On Power Relation In The Age Of Innocence

Edith Wharton (1862-1937), one of the most important American female writers at the turn the early twentieth century, is best known for her novels and fictions covering manners of the high society. However, what Wharton demonstrates is more than the decorum with which she is most familiar, she also explores the contradictions at a time of great transformations. The all-compassing novel The Age of Innocence(1920), as her Pulitzer-winning literary work, has attracted critics’ interpretation from various perspectives since its publication. Nevertheless, few scholars have directed studies on the power relations which could account for conflicts in this novel.This thesis aims to explore the power relation in regard to characters and space. Through analyzing different spaces and characters in the old New York, the thesis explains how the tightly-knit society wields its disciplinary power. Michel Foucault’s ideas on power relation are adopted for my study. Besides, main characters’resistance and rebuilding is discussed as an indispensable part in power relation. For example, Ellen Olenska demonstrates her overt unconformity and unconventionality; May Welland secures her position under the cover of her innocence and docility; Newland Archer rebuilds himself by finding a balance between his artistic talents and family duty. Wharton gives her credit to both the old order and new one through the protagonist’s narration. This thesis sets out to investigate both the cultural and personal conflicts, thus to further interpret the paradoxical theme of this novel.