James’s New York Novel: Washington Square

The focus of this chapter is the novel Washington Square, named after the area of New York James remembered most fondly from his formative childhood years. After covering the genesis of the novel and James’s decision, many years later, not to include it in the significantly named New York Edition of his works, this chapter provides a close reading of Washington Square, with a particular emphasis on the characterization of Morris Townsend as the avatar of the emerging consumer-driven culture of New York, and the threat he poses to the old values of the city, represented by Washington Square, and the novel’s heroine, Catherine Sloper. This chapter also highlights James’s accurate use of topography and the significance of the character of Arthur Townsend, a young stockbroker who personifies, and gives voice to, the fast-paced modernization of the city.