When Does "The Age of Innocence" (1920) Take Place?
"The Age of Innocence" is a historical fiction romance novel written by Edith Wharton that released October 25th, 1920. So when is "The Age of Innocence" set?
It takes place in the year:
We know this because the real-world opera singer Christina Nilsson (1843-1921) appears in the very first scene singing in the opera "Faust" (1859). Since Faust was first performed on March 19th, 1859 AD, it must be after March of 1859 AD.
1874? AD
We know this because the real-world opera singer Christina Nilsson (1843-1921) appears in the very first scene singing in the opera "Faust" (1859). Since Faust was first performed on March 19th, 1859 AD, it must be after March of 1859 AD.
Furthermore, about halfway through the story, the omniscient narrator says, "They were planning to lay out a lawn tennis court on the sands; but no one but Kate and May had racquets, and most of the people had not even heard of the game." The game of tennis was introduced to the United States of America in 1874 AD.
More specifically, almost halfway through the narrative, the characters attend a performance of "The Shaughraun" (1874), a stageplay first performed on November 14th, 1874 AD. So it must be after November of 1874 AD at this point.
More specifically, the opening line of the book is "On a January evening of the early seventies, Christine Nilsson was singing in Faust at the Academy of Music in New York." So it must be January of 1874 AD at the start of the story, November of 1874 AD at the middle and ?????.
Later, when Newland Archer and Countess Ellen Olenska wander "the queer wilderness of cast-iron and encaustic tiles known as the Metropolitan Museum", the characters make specific reference to the 'the room where the "Cesnola antiquities' mouldered' and the Cesnola collection was donated by Luigi Palma di Cesnola in 1873 AD. So it must be during or after 1873 AD. Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of antiquities from Cyprus : Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). Cesnola Collection : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
"many men, morally and socially his betters, whose horizon was bounded by the Battery and the Central Park" and the real-world Central Park in Manhattan partially opened in December of 1858 AD but it wasn't declared completed until 1876 AD.
Additionally, there is an epilogue in which Newland perceives an event from the very end of main action as "nearly twenty-six years ago" according to the narrator. That makes it 1900? AD.
1874? + 26 = 1900?.
More specifically, the narrator also states "the spring sunshine held Archer in his open window" so it is the spring of 1900? AD.
It was adapted to film in 1924, as a stageplay in 1928, another film in 1934, an audio-drama in 1947, yet another film in 1993, another stageplay in 2018, and finally yet another stageplay in 2024. 20160518-a5.pdf
