Washington Square is a novel by Henry James. In this novel, Catherine Sloper is a simple, unattractive girl whose father fears her fiancé is interested in her only because of the money she has inherited from her mother and will inherit upon her father's death. Dr. Sloper convinces his daughter of this fact and encourages her to break off the engagement, but she refuses. However, when Catherine has a falling out with her fiancé and he disappears within days of telling Catherine's aunt he intends to end their relationship, Catherine believes she has been jilted by a coward. Catherine draws in upon herself, refusing to marry anyone else and refusing to forgive her father for his role in the breakup as well. Washington Square is a romance that is more tragic than inspiring, a story of the dangers of a man's influence on the opinions of the woman in his life.
Oct 01, 2001 Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by Project Gutenberg. Washington Square is one of Henry James’s most appealing and popular novels, with the most straightforward plot and style of any of his works. Free download or read online Washington Square pdf (ePUB) book. The first edition of this novel was published in 1880, and was written by Henry James. The book was published in multiple languages including English language, consists of 240 pages and is available in Paperback format. The main characters of this classics, fiction story are,. Washington Square is one of the few works by Henry James that focuses on American characters in an American setting. James was already living in London when he wrote the work, but he actually wrote Washington Square in Paris. The significance here is that James is writing about Washington Square from his childhood memory.
Dr. Sloper married a woman with her own money out of love. Together they have a perfect life that is made richer when a son is born. However, tragedy strikes when that son dies a few years later. Dr. Sloper's wife gives birth again, but he is disappointed when this child is born a girl. Not only this, but Dr. Sloper's wife dies a week later, leaving him alone to raise this child.
Dr. Sloper's sister, Mrs. Penniman, moves into his house to help care for the child for a short time and ends up staying indefinitely. As Dr. Sloper's daughter, Catherine, grows older, he begins to fear that his romantic sister will push her into romances that are inappropriate for her. This fear grows as Dr. Sloper becomes aware that his daughter is not only unattractive, but that she lacks the intelligence of her mother and himself. Therefore when Catherine meets Morris Townsend at a party for his niece's upcoming nuptials, Dr. Sloper is not surprised by Mrs. Penniman's excitement and encouragement of the relationship.
For several weeks Morris Townsend comes to the Sloper home to visit Catherine. Catherine falls deeply in love with Mr. Townsend and is therefore pleased when he expresses a desire to marry her. However, this happiness begins to wane when Catherine becomes aware that her father dislikes Mr. Townsend and has no intention of giving his blessing to their nuptials. Mrs. Penniman suggests to Mr. Townsend that he prove his devotion to Catherine by eloping with her. Mrs. Penniman insists this will prove he does not care for Dr. Sloper's money, therefore causing the doctor to like Mr. Townsend and give his consent to the union.
Mr. Townsend suggests eloping to Catherine and is surprised when she quickly agrees. Mr. Townsend worries, however, that by eloping he will be forced to accept Catherine with only the inheritance from her mother and nothing more. As Mr. Townsend waffles in his promises, Dr. Sloper suggests that he take Catherine to Europe for six months before she elope. Catherine agrees. The trip, which is extending to a year, does nothing to change Catherine's determination to marry Mr. Townsend.
Mr. Townsend, however, comes to the conclusion that Dr. Sloper will never give his consent to his union with his daughter and will cut her out of his will. This makes Mr. Townsend come to the conclusion that he should break off the engagement. Before he can do this, Mr. Townsend and Catherine argue over a trip to New Orleans he plans to make. In Catherine's depression over this argument, Mrs. Penniman assumed Mr. Townsend ended the engagement and she tells Catherine of his intentions. A short time later, Catherine receives a letter from Mr. Townsend that officially ends the engagement.
Seventeen years pass and Dr. Sloper becomes ill, dying from pneumonia. Catherine learns that Dr. Sloper has cut her inheritance to nearly nothing because she refused to promise she would not marry Morris Townsend. However, when Mr. Townsend comes to her two years later, at Mrs. Penniman's suggestion, Catherine refuses to even consider a friendship with him.
This novel takes place in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Square in the mid-nineteenth century. Washington Square begins with a portrait of Dr. Austin Sloper, a respectable physician. His wife, Catherine, gives birth to as on who dies at the age of three. Two years later, Catherine gives birth to a daughter named Catherine - but the childbirth is difficulty and the mother dies. The daughter, Catherine, is the heroine of the novel.
