Henry James's 19th-century fiction explores the bitter dispute between a widow and her son's fiancée over a house filled with exquisite antiques. The novel examines how material possessions can corrupt relationships and reveals the complex motivations behind seemingly civilized behavior.
Mrs. Gereth had said she would go with the rest to church, but suddenly it seemed to her that she should not be able to wait even till church-time for relief: breakfast, at Waterbath, was a punctual meal, and she had still nearly an hour on her hands. Knowing the church to be near, she prepared in her room for the little rural walk, and on her way down again, passing through corridors and observing imbecilities of decoration, the aesthetic misery of the big commodious house, she felt a return of the tide of last night's irritation, a renewal of everything she could secretly suffer from ugliness and stupidity. Why did she consent to such contacts, why did she so rashly expose herself? She had had, heaven knew, her reasons, but the whole experience was to be sharper than she had feared. To get away from it and out into the air, into the presence of sky and trees, flowers and birds, was a n…Continue reading →
Born in 1843, this American expatriate spent most of his career in Europe, crafting psychologically complex novels that explored the clash between American innocence and European sophistication. His innovative narrative techniques and deep character studies in works like The Portrait of a Lady helped establish the modern literary novel. All works by Henry James →
Browse all Fiction · 19th Century works