Wharton, Edith — The Age of Innocence [61]

In matters intellectual and artistic Newland Archer felt himself distinctly the superior of these chosen specimens of old New York gentility; he had probably read more, thought more, and even seen a good deal more of the world, than any other man of the number. Singly they betrayed their inferiority; but grouped together they represented “New York,” and the habit of masculine solidarity made him accept their doctrine in all the issues called moral. He instinctively felt that in this respect it would be troublesome—and also rather bad form— to strike out for himself. — Wharton, Edith, The Age of Innocence, 61

Note

Key demonstration of the reader’s identified mechanism: individual judgment is annulled by the group’s collective embodiment of ‘New York.’ The same sentence structure defeats the individual twice — ‘singly’ betrayed, ‘grouped’ absolute.