''Washington Square'' is a novel written in 1880 by

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

about a father's attempts to thwart a romance between his naive daughter and the man he believes wishes to marry her for her money. The novel was famously adapted into a play, ''

The Heiress ''The Heiress'' is a 1949 American romantic drama film directed and produced by William Wyler, from a screenplay written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, adapted from their 1947 stage play of the same title, which was itself adapted from Henry Jame ...

'', which in turn became an Academy Award-winning film starring

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...

in the title role.

Background

The plot of the novel is based upon a story told to James by his close friend, British actress

Fanny Kemble Frances Anne "Fanny" Kemble (27 November 180915 January 1893) was a British actress from a theatre family in the early and mid-19th century. She was a well-known and popular writer and abolitionist, whose published works included plays, poetry ...

. An 1879 entry in James' notebooks details an incident where Kemble told James about her brother, who romantically pursued "a dull, commonplace girl...who had a very handsome private fortune."

Plot

In 1840s

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, naive, introverted Catherine Sloper lives with her tyrannical father, Dr. Austin Sloper, in Washington Square, a fashionable neighborhood near

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

. Embittered by the deaths of his wife and son, Dr. Sloper makes Catherine a constant target for verbal and mental abuse. Catherine finds solace in her idealistic aunt, Lavinia Penniman, who came to live with Dr. Sloper when her own husband died. Aunt Penniman puts herself in charge of Catherine's education. Catherine's cousin Marian gets

engaged An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

to a man named Arthur Townsend. At the

engagement party An engagement party, also known as a betrothal party or fort, is a party held to celebrate a couple's recent engagement and to help future wedding guests to get to know one another. Traditionally, the bride's parents host the engagement party, but ...

, Marian introduces Catherine to Arthur's cousin Morris, who flirts with her throughout the party. Catherine becomes infatuated with Morris and the two begin a romance. Dr. Sloper vehemently opposes the relationship, pointing out that Catherine cannot reasonably expect a man as desirable as Townsend to find her attractive in her own right. Sloper discovers Townsend had squandered his prior inheritance and now lives with his widowed sister. This convinces him that Townsend only wishes to marry Catherine for her money. At dinner, Sloper informs Townsend he abhors him and will not allow the marriage. Townsend insists he will marry Catherine anyway and, with the encouragement of Aunt Penniman, the two plan to

elope Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting m ...

. Sloper takes his daughter to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

for a year, hoping she will forget Townsend, while Aunt Penniman invites Townsend to live in the Sloper home in their absence. While they are in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, Sloper attempts once more to talk Catherine out of her engagement, but she stands her ground, surprising Sloper with her tenacity. Once the Slopers arrive back in New York, Townsend breaks off his engagement to Catherine with no explanation. Thoroughly disappointed, Catherine refuses to consider any other romantic prospects. She spends the next several years doing charity work and caring for her aging father. When Dr. Sloper contracts a fatal case of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

, he discloses to Catherine that, as punishment for her relationship with Townsend, he has severely reduced her inheritance. Aunt Penniman orchestrates one last meeting between Townsend and Catherine. Now older and wiser, she rebuffs his advances and resigns herself to life as a

spinster ''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...

List of characters

*Austin Sloper - Prestigious American physician. *Catherine Sloper - Austin's wife, née Catherine Harrington. *Catherine Sloper, Ms - Austin and Catherine's daughter. *Lavinia Penniman - Austin's sister. *Elizabeth Almond - Austin's sister. *Jefferson Almond - Elizabeth's husband, a prosperous merchant. *Marian Almond - Jefferson and Elizabeth's daughter. *Morris Townsend - Ms. Catherine fiancé, abhorred by Austin. *Arthur Townsend - Morris' cousin, Marian's fiancée. *Mrs. Montgomery - Morris' widow sister.

Literary significance and criticism

James himself did not think highly of the novel. He described it as "poorish" and said, "The only good thing in the story is the girl."

