age of innocence
Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, contains many characters representing Old New York society in the 1870’s. At the peak of that society is Mr. and Mrs. Henry Van Der Luyden. They are only mentioned a few times, but still play a big part in New York society. When the narrator describes old New York society, they have to make a reference to Mr. and Mrs. Van Der Luyden showing their importance in society. Newland Archer, a respected lawyer and Mrs. Mingott seek approval from the Van Der Luydens and the exchanges that took place. The narrator writes, "…the Van Der Luydens…stood above all of them" (50). The narrator makes it a point to tell us that the Van Der Luydens are the highest "ranking" family of Old New York society. They descended from both British and French aristocracy, supporting the fact that the Van Der Luydens are the most respected family.