NATURALISTIC TENDENCIES OF EDITH WHARTON’S “THE AGE OF INNOCENCE”

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the issue of naturalistic tendencies in Edith Wharton’s “The Age of Innocence”. The influence of heredity, upbringing and environment on the protagonists’ development and behavior has been traced. The writer shows how the inherited qualities are further intensified by upbringing and how it affects the characters’ future welfare. The protagonists are under total control of their environment – the New York leisure-class society. It determines their motives and actions, as well as has overwhelming effect on their personal lives, ensured by means of gossip and public censure. As a result, the novel is characterized by strict determinism – the will of a separate individual is neglected. All these factors are analyzed on the example of Newland Archer’s relationships with his family, and friends, and especially with Ellen Olenska – the only woman he loves.
Naturalistic philosophy has also got a vast impact on Edith Wharton’s writing style. In order to be as accurate as possible, the author gives long detailed descriptions of clothes and décor, as well as pays much attention to manners and traditions of the 19th century New-York upper class society. She extensively uses scientific terms from biology, sociology, anthropology and jurisprudence, which makes the novel look like a thorough study of everyday life among the American elite at that time.
After a careful investigation, it has been summarized that the question of naturalistic tendencies in Edith Wharton’s works may become a prolific base for further research.