Dr. Sloper is almost immediately disappointed in Catherine. From the start, he views his daughter as a strange genetic twist of fate: she is not a boy; she is not beautiful like her mother; she is not clever like her father.
Dr. Sloper has two sister, both younger and both very different from each other. Dr. Sloper's favorite is Elizabeth who has married a merchant named Almond. Mrs. Almond is prudent and kind and throughout the novel she gives Dr. Sloper some good advice that he unfortunately discards. The other sister is Lavinia, a widow once married to an impoverished clergyman named Penniman. When Catherine is a few years old, Aunt Penniman comes to live in the Sloper household. Dr. Sloper finds his sister Lavinia to be excessively imaginative, unrealistic, and melodramatic. Nonetheless, Dr. Sloper thinks that Lavinia - as she is the girl's aunt - would be a good surrogate mother for Catherine.
Quickly, the novel moves forward to Catherine's late adolescence and early adulthood. Dr. Sloper remains decidedly disappointed in his dull, boring, plain-faced daughter. Though Sloper never explicitly says this to Catherine., Sloper's dismissive and sarcastic air really stunts Catherine's intellectual and emotional growth. Sloper expects little form Catherine and, for the most part, this is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Marian, one of Aunt Almond's daughters, has become engaged to a man named Arthur Townsend. At Marian's engagement party, Catherine meets Morris Townsend, a smooth-talking and very good looking young man. He is a far-flung cousin of Arthur's, and has been traveling the world. Hence, Morris is a stranger in polite New York society.
At this same party, Morris meets aunt Lavinia and, seizing the opportunity, he tells her that he very much enjoyed his conversation with Catherine. In the days that follow, Aunt Lavinia plays the role of a meddling middleman. In his successive visits to the Sloper home, Morris becomes a cause of concern for Dr. Sloper. The doctor sees through Morris: a lazy charmer who has identified Catherine as the source of his fortune. At the same time, Aunt Lavinia does such a good job of sparking up a romance between Catherine and Morris that Catherine comes to believe that Morris does love her. Though Morris' primary motivation is economic, he is kind to Catherine and he treats her with far more love and consideration than Dr. Sloper does. Consequently, Dr. Sloper finds it difficult to pry Catherine away from Morris.
Dr. Sloper realizes that he cannot literally impose his will on Catherine and enforce any sort of restriction. Dr. Sloper can rely upon fear and threats, however. Sloper cannot withhold Catherine's inheritance left to her from her mother, but the doctor vows that if Catherine marries Morris, he will disown her as his daughter. This poses a concern form Morris because Catherine is only half as attractive if she comes with only her maternal fortune and not Dr. Sloper's.
When it seems that Catherine will remain defiant, Dr. Sloper asks her to postpone her plans and accompany him on a trip to Europe. Sloper hopes that he separation will split the couple. After six months, Catherine remains firm in her intent, so the doctor extends the trip for another six months, but this proves ineffective. Left at home alone, Lavinia develops her own social circle and Morris Townsend is a regular guest at the Sloper home. Morris has not spent this time finding gainful employment, though he does concoct a story about suddenly becoming co-partner of a commodities firm. Catherine takes this as good news and she is eager to get married.
Realizing that Catherine will arrive with a seriously diminished fortune, Morris backs out of the marriage, cowardly. After a string of awkward encounters, Morris leaves town. Weeks later, he mails a five page letter from Philadelphia. Catherine reveals these details to no one, although it is not difficult to see that her heart has been broken. Dr. Sloper remains suspicious that Catherine is simply waiting for him to die so that she can marry Morris. When he is near death, Dr. Sloper asks Catherine to promise that she won't marry Morris but Catherine is so offended by the doctor's audacity that she stubbornly refuses to make any vow or commitment. In the end, Dr. Sloper dies in his folly, believing Catherine to be treacherous. He gives most of her inheritance to charity.
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A few years after Sloper's death, Morris Townsend returns, having learned that Catherine has never married. Aunt Lavinia lets him into the house to meet Catherine and Catherine is visibly upset. She dismisses Townsend after a few minutes - it is clear that she does not love him at all. Morris thought that Catherine had been waiting for him all of these years - but he never made any contact with her, so why would she be waiting for him now? Catherine continues to live a spinster life and she is able to find value and take pleasure in her own personal hobbies and interests.