Her use of old-fashioned language lends an air of 'formality' to her writing.
They haven't approved the loan yet, but that's just a mere/pure 'formality'.
He failed to appreciate the 'formality' of the occasion.
(..) Your Excellency, gentlemen... I advise you to join us in our prayers for the Holy Father's recovery. We had an agreement! This meeting was to be merely a formality. - Please sit down. - I'd rather stand. Give me an answer. The immobiliare has its roots in the European tradition. Please understand. (..)1990 The Godfather Part III