# Medora Manson — The Age of Innocence character guide

> Medora Manson in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** poor Medora Manson, aunt Medora

**First appearance:** 0001-i

## Snapshot

Ellen Olenska's eccentric aunt, whose European fads and unconventional choices shaped her niece into a woman New York can neither accept nor ignore.

## Who they are

Medora Manson swept her orphaned niece Ellen off to Europe at eighteen, raising her amid a series of enthusiasms that scandalized the family back home. Her influence explains why Ellen returns to New York already Europeanized, already divorced, already an anomaly the old society cannot easily place. Though she never appears on the page, Medora's choices echo through every judgment passed on Ellen, making her the invisible author of the novel's central disruption.

## Relationships

### [Ellen Olenska](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/ellen_olenska)

_family_

A chaotic, affectionate bond with her eccentric aunt who introduced Ellen to European bohemianism and scandal.

### [Ellen Olenska](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/ellen_olenska)

_family_

A chaotic, affectionate bond with her eccentric aunt who introduced Ellen to European bohemianism and scandal.

### [Ellen Olenska](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/ellen_olenska)

_family_

A chaotic, affectionate bond with her eccentric aunt who introduced Ellen to European bohemianism and scandal.

## In the story

### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/viii)

Ellen's eccentric aunt who raised her after her parents' death; known for flouting mourning conventions and wandering.

### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xvii)

Appears at Ellen's house, urging her to return to her husband.

### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xviii)

Briefly appears, having been plotting with Archer and mentioning Count Olenski's request for Ellen's return.

### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxi)

Flutters about at the party, speaks of Ellen's reclusive state and her own contrasting lifestyle.

### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxiv)

Ellen mentions that she plans to make a home in Washington for Medora, who has worn out the patience of her other relations and needs protection from matrimonial perils.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/medora_manson
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters