Washington Square Novel Review Essays


Found 87454 essays.

Bette Howland's Criticism of Henry James's Washington Square

Bette Howland also examines the similarities present between Washington Square and The Portrait of a Lady, The Wings of the Dove, and The Golden Bowl.At times, she seems to give the novel more credit then Henry James ever did.Bette Howland's Criticism of Henry James's Washington Square .Bette Howland states that while Washington Square may lack the 'supersubtle' nuances of Henry James' future novels, it "offers his irony at its most efficient.Bette Howland's essay on Washington Square explores two different aspects in the development of the novel.


501 words (1.3 pages)
Henry James' Washington Square

Washington Square.Henry James'Washington Square ."On Washington Square."She uses what is said about Townsend to demonstrate that he wants nothing more than Catherine's money, yet she does not look close enough to realize that he is more complex than the information that the narrator provides ("On Washington Square" 26).Henry James' Washington Square is more than a simple novel with simple characters connected by a simple plot.


434 words (1.1 pages)
Relationship of Washington Square to Henry James's Other Novels

28 September 1999. .Relationship of Washington Square to Henry James's Other Novels .As Howland says, "Not only is Washington Square, though disowned, a member of the family--it is the original, the mother lode" (1).Although I cannot disagree with any of Howland's assertions regarding the orphaned Washington Square and its obvious relationship to James's other novels, I did find Bette Howland's piece to be somewhat disjointed and lacking in focus.To Howland, the very location of Washington Square stands for James' perception of "the stifling provincial life of America" in that it is "the object of Morris' aspirations; the prison of Catherine's confinement; the seat of the Doctor's power (sic)" (16).


479 words (1.2 pages)
A Critique of Henry James' Washington Square

I will admit it; I did not like Washington Square.The author states that "The moral force of this novel lies in the paradox of Dr. Slopers' wrong-rightnes" (224).So, behold my surprise when I began to come across some of the author's words that expressed many of the thoughts that I had about the novel and its characters."Everyone likes Washington Square" (220), HA!There were a few instances when I disagreed with Hall, but overall reading his "critique" left me almost enjoying the novel….


474 words (1.2 pages)
Catherine's Inner Self in Henry James's Washington Square

Catherine's Inner Self in Henry James's Washington Square .Boston: G.K. Hall &Co., 1987.In an essay titled, "Washington Square: A Study in the Growth of an Inner Self ," James W. Gargano addresses the internal reality of the character Catherine Sloper.It is seen as a "psychological novel" where most of the action takes place in the minds of the characters.Gargano, James W. " Washington Square : A Study in the Growth of An Inner Self."


493 words (1.2 pages)
Character in Henry James's Washington Square

Plot was obviously not one of James' major concerns with this novel, but to his credit, implements it better than Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop.What then is the driving point to Washington Square ?If somebody told me that there was a book in which two hundred pages of plot was accurately and completely summarized in one short paragraph and character development was of no concern, I would have been most certain that what they actually had read was a screenplay for a porno.Finally, some twenty years later, the doctor dies leaving none of his fortune to his daughter who is visited by Mr. Townsend one last time resulting in absolutely no consequence.Eliot, T. S. "A Prediction: A Prediction in Regard to Three English Authors."...


456 words (1.1 pages)
Michael Kearns on Henry James' Washington Square

Henry James , Principled Realism, and the Practice of Critical Reading."And why does he tell us that if Catherine's aunt had been present for this conversation, she 'would probably have admitted that it was as well it had not taken place beside the fountain in Washington Square'"?College English.November 1994. .Kearns, Michael . "


450 words (1.1 pages)
Feminist Re-reading of Henry James's Washington Square

However, Washington Square was written in 1880 and was very much a patriarchal time.In defending the reading of Washington Square and Ian Bell's critical essays, from a feminist perspective, Rasmussen believes that it can change the way one sees these writings.Journal of American Studies.She also implies that the feminist perspective, which she uses as no more than a title under which she can vent her own sexist attitude, is of crucial importance in reading James's Washington Square and Bell's perspectives."Re-producing 'James': Marxism, Phallocentrism and Washington Square."


428 words (1.1 pages)
Catherine Sloper's Self-realization in Henry James' Washington Square Essay

Catherine Sloper's Self-realization in Henry James' Washington Square .Another possible and significantly more powerful interpretation of the ending of the book-that James is showing Catherine as fully self-contained and ultimately satisfied with the choices that she has made-makes more sense.Despite his final reticence, the quality of his thinking and the quantity of his evidence suggest that James Gargano has a good understanding of Henry James's main artistic occupation in writing Washington Square.New York: Signet, 1979. .In his essay, "Washington Square: A Study in the Growth of an Inner Self," James W. Gargano argues convincingly that the Henry James's novel, Washington Square, revolves around the emotional, psychological, and spir...


436 words (1.1 pages)
Writing Techniques Used in The Bluest Eye Essay examples

Leflore, Fannie,”Author Morrison uses fiction to challenge prevailing images,” Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Journal, October 20,1990 .Morrison, Toni.She dusted off the story in which she had written for discussion in her writers group and decided to make it into a novel.The Bluest Eye is a novel of... .New York: Washington Square Press-Pocket Books, 1970. .


619 words (1.5 pages)
Theatre (Acting) – ‘The Heiress’

The play, whose run has been extended because of surprisingly good business, is based on Henry James’ novel Washington Square.It is urbane rather than cosmopolitan: a note of amused ironic detachment from the provincial society portrayed in Washington Square pervades the style throughout the novel.Ruth and Augustus Goetz’s theatricalization of Henry James Washington Square, ran a solid year even though New York’s two most prestigious newspaper drama critics, Brooks Atkinson of the Times and Howard Barnes of the Herald Tribune, stood united against it and the rest of their colleagues, who hailed it as “superb,” “absorbing,” and “something to cheer about.” Rejecting the knowledge that her unloving father, Dr. Austin Sloper ( Basil Rathbone...


13667 words (34.2 pages)
T. S. Eliot's Critique of Henry James' Washington Square

Eliot, T. S. "A Prediction."For example, at the traditional Sunday evening at Mrs. Almond's, the Doctor comments, "'He is amazingly conceited!'"He has made up his mind about Morris before he really even meets him .The most prominent appears to be the characters and how they are presented and interact with each other throughout the novel.Regardless of James's failure to present real characters who have believable social settings, work for a living, and express emotions and opinions about the trials and tribulations that they encounter, Eliot argues that, "had James been a better hand at character, he would have missed the sensibility to the peculiar class of data which were his province" (55).


414 words (1.0 pages)
Henry James, Principled Realism

Kearns implies that James creates fictional characters (such as Dr. Sloper) to help his readers form the correct ethical judgement about the novel.He is not the only one that Kearns believes uses naïve realism.Henry James , Principled Realism, and the Practice of Critical Reading."College English.November 1994. .


418 words (1.0 pages)
The Dismal Washington Square, by Henry James

Others might consider having to live with Aunt Penniman ad infinitum to be a tragedy.Who could not be amused by Aunt Penniman describing Morris Townsend as an "imperious" man "of great force of character," and saying to herself , "That's the sort of husband I should have had!"Curiosity about how Washington Square was received at the time it was written lead me to search for a review done at the time the book was published.The anonymous reviewer indicts James as showing genius in creating his characters, but showing no caring for their fate, which leads to his final comment on the book, "If you desire a consummately clever study of perfect dreariness, you have it inThese loses she suffered behind "her ancient facility for silence" (James ...


427 words (1.1 pages)
Henry James Essay

In fact, he wasn't very happy with Washington Square either.The novel finds a contemporary resonance with this determined account of a dysfunctional family; but it also presents a notable tour de force of the author, which makes us follow the main character from his infancy until his precocious maturity.His mother died in January 1882, while James was staying in Washington.Henry James then wrote Washington Square (1880), a relatively straightforward tragicomedy that captures the conflict between a girl, gentle, submissive, and clumsy, and her father, a brilliant manipulator.The novel offers a vast and joyful panorama of English life, following the fortunes of two aspiring artists: Nick Dormer, torn between a political career and his effo...


4574 words (11.4 pages)
Celie's Transformation in Alice Walker's Color Purple Essay

The Color Purple.What is remarkable is the fact that this transformation does not merely compose the plot of the novel, it also dominates the layout of the pages.3 ibid, p. 76 .4 Walker (1982), p. 82 .However, Celie transforms throughout the course of the novel and manages to realize herself as a colorful, beautiful, and proud human being.


391 words (1.0 pages)
”Washington Square” by Henry James

The novel ends with a tragic note.“Washington Square.” The Literature Network.We cannot blame her also, because she was brought up in such a way that she was sheltered from the harsher truths of life.Her father, a wealthy, accomplished doctor in Washington Square, believes that Mr. Townsend is only deceiving his daughter and is after the money that Catherine is destined to inherit at the time of his demise, in addition to the income that she receives from her mother’s will.Then again, this was not an easy lesson, and I guess that to her, giving up on love, trusting in other people’s goodness was much easier than giving both a second chance.


728 words (1.8 pages)
Henry James' The Wings of the Dove Essay

New York: Frederick Ungar, 1983. .Newpaltz.edu/hataway 1.html>.This paper will present briefly Henry James and his thoughts about the art of fiction that is presented by his same titled essay before thoroughly analyzing his novel: The Wings of the Dove.of “Washington Square and Wings of the Dove”.His first novel, Watch and Ward (1871) was written while he was travelling through Venice and Paris.


442 words (1.1 pages)
The Role of Trees in Terry Kay's To Dance With The White Dog

The Role of Trees in Terry Kay's To Dance With The White Dog In the novel To Dance With The White Dog there are many similarities between Sam Peek and Kay’s father.Works Cited Kay, Terry.[b2] In the novel Sam Peek has dedicated his life to the growth and production of his pecan trees.The Dedication and Authors Note, located before and after the[b1] novel, give the reader insight into the true meaning of the book.His stability in life is evident to the reader through the knowledge of his close connection with the trees.


450 words (1.1 pages)
A Clockwork Orange Essay: Existentialist Analysis

A Clockwork Orange is a novel that raises a wide range of ethical questions from the definition of free choice and goodness to methods of punishment.Washington Square Press 1992. .In his novel A Clockwork Orange (1962), Anthony Burgess portrays an ultimately free individual and shows how a society cannot cope with the freedom which it in rhetoric so eagerly seeks to promote.Burgess Anthony 1962.Sartre Jean-Paul 1956.


439 words (1.1 pages)
What Does Desires lead to: Things Fall Apart Essay

Buck, Pearl S. The Good Earth.Power Of Desire.New York: Anchor, 1994."Power Of Desire."..., a comparison of the characters, situations of the characters, and a major theme are made to show that desires can direct them to a helpful or a harmful situation.


409 words (1.0 pages)
Literary Allusion in Women of Brewster Place, Linden Hills, and Mama Day

New York: Amistad, 1993.Contemporary Literature 28 (1987), 67-81.Ward, Catherine C.  "Linden Hills: A Modern Inferno."Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine.New York: Washington Square, 1994.


398 words (1.0 pages)
Janie and Contemporary Women in Zora Neale Hurston’s "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

However, these qualities were still displayed despite the criticism of society.New York: Pocket Books-Washington Square, 1982. .New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006 .During the days of the early 20th century in which the novel was set, spousal abuse was accepted and even promoted in some cases.Their Eyes Were Watching God.


469 words (1.2 pages)
Charles W. Chestnutt's The Marrow of Tradition Essay examples

Howells, was quick to attack the quality of the novel.However, most reviews, even those which pointed out the important theme of the novel, suggested that it was not a well written one, often seeming overly dramatic and too fictionalized.[...] I know I am on the weaker side in point of popular sympathy, but I am on the stronger side in point of justice and morality, and if I can but command the skill and the power to compel attention, I think I will win out in the long, so far as I am personally concerned, and will help the cause, which is vastly more important."Reviewers, too, were able to see the "purpose" of the novel as a significant one as evidenced by reviews in Chautauquan, the New York Times, The Literary World, Nation...


387 words (1.0 pages)
Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth

Still Buck makes the virtual enslavement of Chinese woman a .case-by-case and does not indict the culture of the Chinese nation, which she obviously loves and reveres.Works Cited .While Buck does not rage and vent in righteous indignation at the treatment of women in Chinese society, she makes it clear that it is the overall Chinese culture, native to China of that era, and not any individual or any individual act.New York: Washington Square Press 2004 .


871 words (2.2 pages)
Little Fires Everywhere Essay

ABC Signature Studios, a division of ABC Studios, then joined the project, the studio being under contract with Witherspoon and Washington.Nonetheless, Hulu will announce that in its first sixty days on the platform, Little Fires Everywhere has become the most-watched series in the service's history.Reese Witherspoon and her collaborator Lauren Neustadter discover the novel Season of Fires by Celeste Ng even before the book is published.This is an adaptation of the novel The Season of Fire by American author Celeste Ng, published in 2017 in the United States.The miniseries received generally positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, garnering 80% positive reviews, with an average rating of 7.09 / 10 based on 75 reviews collected, allowing it ...


683 words (1.7 pages)
Factors Affecting Urban Poverty

World Bank, Washington D.C. .(2006), “Access: net prices, affordability, and equity at a highly selective college”, Economics of Education Review, Vol.40397 – MY, The World Bank, Washington, DC .Chi-Square(2) .Date: 12/25/12 Time: 00:57 .


2911 words (7.3 pages)
Ben Chaplin Essay

In 1998, Ben Chaplin achieved consecration by going into combat with Sean Penn, Nick Nolte and John Cusack in the war and philosophical epic The Red Line by Terrence Malick.He then landed the role of Brian, the suitor of Uma Thurman, in the romantic comedy Between dogs and cats by Michael Lehmann.He then joined the prestigious cast of Martha Fiennes' choral drama, Chromophobia, presented at the closing of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.His interpretation having conquered the master, the actor collaborates again with the latter on the fresco Le Nouveau Monde (2005).His female partners are Winona Ryder in the fantasy film The Lost Souls (2001), Michelle Yeoh in the film The Talisman (2002), Sandra Bullock in the thriller Murderous Calculati...


340 words (0.9 pages)
Portrayal of Women in William Shakespeare's Plays Essay

New York: Chelsea, 1986.New York: Washington Square Press, 1995.New York: Washington Square Press, 1992.The Taming of the Shrew.Much Ado About Nothing.


403 words (1.0 pages)
Teaching Race Explicitly in the Classroom Essay

York: Basic Books, 1997. .The Urban Review, .New York: Washington Square Press Publication, 1997. .Portraits of White Racism.20.4 (1988): 253-265. .


425 words (1.1 pages)

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