【正文】 me feel as if they understood what I mean and could explain things to me。s Day”, “spark”, “spinster”). These works fully and truly reflected the social characters of old New York upper class in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The Age of Innocence is the most important masterpiece of Wharton which caused a huge repercussion as soon as it was published. It had brought substantial economic ine and extraordinary reputation and played a great role for her to win the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, and been the first lady to receive this honor in American history. In this novel, New York is definitely more than just a geographical name, and also has bee a land of culture that is casted in the unique human color. 3 Chapter 1 The Historical Background and Plot Summary of The Age of Innocence The historical background of The Age of Innocence The historical background of The Age of Innocence is New York of the late 1870s. People of that era paid more attention to the elegant and exquisite manners than anything else in the history of New York. “The upper class make every effort to “window dressing” all the time .They refused any external threat to the entire upper class and decorated their every action under the protection of holiness and integrity” (Wang Min, 20xx). They were most concerned about their social status, living a leisurely life under the imprisoned and boring social norms. They turned a deaf ear to the misfortunes of others. The author depicts them vividly like this “In reality they all 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”(Wharton, 20xx). At that time New York society was dominated by men, women did not have the right to speak and accept education in school like men. The most shameful thing of one family was divorce. In order to obey the social norms, the female had to give up their rights to pursue happiness and freedom, which would definitely result in the inevitable tragic ending of women who are in the “other” status in a patriarchal society. The plot summary of The Age of Innocence The Age of Innocence tells a tragic love story between Newland and Ellen. The male character in the novel Newland Archer is born in a prestigious family in New York, young and refined, and he always feels apart from the whole society. When Newland plans to announce his engagement with May Welland, a lady from the upper class with the same reputation, May?s cousin Ellen suddenly es back from Europe. She wants to seek help from her family for her divorce. Newland is attracted by Ellen who has outstanding personality but miserable marriage, and his emotional balance is gradually inclined to Ellen. With spiritual awakening, Newland finds the beautiful 4 wisdom and full of artistic temperament Ellen is his true lover, but his fiancee May seems to have nothing except her purity and elegance. May and the upper class represented by her are really boring and lifeless. At that time, New York are old fashioned, the old conventions and traditions they ply and maintain seem never be changed and broken. Therefore though Newland and Ellen are in love, they doom to be a tragedy. Finally, Newland gives up his lover, follows the trend and accepts the responsibility of family and marriage for May? impediment together with the upper class. Many years later, after May?s death, Newland has the chance to meet Ellen again, but he just sits on the bench under Ellen?s apartment and recalls the memory of Ellen. Meeting with Ellen, knowing and loving each other bees the most vivid and real memory of Newland?s lifetime. 5 Chapter 2 New York Upper Class’ Attitudes Towards the Relationship Among the Three Major Characters The plaintive love story between Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska Countess is the main line of “The Age of Innocence”. It seems that Newland and May?s bination is quite weled. Deviant Ellen would not have been accepted by the New York upper class at first, so their love is fiercely despised by the New York society and can?t avoid the misfortune under the suppression of New York. Upper class’ attitudes towards the relationship between Newland and May The upper class here includes Newland, May, Ellen and their relatives and friends. Newland?s attitude towards his relationship with May Newland Archer is born in a wealthy family of New York upper class, well educated, talented and ideal, and well versed in the customs and fashion of the old New York society. He is a standard gentleman that society has trained. After the announcement of his engagement with May on the ball, he imagines happily that “what a life it was going to be, with this whiteness, radiance, goodness at one?s side”(Wharton, 20xx). “The young man was sincerely but placidly in love. He was delighted in the radiant good looks of his betrothed, in her health, her horsemanship, her grace and quickness at games, and the shy interest in books and ideas that she was beginning to develop under his guidance.”(Wharton, 20xx). We can judge from these sentences that Newland is quite satisfied with his fiancee. However, after he es across Ellen, he is attracted by the passionate and liberal lady and falls in love with her. Comparing with Ellen, innocent May seems dull and vapid. Newland gradually begin to think that his marriage is “a dull association of material and social interests held together by ignorance on the one side and hypocrisy on the other”(Wharton, 6 20xx). After he gets married, “Archer had reverted to all his old inherited ideas about marriage. It was less trouble to conform with the