This week on The Literary Life Podcast we wrap up the book discussion portion of our series on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. Today, Angelina and Thomas begin with chapter 22, going through the significant scenes all the way to the end of the book. They talk about the ways in which this book is an elegy, as well as the continued glimpses of "the family" as the main character. They also discuss the ways in which May shows herself to be more cunning that she pretends in contrast to Ellen's lack of pretense. Other topics of discussion are America's relationship with foreign influence, Archer's desire to live in an illusion, and the recurring theme of "Faust." They conclude with some thoughts on this book as a parable of American culture. Join us next week for an episode on the film adaptation of this book with our film guru, Atlee Northmore. Visit the HouseofHumaneLetters.com to sign up for all the upcoming and past mini-classes and webinars, especially "The Viking World" taught by Dr. Michael Drout. To view the full show notes for this week's episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/291.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related