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| Plot Summary of Washington Square |
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"In Washington Square, Henry James put his awesome powers of psychological examination into service to portray the effect of a wise, but hard-hearted father on his sensitive and naive daughter. She is wooed by a man whom the father is certain wants only her money and he makes clear that he will withhold said money at his death should she marry him. She desires the marriage anyway and is very hurt when her lover pulls back (regardless of his excuses - he validates her father's judgment of him). In the end, after the father is dead, he tries again and her rebuke of him is powerful and priceless - as well as sorrowful - since it locks her into a life of loneliness."
Kelly Whiting, Resident Scholar
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"Washington Square describes the adult life of Catherine Sloper, daughter of a wealthy, intense, intelligent and sarcastic father and a brilliantly beautiful mother who died soon after childbirth. She is raised by her father and his sister, a meddling and overly romantic widow. Unfortunately for Catherine, she is neither clever nor beautiful and her father notes this, but little else about her.
The setting, 19th Century New York, finds Catherine unmarried by the age of 22 - approaching old maid-hood for that era. Her life is brightened by a young interloper named Moriss Townsend, who endears himself to her because he is charmed by her future prospescts of immense wealth.
Dr. Sloper takes an almost immediate dislike to Mr. Townsend and forbids his daughter to marry, informing her she will be disinherited of her money should she go against his wishes. This idea diminishes her charm for Mr. Townsend. When he breaks off their engagement in a cruel way, Dr. Sloper finds out and he gloats.
The last portion of the book follows Catherine's independent life as a spinster. Her Aunt, in a cruel twist, introduces Mr. Townsend back into Catherine's life during their middle age. "
Suze, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Washington Square |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- 19th century
Difficult/unusual lover?
Yes
How difficult?
- very shy/inexperienced
If one lover chases another...
- they alternate
Matchbreaker
Yes
Matchbreaker is
- Dad
Main Male Character
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
How romantic is this person?
- sly seducer
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Female Character
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
- wealthy
How sexual is this person?
- naive virgin
How romantic is this person?
- very romantic
- not very romantic
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
Misc setting
- Fancy Mansion
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
What % of story is romance related?
- 80%
- 90%
Focus of story
- Her
How much dialog
- mostly dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Henry James Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Suze
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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