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The Age of Innocence: To the End

The Age of Innocence: To the End

Close Reads Podcast · David Kern, Sean Johnson, and Heidi White

January 27, 20261h 30m

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Show Notes

Welcome back to our series on Edith Wharton’s very complex (and wonderful) novel. This week, in discussing the ending, we find ourselves at, well, a loss for words. Nevertheless, we persist. We attempt to reckon with the complicated nature of May’s character, Newland’s fatalism and paralyzed life of the mind, the question of whether he’s a tragic character, how we may or may not re-think the countess in light of the ending, and much more! As always, happy listening!

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