{"product_id":"the-age-of-innocence-9780143134817","title":"The Age of Innocence","description":"\u003cb\u003eEdith Wharton's acclaimed novel of love, duty, and half-known truths in Gilded Age New York society, with a foreword by bestselling author Elif Batuman. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA Penguin Vitae Edition \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDutiful Newland Archer, an eligible young man from New York high society, is about to announce his engagement to May Welland, a suitable match from a good family, when May's cousin, the beautiful and exotic Countess Ellen Olenska, is introduced into their circle. The Countess brings with her an aura of European sophistication and a hint of perceived scandal, having left her husband and claimed her independence. Her worldliness, disregard for society's rules, and air of unapproachability attract the sensitive Newland, despite his enthusiasm about a marriage to May and the societal advantages it would bring. Almost against their will, Newland and Ellen develop a passionate bond, and a classic love triangle takes shape as the three young people find themselves drawn into a poignant and bitter conflict between love and duty. Written in 1920, Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a time and place long gone by--1870s New York City--beautifully captures the complexities of passion, independence, and fulfillment, and how painfully hard it can be for individuals to truly see one another and their place in the world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePenguin Classics presents Penguin Vitae, loosely translated as \"Penguin of one's life,\" a deluxe hardcover series featuring a dynamic landscape of classic fiction and nonfiction that has shaped the course of our readers' lives. Penguin Vitae invites readers to find themselves in a diverse world of storytellers, with beautifully designed classic editions of personal inspiration, intellectual engagement, and creative originality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEdith Wharton\u003c\/b\u003e (1862-1937) was born Edith Newbold Jones. A member of a distinguished New York family, she was educated privately in America and abroad. During her life, she published more than forty volumes: novels, stories, verse, essays, travel books, and memoirs. She was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, for \u003ci\u003eThe Age of Innocence\u003c\/i\u003e, in 1921. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eElif Batuman\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Idiot\u003c\/i\u003e, a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in fiction, and \u003ci\u003eThe Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them\u003c\/i\u003e, a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award in criticism. She has been a staff writer at the \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e since 2010. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSarah Blackwood\u003c\/b\u003e is an associate professor of English at Pace University. Her criticism has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNew Republic\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50724712251666,"sku":"9780143134817","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2bba97b1-9402-4246-9c02-01ec34b793a4.jpg?v=1749035039","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-age-of-innocence-9780143134817","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}