The Age of Innocence is a 1920 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It was her twelfth novel and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine Pictorial Review. Later that year, it was released as a book by D. Appleton & Company. ... Read more

The Age of Innocence is a 1920 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It was her twelfth novel and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine Pictorial Review. Later that year, it was released as a book by D. Appleton & Company. It won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, making Wharton the first woman to win the prize and establishing her as the American "First Lady of Letters". The story is set in the 1870s, in upper-class, "Gilded-Age" New York City. Wharton wrote the book in her 50s after she had established herself as a strong author, with publishers clamoring for her work. The novel was adapted for screen in the 1993 American historical romantic drama film directed by Martin Scorsese starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, and Miriam Margolyes. The screenplay was written by Scorsese and Jay Cocks. It was released theatrically on September 17, 1993, by Columbia Pictures. The film recounts the courtship and marriage of Newland Archer (Day-Lewis), a wealthy New York society attorney, to May Welland (Ryder); Archer then encounters and legally represents the Countess Olenska (Pfeiffer) prior to unexpected romantic entanglements. It received critical acclaim, winning the Academy Award for Best Costume Design and being nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Winona Ryder), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Art Direction. However, it was a box office failure, grossing $32.3 million against a $34 million budget. Scorsese dedicated the film to his father, Luciano Charles Scorsese, who had died the month before the film was released. Luciano and his wife, Catherine Scorsese, had a small cameo appearance in the film. Less