innocence".......2007-09-28

While I read this book as a requirement for a class I am taking, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the story which unfolded was poignant, riveting and full of twists and turns that kept me interested. It took a couple of chapters to get into the book because of the 19th century language but once beyond that, the story and its moral left an impression of life and duty as it should be lived, not as we dream it can be.

Not so innocent.......2006-07-01

Nobody knew the hypocrises of "old New York" better than Edith Wharton, and nobody portrayed them as well. In "The Age of Innocence," Wharton took readers on a trip through the stuffy upper crust of 1870s New York, wrapped up in a hopeless love affair.

Newland Archer, of a wealthy old New York family, has become engaged to pretty, naive May. But as he tries to get their wedding date moved up, he becomes acquainted with May's exotic cousin, Countess Olenska, who has returned home after dumping her cheating count husband. At first, the two are friends, but then they become something more.

After Newland marries May, the attraction to the mysterious Countess and her free, unconventional life becomes even stronger. He starts to rebel in little ways, but he's still mired in a 100% conventional marriage, job and life. Will he become an outcast and go away with the beautiful countess, or will he stick with May and a safe, dull life?

There's nothing too scandalous about "Age of Innocence" in a time when J.Lo acquires and discards boyfriends and husbands like old pantyhose. Probably it wasn't in the 1920s, when the book was first published. But this isn't a book to read if you appreciate sexiness and steam -- instead it's a social satire, a bittersweet romance, and a look at what happens when human beings lose all spontaneity and passion.

Wharton brings old New York to life in this book -- opulent, beautiful, cultured, yet empty and kind of boring. It is "where the real thing was never said or done or even thought," so tied up in tradition that nobody there really lives. And even though the unattainable countess is beautiful and sweet, it becomes obvious after awhile that Newland is actually in love with the idea of breaking out of his conventional life.

Wharton's writing is a bit like a giant rosebud -- it takes forever to fully open. So don't be discouraged by the endless conversations about flowers, ballrooms and gloves. Wharton put them in to illustrate her point about New York at that time, and all the stories about different families, scandals and customs are actually very important.

Newland seems like a rather boring person, since he only has brief bursts of individuality. But he gets more interesting when he struggles between his conscience and his longing for freedom. May is (suitably) pallid and a bit dull, while the Countess is alluringly mysterious and unconsciously rebellious. The fact that she doesn't TRY to rebel makes her far more interesting than Newland.

"Age of Innocence" considered a story about a man in love with an unattainable woman, but it's also about that man straining against a stagnant, hypocritical society. Rich, intriguing and beautifully written.

Return to Innocence: Messages from the Ancients

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Good Spiritual Basis

Return to Innocence: Messages from the Ancients
Steven L. Hairfield
Manufacturer: Innercircle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0972008020

Customer Reviews:

Good Spiritual Basis.......2006-03-21

Only into the first 50 pages but I can tell the author is doing a good job and is coming from a very real and centered space.

The Age of Innocence (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (B&N Classics Trade Paper)

Average customer rating:

Very accessible classic
This is sad. Very, very sad.
Not so innocent "Age"

The Age of Innocence (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (B&N Classics Trade Paper)
Edith Wharton
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 159308143X

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Very accessible classic .......2007-06-27

Edith Wharton's THE AGE OF INNOCENCE is quite straight forward and an easier read than many novels considered "classics". I reread it after viewing the film and was very impressed by how close Scorsese had stayed to the text of the novel and actually appreciated the film more! Watch the movie and read the book and see how they enhance each other.

This is sad. Very, very sad........2006-11-21

At first The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton seemed to be very funny. I was reminded of P.G. Wodehouse and Jane Austen. At first the New York society was funny and too rigid to be real. Than, to my drawing horror, I realized that the author was trying to draw a serious and realistic picture of the civilization that was New York City's upper crust.
The Countess Olenska has fled Europe to New York only to find the family and friends there shocked by her independence and impulse awareness. This stirs the emotions, or something, of Newland Archer who is engaged to May Welland.
As you can guess the novel is Archer finding out how much he can run in circles trying to decide what the right and honorable thing is to do. He, of course, ends up doing nothing and everything turns out boring and the whole book feels like a waste of time.
In other words, pretty dated and you should get it used if you plan to read it. It is a sad, sad book. In the bad kind of sad way, like when you see a Santa drunk at the wheel of a school bus or when an armed hunter is being beat up by a doe.

