Classic literary works maintain their status by speaking to subsequent generations anew. Wharton’s The Age of Innocence (1920) has been highly regarded since it was first published, appreciated by both scholars and general readers throughout the past century and into the 21st. Few readers of 20th-century novels can resist the sumptuous New York of 1870 that Wharton brings to life or tire of the love triangle between the main characters: Newland Archer, May Welland, and Ellen Olenska. The essays Zibrak brings together offer varied perspectives on this classic tale, some pointing toward criticism to come. Some contributors approach the book in traditional ways. For example, Carol Singley provides a cogent reading of the main characters in the context of American individualism, and Hildegard Hoeller compares the novel to Wharton’s bolder collection of novellas, Old New York (1924). Other essayists employ verb-mapping data and analyze Wharton’s ‘free indirect discourse.’ A consideration of an early film adaptation of Wharton's famous novel and a personal essay round out the collection. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty.
