Safety and protection are basic human needs. Every child who has ever lain awake at night, wondering about the monsters under the bed, will attest to the fact, that it’s not only the walls and the doors that make a house safe, it’s the people in it. In big cities, one tends to be surrounded by people, but the emotional connection remains missing. But even there, this basic need for safety and contact has to be satisfied: communities evolve.
Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" and Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence" develop tight communities. They throw a spotlight on the inner workings of social interactions. Each story shows how secrets are protected, feelings develop and get hurt. The 1920s classic and the modern bestseller have more in common than one may think.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- 1. The Age of Innocence
- 2. Twilight
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay aims to analyze the role of closed communities in Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence" and Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight." It investigates how these communities shape the lives and choices of the characters, explore the dynamics within these communities, and examine their influence on individual freedom and societal expectations.
- The impact of social structures and expectations on individual choices.
- The role of community in shaping individual identity and behavior.
- The tension between tradition and modernity in closed communities.
- The influence of collective consciousness and moral responsibility on individual action.
- The complex interplay between love, duty, and societal pressures.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The essay opens by introducing the concept of community and its significance for individual safety and belonging. It then dives into Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence," focusing on the rigid social hierarchy of Old New York and the impact of the arrival of Ellen Olenska, a woman who challenges established norms. The analysis highlights the role of gossip and collective judgment in shaping the community's response to Ellen and the consequences for Newland Archer, who navigates the pressures of love, duty, and societal expectations.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The essay explores key concepts like community, social structures, societal expectations, individual freedom, tradition, modernity, collective consciousness, gossip, and the interplay between love and duty. It examines these themes through the lens of two contrasting literary works: "The Age of Innocence" and "Twilight."
- Quote paper
- Anja Mittelstedt (Author), 2015, The role of the closed community in Edith Wharton’s “The Age of Innocence” and Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight”, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/439364