纯真年代英文读后感

篇一：纯真年代英文读后感

The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence is a novel by Edith Wharton. The story was happened in New York City's upper class in the 1870s, and told us a story of love triangle.

One major character of this story, Newland Archer is a young, popular, successful lawyer. Before he meets Ellen Olenska, his life has never changed, and always has been filled with the old culture and customs of the old society. Ellen makes him find the new and wrong things in upper class. At one time, Newland had lost himself in his love to Ellen and wanted to elope with her. But after his wife’s pregnancy, Newland still surrenders to the society, find the “right” way to continue his own lift, and never out of loyalty to their marriage.

Well, in the beginning of the story, Ellen has fled from her unhappy marriage, and has returned to America. She fell in love with Newland. However, because of she love he, Ellen drives an important decision. When she has heard the May's pregnancy, she immediately decides to disappear from his life and leave America.

In my opinion, Ellen is a typical rebel of that society; she doesn’t know all the rules of Old New York’s upper-class. And, she hates all things in a boring life; the most important one is a marriage without love. However, those rules destined the impossibility between she and Newland’s love. They can't get rid of the bondage of the society, their love also have no place to survival. In a word, they think and consideration too much for each other. At last, they will miss each other.

Another major character of this story, May Welland is different from the above two person. She is a great model of upper class. She smile all the time, always know what to do and how to do. At first, she follows and obeys and engaged to Newland. After the marriage, when she suspects Newland is Ellen's lover, May has always pretends to be happy before society. She always knew that her husband love with others, but She loves her husband. In the end she has used her unborn kid to keep her husband. May always think she will win in this love battle because of the whole society behind her.

After reading this novel, I think that the poorest man is Newland. He

can’t follow his own heart to love the woman which he loves. He must be observing the rules of society. If he becomes like Ellen, he will lose everything that he has built his own foundations in upper class in New York. In the end, he is neither, nor is he himself. However, under this society, they are all victims, not only Newland but also May and Ellen. This is the biggest tragedy in the 1870s’ New York.

Well, in the end of novel, Newland just look at the window and never go to upstairs. Young Ellen smiling in his memory. Then he finally realizes he always keep his best memory in the deep of his own heart. The love between him and Ellen is a kind of spirit and soul love. This kind of love will never disappear forever.

篇二：纯真年代英文读后感2

The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence is a novel by Edith Wharton, and Edith Wharton was the first woman won the Pulitzer Prize. The story was happened in New York City's upper class in the 1870s, and told us a story of love triangle.

Newland Archer is a young, popular, successful lawyer. Before he meets Ellen Olenska, his life has never changed, and always has been filled with the old culture and customs. But all of that have been changed. Ellen has fled from her unhappy marriage and has returned to America. But she fell in love with Newland. So Ellen makes him find the new and wrong things in upper class. At one time, Newland had lost himself in his love to Ellen and wanted to elope with her. But after his wife’s pregnancy, he immediately decides to disappear from his life and leave America. But Newland still surrenders to the society, find the “right” way to continue his own lift, and never out of loyalty to their marriage.

Ellen is a typical rebel of that society; she doesn’t know all the rules of Old New York’s upper-class. And, she hates all things in a boring life; the most important one is a marriage without love. However, those rules destined the impossibility between she and Newland’s love. They can't get rid of the bondage of the society, their love also have no place to survival. They think and consideration too much for each other. At last, they will miss each other.

Another major character of this story, May is different from the above two person. She smile all the time, always know what to do and how to do. At the first, she engaged to Newland. After the marriage, when she suspects Newland is Ellen's lover, May has always pretends to be happy before society. She always knew that her husband love with others, but she loves her husband. In the end she has used her unborn kid to keep her husband. May always think she will win in this love battle because of the whole society behind her.

After reading this novel, I think that Newland is a poor guy. He can’t love the woman which he loves. He must be observing the rules of society. If he becomes like Ellen, he will lose everything that he has built his own foundations in upper class in New York. In the end, he is neither, nor is he himself. However, under this society, they are all victims, not only Newland but also May and Ellen. This is the biggest tragedy in the 1870s’ New York.

I am very happy to born in this century, because I can choose my own love and I will cherish the happy time.

篇三：纯真年代英文读后感

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE

The Age of Innocence is an unfading novel which has been regarded as the perfect one of Edith Wharton's. The author created the characters and refined the materials from her personal experience and familiar environment. Its theme was rooted in realism. In this novel, the clue of Beaufort's fate stood in contrast to the plotline of Archer's disastrous love, which had left the common love story with the profound social significance.

