Ada or Ardor (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

Ivan (Van) Veen (ih-VAHN), the fastidious, rakish scion of an aristocratic family. He matures from schoolboy to scholar of psychiatry to retired traveler. Although he has many sexual partners, his life is dominated by a love affair, lasting more than eighty years, with Ada, who is said to be his cousin but actually is his sister. Fourteen-year-old Van, who earns local fame for his unusual skill at walking on his hands, meets twelve-year-old Ada in the idyllic setting of her putative father’s country estate, Ardis. There they fall in love, but Van also...

[The entire page is 1636 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass