The Age of Innocence

Set in the opulent yet hypocritical society of 1870s New York, the story revolves around Newland Archer, a young lawyer torn between his fiancée, the demure May Welland, and her unconventional cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska. This love triangle explores themes of desire, societal expectations, and personal fulfillment, as Archer grapples with the constraints of his social class. Wharton's narrative, rich in irony and emotional depth, critiques the moral fabric of a privileged elite, making it a seminal work in American literature and the first to earn a Pulitzer Prize for a female author.