In the 1870s, it was immoral for women to get a divorce in the American upper class. Ellen Olenska, a countess coming back to New York from Europe, was such a shameless woman. However, her coming back provoked a commotion in the lifeless upper class. Ellen's cousin, May Welland, was engaged to Newland Archer. Faced with all kinds of behaviours of Ellen after her coming back, Archer, unlike other high-society people who thought of her as a over-coquettish and loose woman , quite appreciated Ellen who had the courage to break the stereotypical image. He was never satisfied with such rigid rules that women couldn't express their feeling freely and catch other people's eyes. They couldn't divorce their husbands even though their marriage was unhappy. At this point, Ellen's appearance stirred up his rethinking of his own marriage, the freedom of women and even the deeply conservative society where he lived.

Gradually, the appreciation that Archer showed for Ellen turned to love. At the same time, Ellen was slowly coming to accept Archer' love. However, Archer had many constraints from traditional etiquette that always reminded him that he could not run counter to what he had been given. He should stick to the old system to keep his engagement to May. He should do his best to preserve the honor of two families, which would not allow him to rebel against orthodoxy and do anything wilder. Finally, Archer married May under such mundane situation. But Archer soon began to lose himself with their marriage's bondage and more profoundly, he knew that the woman he really loved was Ellen. Archer could not cheat himself any more and decided to pour his heart out about his love to Ellen who was suffering equally. Although May already suspected that Acher had an affair with Ellen, she kept silent and told them that she was pregnant. Ellen realized that she might hurt May and her child if she continued to pursue happiness and love. Finally, she chose self-sacrifice and then left New York. Years later, Archer finally got the chance to meet Ellen. However, faced with Archer who had come a long way to visit her, Ellen just quietly closed the window that was open.

This may be the perfect ending. The love triangle raised questions of duty, passion and morality and finally ended quietly. In my opinion, Ellen was the bravest woman among those characters for she always lived just like her desire. She, unlike other women who were afraid to cross secular and

traditional boundaries, had the courage to express her love and her final leaving proved her spirit of self-sacrifice.

Another three novels:

Jane Eyre author: Charlotte Bronte

Emma

Pride and Prejudice

author: Jane Austen author: Jane Austen

班级：10英语教育

学号：201013061140

姓名：蔡加涵

篇四：纯真年代读后感The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence (1920) is a novel by Edith Wharton, which won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize —— the first Pulitzer awarded to a woman. The story occurs among New York City's upper class in the 1870s. at that time, being was better than doing, occupation and abilities were secondary to blood connections, reputation and

appearances excluded everything and everyone not of one's caste.

Major Characters

Newland Archer: The story's protagonist is a young, popular, successful lawyer living with his mother and sister in an elegant New York City house. Since childhood, his life has been shaped by the customs and expectations of upper class New York City society. At story's start, he is proud and content to dream about a traditional marriage in which he will be the husband-teacher and she the wife-student. His life changes when he meets Ellen. He begins questioning the values on which he was raised. He sees the sexual inequality of New York society and the shallowness of its customs, and struggles to balance social commitment to May with love for Ellen. In the end, though, Newland Archer finds that the only place for their love is in his memories.

May Welland : She follows and obeys all of society's customs perfectly. Mostly, she is the shallow, uninterested and uninteresting young woman that New York society requires. She offers him release from their engagement so he can marry the woman he truly loves. When he assures May of his loving only her, May appears to trust him, at least at first. Yet after marriage, she suspects Newland is Ellen's lover. May pretends to be happy before society. Her unhappiness activates her manipulative nature, and Newland does not see it until too late. To drive Ellen away from him, May tells Ellen of her pregnancy before she is certain of it. Yet, there still is compassion in May, even in their loveless marriage's long years after Ellen's leaving. After May's death, Newland learns she had always known of his continued love for Ellen; as May lay dying, she told their son that the children could always trust their father Newland, because he surrendered the thing most meaningful to him out of loyalty to their marriage.

Ellen Olenska: When the story begins, Ellen has fled her unhappy marriage, lived in Venice with her husband's secretary, and has returned to her family in New York City, in America. She is a free spirit who helps Newland see beyond narrow New York society. She treats her maid as an equal, offering the servant her own cape before

sending her out on an errand. Ellen suffers as much as Newland from their impossible love, but she is willing to live in emotional limbo so long as they can love each other at a distance. Ellen's love for Newland drives her important decisions: dropping

divorce from Count Olenski, remaining in America, and offering Newland choice of sexual consummation only once, and then disappearing from his life. Her conscience

and responsibility to family complicate her love for Newland. When she learns of May's pregnancy, Ellen immediately decides to leave America. In neither the describing of Ellen nor that of the old New York can we find out

any innocence, and the whole novel is full of ironic techniques. Conclusion People in The Age of Innocence force themselves to mould their lives and responses to the forms of conventional cultural expectations. People become habitual and thereby permeate personal relationships as well, making a real, an honest marriage or

friendship impossible. This paper explores innocence lost in Edith Warton’s. May loses herself in protective world of acceptable forms, and Ellen Olenska’s trying to join Old New York while keeping her innocence as well as her escapism. Besides, the grasping of innocence by the new generation comforts us eventually. At last, there are many techniques, such as psychological realism and irony to express innocence lost at that time. In this novel, Newland Archer, May Welland and Ellen Olenska all live uncomfortably because society is the domain of the values that counted

most----loyalty, decency, honesty, fidelity, and the adherence to moral commitment. To defy the social ethic is to disturb the foundations’ of society and to threaten those values.

篇五：纯真年代英语读后感

The age of innocence

I had already seen the film The age of innocence before ,it really impressed me a lot about the triangle love .At that time ,I thought it was difficult for me to choose from May and Ellen . A few days ago , I found the book in the library ,I was so excited and I didn’t even have any hesitate to borrow it to get deeply into it and I had the answer of the “real heroine ” of the story .It is a novel by Edith Wharton ,which won the Pulitzer Prize –the first Pulitzer awarded to a woman . The story occurs among the New York City’s upper class in the 1870s .At that time ,being was better than doing ,occupation and abilities were secondary to blood connections , reputation and appearance exuded everything and everyone not of one’s caste .

The major characters of the story are : Newland Archer: The story's protagonist is a young, popular, successful lawyer living with his mother and sister in an elegant New York City house. Since childhood, his life has been shaped by the customs and expectations of upper class New York City society. At story's start, he is proud and content to dream about a traditional marriage in which he will be the husband-teacher and she the wife-student. His life changes when he meets Ellen. He begins questioning the values on which he was raised. He sees the sexual

inequality of New York society and the shallowness of its customs, and struggles to balance social commitment to May with love for Ellen. In the end, though, Newland Archer finds that the only place for their love is in his memories.

May Welland : the fiancé of Newland .She follows and obeys all of society's customs perfectly. Mostly, she is the shallow, uninterested and uninteresting young woman that New York society requires. She offers him release from their engagement so he can marry the woman he truly loves. When he assures May of his loving only her, May appears to trust him, at least at first. Yet after marriage, she suspects Newland is Ellen's lover. May pretends to be happy before society. Her unhappiness activates her manipulative nature, and Newland does not see it until too late. To drive Ellen away from him, May tells Ellen of her pregnancy before she is certain of it. Yet, there still is compassion in May, even in their loveless marriage's long years after Ellen's leaving. After May's death, Newland learns she had always known of his continued love for Ellen; as May lay dying, she told their son that the children could always trust their father Newland, because he surrendered the thing most meaningful to him out of loyalty to their marriage.

Ellen Olenska: the cousin of May . When the story begins, Ellen has fled her unhappy marriage, lived in Venice with her husband's secretary, and

has returned to her family in New York City, in America. She is a free spirit who helps Newland see beyond narrow New York society. She treats her maid as an equal, offering the servant her own cape before sending her out on an errand. Ellen suffers as much as Newland from their

impossible love, but she is willing to live in emotional limbo so long as they can love each other at a distance. Ellen's love for Newland drives her important decisions: dropping divorce from Count Olenski, remaining in America, and offering Newland choice of sexual consummation only once, and then disappearing from his life. Her conscience and responsibility to family complicate her love for Newland. When she learns of May's pregnancy, Ellen immediately decides to leave America.

The story begins as this : Newland Archer couldn't be more pleased with his recent engagement to the beautiful debutante May Welland. However, his world is thrown upside down by the sensational arrival of May's cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska. Recently returned to America after separating from her husband, a philandering Polish count, Countess Olenska shocks the staid New York aristocracy with her revealing clothes, carefree manners, and rumors of adultery. Because the Countess's family, headed by the powerful Mrs. Manson Mingott, have chosen to reintroduce her into good society, Archer and May feel it necessary to befriend her.

