75 pages • 2 hours read
Henry JamesA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“She’s a female Jacobin—she’s a nihilist
Before Basil Ransom meets his cousin Olive Chancellor, her sister Adeline Luna confirms that Olive is “a roaring radical” (7) and that her associates are “witches and wizards, mediums, and spirit-rappers” (7). Mrs. Luna mocks suffragists by likening them to the Jacobins, a violent political group responsible for the Reign of Terror in Revolutionary France. This passage serves several purposes. It establishes a contrast between Mrs. Luna, a conservative and a socialite, with Olive. It also is an early indication of the disparaging picture that James will paint of feminists. Finally, it establishes a contrast between Olive and Basil, a Southern conservative who by his own admission “never saw” any “progress” (18). This passage sets the stage for how Olive and Basil, who are representative of their respective beliefs, will battle each other throughout the novel.
“That was the way he liked them—not to think too much, not to feel any responsibility for the government of the world, such as he was sure Miss Chancellor felt.”
When Basil first meets Olive, he immediately senses that she is “morbid” (11), unlike women “of his own soft clime” (11). He prefers women who are “private and passive” (11) and who leave important issues “to the sex of tougher hide” (11). Basil’s traditional beliefs are a major focus of the novel and will grow ever more important as he falls in love with young feminist
By Henry James
Daisy Miller
Daisy Miller
Henry James
Roderick Hudson
Roderick Hudson
Henry James
The Ambassadors
The Ambassadors
Henry James
The American
The American
Henry James
The Aspern Papers
The Aspern Papers
Henry James
The Beast in the Jungle
The Beast in the Jungle
Henry James
The Golden Bowl
The Golden Bowl
Henry James
The Jolly Corner
The Jolly Corner
Henry James
The Portrait of a Lady
The Portrait of a Lady
Henry James
The Real Thing
The Real Thing
Henry James
The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw
Henry James
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove
Henry James
Washington Square
Washington Square
Henry James
What Maisie Knew
What Maisie Knew
Henry James