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.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The Age of Innocence
2. Twilight
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This essay explores the role and function of closed communities in literature, specifically comparing the rigid, tradition-bound high society in Edith Wharton’s "The Age of Innocence" with the supernatural, sequestered vampire family in Stephenie Meyer’s "Twilight" series to determine how these groups define individual agency and identity.
- Sociological dynamics of closed communities
- The tension between individual moral development and group expectations
- Comparison of 19th-century aristocratic social codes with supernatural family structures
- The impact of group secrecy and internal hierarchies on the protagonist
- The portrayal of the "outsider" within a confined social environment
Excerpt from the Book
1. The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence is set in 1870s New York. The book lights on Newland Archer in his early 20s. He starts out happily in love with the young May Welland whose engagement to him is about to be announced. The relevant community seems to be aristocratic New York that uses manners, dress and housing to show off and set themselves apart from the city’s working class. Clean, simple borders divide the two groups, each going about their business peacefully. The threat against which Archer and his community need protection is not easily ascertained, for he is a pampered aristocrat. It seems that blunt speech, bold actions and “scandal” are the greatest threats imaginable. His innocent happiness is put at risk by the arrival of Ellen Olenska, a cousin of May’s who married a foreigner and has since been living in Europe. Now she has come home, leaving her (possibly abusive) husband. She is an unconventional character, an intruder who causes a large amount of uproar—even though she never means to and largely doesn’t notice. The old New York families balk at the thought of accepting Countess Olenska in their midst.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This section establishes the premise of human needs for safety and community, introducing the primary literary works as case studies for how collective social structures govern individual behavior.
1. The Age of Innocence: An analysis of how New York aristocratic society functions as a rigid, self-policing tribe that demands conformity and suppresses the individual desires of Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska.
2. Twilight: An examination of the Cullen family as a secluded, supernatural community that maintains its existence through secrecy and rigid internal hierarchy, comparing their protective nature to the social codes of the 19th century.
Conclusion: A synthesis of the findings, noting that while both communities provide a sense of belonging, they act as hindrances to personal growth, with the essay highlighting the contrast between Wharton’s social satire and Meyer’s romanticized view of family.
Keywords
Closed community, social hierarchy, individual agency, Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, collective conscience, moral development, social code, outsider, aristocracy, family structure, hypocrisy, conformity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic work?
The work explores the sociological role of closed communities in both historical high society as depicted by Edith Wharton and contemporary supernatural fiction by Stephenie Meyer.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The essay centers on themes of individual versus collective identity, the pressure of social expectations, the importance of secrecy, and the dynamics of family and group loyalty.
What is the main research question?
The author seeks to answer what role the closed community plays in both "The Age of Innocence" and the "Twilight" saga regarding the protection and regulation of its members.
Which methodology is applied in this analysis?
The study utilizes a comparative literary analysis, examining both novels through the lens of social theory to draw parallels between seemingly different storytelling environments.
What is discussed in the main body of the text?
The main body breaks down the social structures of Old New York and the Cullen vampire family, analyzing how individuals like Newland Archer and Bella Swan struggle to navigate the expectations and constraints imposed by these specific communities.
Which keywords best characterize this analysis?
The work is characterized by terms such as "closed community," "social hierarchy," "collective conscience," and "conformity."
How does the author distinguish between the "insider" and "outsider" status?
The author argues that the distinction is based on the knowledge of and adherence to specific rules of conduct, which the community enforces to maintain its integrity.
Does the author conclude that these communities are beneficial?
No, the author concludes that while these communities provide a sense of security, they largely function as hindrances to the protagonist's personal happiness and authentic moral development.
- 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