As Archer comes to better know the Countess, he begins to appreciate her unconventional views on New York society. Meanwhile, Archer becomes increasingly disillusioned with his new fianceé, May. He begins to see her as the manufactured product of her class: polite, innocent, and utterly devoid of personal opinion and sense of self.

The Countess Olenska soon announces her intention of divorcing her husband. While Archer supports her desire for freedom, he feels compelled to act on behalf of the Mingott family and persuade Ellen to remain married. At a friend's cottage near Hudson, Archer realizes that he is in love with Ellen. He abruptly leaves the next day for Florida, where he is reunited with May and her parents, who are there on vacation. There, he presses May to shorten their engagement. May becomes suspicious and asks him if his hurry to get married is prompted by the fear that he is marrying the wrong person. Archer reassures May that he is in love with her. Back in New York, Archer calls on Ellen, and Archer admits that he is in love with her. Just then, a telegram arrives from May, announcing that her parents have pushed forward the wedding date.

After their wedding and honeymoon in Europe, Archer and May settle down to married life in New York. Over time, Archer's memory of Ellen fades to a wistful image. But on vacation in Newport, he is reunited with her,

and Ellen promises not to return to Europe as long as she and Newland do not act upon their love for each other. Back in New York, Archer learns that Count Olenski wants his wife to return to him and that Ellen has refused. After the stroke of her grandmother, Ellen returns to New York to care for her. She and Archer agree to consummate their affair. But suddenly, Ellen announces her intention to return to Europe. May throws a farewell party for Ellen, and after the guests leave, May announces to Archer that she is pregnant and that she told Ellen her news two weeks earlier.

Twenty-five years pass. In that time, the Archers have had three children and May has died from pneumonia. Now Archer's son convinces him to travel to France. There, they arrange to visit the Countess Olenska at her Paris apartment. However, at the last minute Archer sends his son alone to visit her, content instead to live with his memories of the past. After researching information on the Internet . I finally understand the subtle behaviors between people in the film . Next , let me share my personal opinions . I am sure most of people who have seen the film have the same confusions with me . 1.Why all the people refuse to attend the party which aims to welcome Ellen back ? 2.why Newland and May’s marriage can’t last long ? As they love each other so deeply at first . 3. Why Newland only watches at Ellen’s window but not talks with her at last ? The story happened in 1870s among New York City’s upper class , at that time , people were traditional and were limited in the same consciousness pattern that lasted for a long history , a little similar to Chinese feudal society . They adored conformity ,behaviors that against ordinary ideas were prevented . Of course ,there were still some people not agreed with the traditions . Ellen was a typical example , she was forced to marry to Europe ,but unfortunately , her husband had lovers outside ,so she had to live with her husband’s secretary to get divorced and return to America . She was a free-talking woman and challenged the traditions . I remember one scene in the film ,at the party , Ellen was talking with some gentlemen , but when she saw Newland , she left them casually to have a talk with Newland , in America’s upper society which was not

permitted .So when they knew such a woman had a lover ,they despised and reproached her , what was worse ,her family disagreed the divorce ,even not caring about her marriage happiness , as they thought fame was more important .Another person , Newland ,who was detesting the traditions inside but had to pretend that admired them to support his notable family . That is my explanation for the first confusion .

May was a quite and smart woman that was totally opposite with Ellen , people thought she was a good representation for upper class . Before her marriage with Newland , they didn’t know each other enough . After marriage , they began to exposure their different characters , gradually , they knew their marriage won’t be happy . Both of them have something I really admire . May asked Newland to pursue his true love before marriage , I think it is a kind of respect . May told Newland her pregnancy before she was sure of it , In my view , it was an act of responsibility to protect her marriage ,also , it reflected the traditional idea that divorce was not respectable .Ellen was not accepted by the society and Newland had to nourish his offspring due to responsibility . Their love was not allowed by people ,so their doomed to be a tragedy at the beginning .That’s why Newland only memorized their past love in the end .

If I must choose one from the two women , I would select Ellen .Although her behaviors were beyond traditions , she followed her heart and did what she wanted to do , at least , she lived a happy life in some extent . I also want to lead a life that I don’t have to worry other’s comments on me and just do whatever I like to . Life is not long and should be simple and happy . Sometimes , we need to take adventure to get

happiness . And at last , I want to say happiness is not easy and cherish what you have now !

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