Not so innocent "Age".......2005-03-16

Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut (O'Rourke, P. J.)

Average customer rating:

The evolution of a writer
Politics, stories, and concrete poetry -- best of everything
Face it, the guy's funny
Hillarious!
Typical O'Rourke: humorous, informative, clever.

Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut (O'Rourke, P. J.)
P. J. O'Rourke
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0871136538

Amazon.com

Readers can be excused for a little motion sickness when reading this collection of pieces from P.J. O'Rourke. To go from preaching "Armed Love" (whatever that is) to being anointed as the ultra-libertarian Cato Institute's favorite humorist in only 25 years is an astounding transformation.

Still, whether it's New Left juvenilia or high-octane auto journalism scrawled in the Age of Cocaine, one thing holds true: O'Rourke writes one hell of a sentence. Here's P.J.'s impression of Nixon explaining Vietnam to a bunch of hippies: "To be really out front, I get off on ego trips, power games. But, like that's where I'm at ... I mean you can put me down for kicking your ass but don't put me down for being an ass-kicker 'cause that's my movie." Then fast-forward 17 years: "Sure, everyone says the Sixties were fun. Down at the American Legion hall, everybody says World War II was fun, if you talk to them after 10:00 p.m." Age and Guile is fun, whatever time it is.

Book Description

Readers may be shocked to discover that America's most provocative (and conservative) satirist, P. J. O'Rourke, was at one time a raving pinko, with scars on his formerly bleeding heart to prove it. In Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut, O'Rourke chronicles the remarkable trajectory that took him from the lighthearted fun of the revolutionary barricades to the serious business of the nineteenth hole. How did the O'Rourke of 1970, who summarized the world of "grown-ups" as "materialism, sexual hang-ups, the Republican party, uncomfortable clothes, engagement rings, car accidents, Pat Boone, competition, patriotism, cheating, lying, ranch houses, and TV" come to be in favor of all of those things? What causes a beatnik-hippie type, comfortable sleeping on dirty mattresses in pot-addled communes - as P. J. did when he was a writer for assorted "underground" papers-to metamorphosize into a right-wing middle-aged grouch? Here, P. J. shows how his Socialist idealism and avant-garde aesthetic tendencies were cured and how he acquired a healthy and commendable interest in national defense, the balanced budget, Porsches, and Cohiba cigars. P. J. O'Rourke's message is that there's hope for all those suffering from acute Bohemianism, or as he puts it, "Pull your pants up, turn your hat around, and get a job." "From the fictionalized accounts of his career as a hard-drinking hippie to the Benchley-in-the-age-of-macho lampoon of fly fishing, Mr. O'Rourke shows an incorrigible comic gift and an eye for detail that keeps the wild stuff grounded." - The New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

The evolution of a writer.......2003-06-07

I first got into PJ O'Rourke when I started reading his book "Republican Party Reptile" and realized that I could laugh heartily at his wit, as opposed to the often divisive rhetoric of Rush Limbaugh and Fox News Channel. O'Rourke is equally scathing in his approach to "born-again" nutjobs as he is to "pinko" enviromentalists, and his is a style of writing I wouldn't mind trying to emulate in my own belated (and as yet unpublished) career as a writer.

"Age and Guile" caught my fancy because I had heard it was a collection of his pieces from over the years, and I tried to find it at the local library and various bookstores, but was unlucky in my pursuit. I ended up checking out a Books-on-Tape version of the book, read by Norman Deitz, and I was quite pleased.

