The Age of Innocence: Chapters 15-18

"Now, why in the world didn't you marry my little Ellen?"

Welcome to another week of our slow read of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence.

First: A sunny warm welcome to the handful of new readers who have joined in and are getting caught up. I’m so glad you’re here and can’t wait to see what you add to the conversation!

This week, I’ve been so struck by the force of Wharton’s prose — and the meticulous way she builds connections between people and lets very real layers of tension build and brew and bubble for over 100 pages before finally bringing us to this week’s rounds of confessions (both feigned and real)!

And then…at the end of chapter 18…we come to the end of Book 1, on one hell of cliffhanger. And it is hellish: we learn that Archer feels that Ellen’s eccentric aunt has arrived fresh from a visit to make a deal with the Devil, Ellen’s notoriously estranged husband, the Count Olenski.

A portrait of Edith Wharton

A few notes on this week’s guide —

In a departure from weeks past, I’m focusing in on the amazing comments from you, dear rea…