Edward Wagenknecht Edward (Charles) Wagenknecht (March 28, 1900 – May 24, 2004) was an American literary critic and teacher who specialized in 19th century American literature. He wrote and edited many books on literature and movies, and taught for many years at v ...

noted that it "has certainly attracted more favorable attention." Critic Donald Hall wrote, "Everybody likes ''Washington Square'', even the denigrators of Henry James".

Adaptations

Ruth Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ar ...

and Augustus Goetz adapted the novel for the stage as ''

'', originally performed on Broadway in 1947 with

Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller, (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', desc ...

as Catherine and

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

as Dr. Sloper, and revived a number of times since. The play was adapted for film in 1949, and starred

as Catherine,

Sir Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

as Dr. Sloper, and

Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''. He is best remembered ...

as Morris.

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), '' The Best Years o ...

directed. It was nominated for eight

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and won four. In 1972, Mexican director Jose Luis Ibañez made a movie version of this novel titled ''Victoria'' (based on his own adaptation with Jorge Font) and starred Julissa, Enrique Alvarez Félix, Guillermo Murray and Rita Macedo. This adaptation takes place in modern day Mexico City and takes liberties with the original text.

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

choreographed a full length

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

based on the novel and set to the music of

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed ...

for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1985. The time period was updated to the early 1900s. In 1992, Filipino director

Carlos Siguion-Reyna Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewher ...

directed a film adaptation titled '' Ikaw Pa Lang ang Minahal'' (''Only You''). It starred

Maricel Soriano Maricel Soriano (; born Maria Cecilia Dador Soriano; February 25, 1965) is a Filipina film and television actress, occasional host and dancer. With a career spanning of over 50 years, Soriano is one of the most celebrated artists and popularly ...

as Adela (Catherine),

Richard Gomez Richard Frank Icasiano Gomez (; born April 7, 1966) is a Filipino actor, television presenter and director, politician, and épée fencer. He has been serving as the Representative of Leyte's 4th district since 2022, and was mayor of Orm ...

as David Javier (Morris Townsend), Eddie Gutierrez as Dr. Sevilla (Dr. Sloper) and

Charito Solis Rosario Violeta Solís Hernández, better known as Charito Solís (October 6, 1935 – January 9, 1998), was a FAMAS and Gawad Urian Award-winning Filipina film actress, in addition to being the first Philippine woman who have bared her chest in ...

as Tia Paula (Aunt Lavinia). The screenplay was written by Raquel Villavicencio. Polish director

Agnieszka Holland Agnieszka Holland (born 28 November 1948) is a Polish film and television director and screenwriter, best known for her political contributions to Polish cinema. She began her career as assistant to directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej Wajda, ...

made '' Washington Square'' in 1997, starring

Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough as Stacy Hamilton in '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). Sh ...

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960 ...

, and

Ben Chaplin Ben Chaplin (born Benedict John Greenwood; 31 July 1969)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com is a British actor. He is best known for his roles in films, including ''The Truth About Cats & Dogs' ...

, with

Maggie Smith Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (born 28 December 1934) is an English actress. With an extensive career on screen and stage beginning in the mid-1950s, Smith has appeared in more than sixty films and seventy plays. She is one of the few performer ...

as Mrs. Penniman. The novel was adapted as an opera by Thomas Pasatieri in 1976. In 2013, playwright John W. Lowell published a modern gay adaptation called ''Sheridan Square''Richard Dodds
State-censored sex drives

Bay Area Reporter The ''Bay Area Reporter'' is a free weekly newspaper serving the LGBT communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is one of the largest-circulation LGBT newspapers in the United States, and the country's oldest continuously published newspaper ...

, 17 April 2014

References

External links

Original magazine text of ''Washington Square'' (1880)

Note on the various texts of ''Washington Square''
at the

Library of America The Library of America (LOA) is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature. Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LOA has published over 300 volumes by authors ran ...

web site * {{DEFAULTSORT:Washington Square (Novel) 1880 American novels American novels adapted into films Novels by Henry James Works originally published in The Cornhill Magazine Novels first published in serial form Harper & Brothers books Novels set in the 1840s Novels set in New York City American novels adapted into plays Novels adapted into operas Bildungsromans