The Wings Of The Dove

by Henry James, Philip Dossick (Editor)

Overview

The Wings of the Dove is considered by critics to be one of Henry James's greatest achievements, and one of the finest novels in the English language.

It is the story of a young American heiress, Millie Theale, and a classic example of Henry James's morality tales that play off the naiveté of an American protagonist abroad.

In early-20th-century London, Kate Croy and Merton Densher are engaged in a passionate, clandestine love affair. Croy is desperately in love with Densher, who has all the qualities of a potentially excellent husband: he's handsome and charming; the one thing he lacks is money.

Croy and Densher accompany Milly to Venice where Densher, according to Croy's design, will seduce the ailing heiress. The scheme begins to founder when Theale discovers the pair's true motives just before her death.

HENRY JAMES (1843-1916) was an American novelist, playwright, biographer and critic. He is considered one of the finest writers of his time, his masterworks including The American, The Turn of the Screw, Daisy Miller, The Portrait of a Lady, The Wings of the Dove, and The Aspern Papers.


*The Wings of the Dove ranked 26th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century by the Modern Library,

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Product Details

BN ID:	2940150163485
Publisher:	The St. George Press
Publication date:	12/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	678
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Henry James (1843-1916), born in New York City, was the son of noted religious philosopher Henry James, Sr., and brother of eminent psychologist and philosopher William James. He spent his early life in America and studied in Geneva, London and Paris during his adolescence to gain the worldly experience so prized by his father. He lived in Newport, went briefly to Harvard Law School, and in 1864 began to contribute both criticism and tales to magazines. In 1869, and then in 1872-74, he paid visits to Europe and began his first novel, Roderick Hudson. Late in 1875 he settled in Paris, where he met Turgenev, Flaubert, and Zola, and wrote The American (1877). In December 1876 he moved to London, where two years later he achieved international fame with Daisy Miller. Other famous works include Washington Square (1880), The Portrait of a Lady (1881), The Princess Casamassima (1886), The Aspern Papers (1888), The Turn of the Screw (1898), and three large novels of the new century, The Wings of the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903) and The Golden Bowl (1904). In 1905 he revisited the United States and wrote The American Scene (1907). During his career, he also wrote many works of criticism and travel. Although old and ailing, he threw himself into war work in 1914, and in 1915, a few months before his death, he became a British subject. In 1916 King George V conferred the Order of Merit on him. He died in London in February 1916.

Author biography courtesy of Penguin Group (USA).

Date of Birth:

April 15, 1843

Date of Death:

February 28, 1916

Place of Birth:

New York, New York

Place of Death:

London, England

Education:

Attended school in France and Switzerland; Harvard Law School, 1862-63