The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence Summary | Chapter 1 Summary

The story takes place in the early 1870's. It is January, and the setting is the Academy of Music in New York City during a production of Faust. The press, for that season's showing of Faust, had been very good. Scenes from the musical are described throughout this chapter.

The author explains the hierarchy of transportation that the "who's who" of New York society had available to them. There are private broughams, family landau, or brown coupes. The advantage of having a private coupe is that its owner is able to bypass a crowd to make a quick exit.

We are introduced to Newland Archer, a young man who was raised to abide by the rules of society. He arrives fashionably late to the musical after dining with his mother and sister, whom he lives with.

Newland contemplates the significance of his arrival coinciding with the character in the opera proclaiming her love. He looks at the opera box of Mrs. Manson Mingott filled with her family members. Mrs. Mingott rarely appears in society as she is an obese woman and unable to walk long distances or climb stairs. Respect for the woman, however, is so great that people earnestly visit her home in the unfashionably northern part of the city. The family member who most interests Newland is his fiancée, and Mrs. Mingott's granddaughter, the young and beautiful May Welland,. Suddenly, there is much commotion in the Mingott club box. The opera audience reacts to the arrival of a new, controversial family member.