The early material is amatuerish, to be fair, but there are nuggets of wit to be found amongst the "juvinelia". The Truth About The Sixties was actually one of my favorite parts of the book, I found it very involving and fascinating to hear. The rest of the book tickled my funny bone. I just don't have enough good things to say about this book.

So, I ordered it on Amazon, and I've recieved it, and it's joined my collection of P.J. O'Rourke books. A liberal at heart myself, I agree with a previous reviewer that O'Rourke celebrates individual freedom and doesn't care for those who try and take it away. I only hope I can be as good at conveying that in my own writing, he's certainly one hell of a teacher.

Politics, stories, and concrete poetry -- best of everything.......2001-11-17

PJ O'Rourke has always been one of my favorite cultural and political commentators. An unrepentant Libertarian Republican who used to be an unrepentant Marxist radical, O'Rourke is a conservative who writes with all the wit and verve that, supposedly, only liberals are capable of. P.J. O'Rourke is the Al Franken of the American Right, if Al Franken were actually funny. Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut is made up of O'Rourke's previously uncollected writings over the past three decades. As such, the book begins with a few choice pieces from his angry days as a Marxist journalist in the early '70s (where, it must be said, O'Rourke still writes with a wit that proves that funny is funny not matter what the ideology) moves on to cover his brief period as an adherent to Concrete Poetry (an art form that he admits still having no idea what to make of) and finally closes with a few of his recent essays as Rolling Stone's Foreign Affairs Editor. Best of all, O'Rourke includes a few short stories that he wrote and published while editor of National Lampoon. The stories, all dealing with his past as a '60s radical, are a perfect mixture of radical nostalgia and modern day clear headedness and, along with an unexpected pathos for his lost characters wandering through the political wilderness of protest, they also rank amongst the most hilarious of O'Rourke's writings, perfectly displaying his trademark style of detached irony and self-depreciating wit (one can always sense O'Rourke saying, "Can you believe they actually pay me to write this stuff?"). Perhaps most nicely, the pieces in this collection are arranged by chronological order so that the reader literally goes through O'Rourke's political and literary evolution with him over the course of the book. As such, we're provided with a nice view of the political odyssey of both O'Rourke and America over the past 30-odd years. If one thing remains the same it is that O'Rourke, whether conservative or liberal, consistently refuses to accept anything at face value. He remains, always, the eternal skeptic. And we, as readers, are all the better off for it.

Face it, the guy's funny.......2000-06-12

First and foremost: it is worth noting (and it pains an saddens me that this is the case) that the phrase "Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut" is the first time I have seen a three-item list with correct grammar in a book printed in America after World War II.

Second, and not quite so foremost: P. J. O'Rourke is a very, very funny guy. He is completely politically incorrect, in most cases, and is therefore more than happy to pull out the jokes, puns, and other humorous concepts his more liberal colleagues have left to the dust.

Third, and not really far up there on the scale, but still worth mentioning: in most ways, P. J. O'Rourke is a tremendous boon to the right-wing American. He's not afraid to take pot-shots at just about anything, including fellow members of the right (Pat Buchanan is roasted almost as often as Bill Clinton), and he's not afraid to admit his mistakes, such as endorsing Clinton in 1992.

Combine those, and for most of this book you have a tremendously funny read, an almost literary roasting of such things as book tours, drinking, stupid sports, Whitewater, various makes and models of automobile, and the like. Unfortunately, it's the part that falls outside the realm of "most" that keeps this from being one of the finest political collections of the past decade. There are times when O'Rourke, who seems to be sitting right on the Libertarian partyline, veers far off to the left, and if he is to be trusted he was stuck out there in at least one case by the head of the Cato Institute (making me wonder how Libertarian they truly are), and he also has many of the strange and illogical hang-ups that keep me from ever wanting to vote Republican. He also, and he is well aware of it, asks a lot of our indulgence in the book's second section, a collection of short stories published (well, most of them) in the National Lampoon during his tenure as editor in chief there. Anyone who still wonders why I abhor the very idea of self-publishing need only read the section "The Truth About the Sixties and Other Fictions" in this book. It's shameless, awful, contorted, constipated prose, and O'Rourke is fully aware of this, and even says so in a few places.

