內容簡介
★最華麗的年代，最壓抑的年代★
★首位獲得普立茲文學獎的女性，伊迪絲‧華頓畢生代表作★
為愛情披上鍍金的外衣，為何悸動的心，總是錯過？
時值美國的鍍金年代，紐藍‧亞契為紐約世族們人人稱讚的後輩，肩負家族的期望，循規蹈矩的他從小就表現出色，長大後成為律師，且準備和來自另一個世族的梅‧威蘭論及婚嫁。梅是上流社會的「模範小姐」，舉止得體合宜，美麗端莊，兩人看似再相配不過。
然而，紐藍雖然表面服膺上流社會的各種潛規則，內心卻時常暗自批判守舊頑固的體制。此時，梅的表姊卻突然從法國回來引發喧然大波，愛倫‧奧蘭斯卡伯爵是個和大家閨秀的梅完全不同的女性，她個性開朗，崇尚自由，一心想和背著她四處風流外遇的丈夫離婚。離婚是當時貴族圈最身敗名裂的醜聞，愛倫不顧一切跑回娘家，讓眾親戚感到尷尬困擾，但她卻一點也不在乎。
兩邊的家族於是希望紐倫去規勸她，希望能從法律面理性說服愛倫回到丈夫身邊，但紐倫不僅沒辦法說動愛倫，甚至發現自己越發受到愛倫吸引，紐倫這時才意識到，自己的人生一直都是在依循著父母與社會的期望下過活，唯有這一次愛上愛倫，讓他感受到人生似乎還有不同的可能…
作者伊迪絲‧華頓本身就是曾活過鍍金年代的人，同樣出身上流社會，她敏銳的觀察力與洞悉，用細膩文字雕琢出當年華麗卻逐漸邁向衰敗的氛圍，和當時受限於禮俗教條和社會觀感、身不由己的男男女女。而她本人也一樣熬過28年不快樂的婚姻，還曾精神崩潰，最終和丈夫離婚，定居法國，並與當時諸多文人保持良好的關係，在戰後協助失業女性就業、協助設立肺結核診所，於1916年獲頒榮譽騎士的勳章。
Part of the Norton Library series
The Norton Libraryedition of The Age of Innocence features the complete text of the first (1921) edition. An introduction by Sheila Liming provides historical and sociocultural context to the novel’s Gilded Age setting, illuminating the deft ironies, gender politics, and enduring influence of Edith Wharton’s masterwork.
The Norton Library is a growing collection of high-quality texts and translations―influential works of literature and philosophy―introduced and edited by leading scholars. Norton Library editions prepare readers for their first encounter with the works that they’ll re-read over a lifetime.
- Inviting introductions highlight the work’s significance and influence, providing the historical and literary context students need to dive in with confidence.
- Endnotes and an easy-to-read design deliver an uninterrupted reading experience, encouraging students to read the text first and refer to endnotes for more information as needed.
- An affordable price (most $10 or less) encourages students to buy the book and to come to class with the assigned edition.
作者介紹
Edith Wharton was born Edith Jones on January 24, 1862, to a wealthy New York City family. Best known for her novels, Wharton’s illustrious literary career also included poetry, short stories, design books, and travelogues. She gained widespread recognition with the 1905 publication of The House of Mirth, a darkly comic portrait of New York aristocracy. In 1921, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel The Age of Innocence (1920), becoming the fi rst woman to claim it. Wharton moved to France in 1913, where she remained until her death. In addition to her many literary accolades, Wharton was awarded a French Legion of Honor medal for her humanitarian efforts during World War I. Edith Wharton died on August 11, 1937.
Sheila Liming is Associate Professor at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. She is the author of What a Library Means to a Woman: Edith Wharton and the Will to Collect Books (University of Minnesota Press, 2020) and creator of the web database EdithWhartonsLibrary.org. Her other books include Office (2020), published through Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series, and a scholarly edition of Wharton's novel Twilight Sleep (forthcoming through Oxford University Press). Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Lapham's Quarterly, The Los Angeles Review of Books, McSweeney’s, and The Chronicle Review.
