Alternate endings

[Michelle]

On the introduction to the Penguin 20th century classics addition, Cynthia Griffin Wolff says that Wharton wrote two alternate endings to The Age of Innocence (they are in the archives at the library at Yale University.) In one version, Archer marries May but later runs off to Florida with Ellen. However, he soon realizes he's uncomfortable living outside of society, and Ellen for her part quickly bores of him. They go back to NY, and no one ever finds out about their little experiment. In the other alternate ending, Archer and May break their engagement. May marries someone else, and Archer and Ellen get married. However, after a "rapturous" honeymoon, they discover their personalities and interests are just too different. They end up separating, with Ellen returning to Europe and Archer living out the rest of his life with his mother and sister.

Would either of these plots been more interesting? Believable? Satisfying?

[Tome]

Satisfying? Not to me. However, thinking that Edith Wharton knew that the relationship would be a disaster makes it fun to think that Archer knew the same: That his life with Ellen would never be up to snuff with his passion nor his idea of the bohemian life with the countess. It makes the existing ending even better in my opinion.

Perhaps what I really mean is that my interpretation of the ending is what Edith Wharton had in mind :)

[Karen]

What about an alternate ending that instead of Archer going back home after sitting on the bench waiting for the signal he was waiting for, that it turns out since he is now a widow, that the signal was for him and Ellen to get together and live a happy life?