But if you skip that section, and immediately stop reading any time you find one of those places where conservatives suddenly dismiss anything relating to logic (I have often theorized it's remnants of too many drugs during the sixties), this is most definitely a worthwhile book. Both the automobile and sports sections brought forth guffaws. And if you've ever heard me guffaw, you'll know that's soemthing to stay away from.

Hillarious!.......1999-12-28

If you or someone you know and love is looking for great material for a speach competition, try the stories "Dynamite" and "Another Tale of Uncle Mike." I used them to get to the state competition. The book is all-around hillarious with great little tips such as how to out-drink an Irish wedding party when they have a few hours head-start. It also has some great lines such as "none of us were seriously hurt, except for Terry, who had part of a hash pipe blown up his nose, something they had a hard time understanding at the emergency room." Buy it and laugh.

Typical O'Rourke: humorous, informative, clever........1999-07-06

I first discovered P.J.O'Rourke in the pages of various automotive publications. In addition to being a well-known political humorist, he is also an automotive enthusiast, as am I. This book, the second of his that I have read, is quite good once you get past the somewhat slow start. The second half of the book ("Drives to Nowhere," "Bad Sports") is wonderful. O'Rourke is a master of simile, metaphor, and analogy. Only the fiction writer Tom Robbins compares to him in this regard, in my opinion. I had my wife read a selection from the book, and she enjoyed it so much that she started reading it aloud to me. We laughed so hard our jaws hurt and our eyes teared! Whether you agree with his political bent or not, you cannot help but to enjoy the man's way with words; he is a true wordsmith. He can really "turn a phrase," as the trite expression goes. I can't wait to read more of his prose.

Beyond the Age of Innocence: Rebuilding Trust Between American And the World

Average customer rating:

A special recommendation
Required reading for every American citizen

Beyond the Age of Innocence: Rebuilding Trust Between American And the World
Kishore Mahbubani
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

U.S. | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 158648379X

Book Description

An "elegant and courageous" analysis of why more than half of the world's population is becoming increasingly alienated from America (Washington Post Book World)

In Beyond the Age of Innocence Kishore Mahbubani, a leading Asian diplomat, reveals to us the America that Asia and the rest of the world see. We are a country that has given hope to billions by creating a society where destiny is not determined at birth. But we have become indifferent to the consequences of our decisions on others. Global financial institutions have been used to advance American interests, not global interests. America has been imprudent in its policy toward two large masses of mankind: the Chinese and Muslim populations.

To allow any lasting gap between America and the world, Mahbubani argues, would be a colossal strategic mistake for America and a huge loss to the world. But there is still time for the U.S. to change course, and in this thought-provoking and visionary book Mahbubani shows us how.

Customer Reviews:

A special recommendation.......2006-07-23

Any concerned about America's changing relations with world nations should take a look at BEYOND THE AGE OF INNOCENCE: A WORLDLY VIEW OF AMERICA. Mahbubani expresses anguish over the deepening distrust and resentment of this country: he's a leading Asian diplomat who gets to observe this first-hand. He chides this nation on its indifference to its decisions on others - and advocates recognizing and alleviating the growing gap between America and the rest of the world - and shows how. It's his ability to point out alternative directions and how to reach them which makes BEYOND THE AGE OF INNOCENCE a special recommendation.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Required reading for every American citizen.......2006-06-29

I read this book while traveling in Southeast Asia - and found Mahbubani's observations well articulated and compelling. Like Mahbubani, it breaks my heart that America's credibility and reputation is in free fall. He asserts that many world citizens still embrace American ideals - but are deeply troubled by our actions. We are violating the very rules / guidelines that we originally crafted to ensure a safe and equitable world order. Mahbubani maintains that America must partner with moderate Muslim countries so that the whole world can unite against extremism.

I returned home and have given copies of his book to at least 20 of my friends and colleagues. I think this book should be required reading for every American citizen.

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