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Title: Washington Square by Cynthia Ozick, Henry James ISBN: 0-375-76122-5 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 08 October, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.97 (34 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A quick and satisfying read
Comment: Washington Square is an amazingly easy read. The overall storyline is simple enough to follow: A young woman with a large fortune, Catherine Sloper, is being pursued by an almost penniless, yet handsome and charming, young man, Morris Townsend. The heroine's father, Dr. Sloper, is against the match, saying he will disinherit Catherine if she decides to marry Morris. So the overrall question is will she choose love or duty? Simple, isn't it? This is what makes this book so wonderful and clever. James uses such a simple storyline to draw out complex and complicated characters that make you question what their real motives are.
James' immediate portrayals of his characters seem almost one-dimensional. Beginning with the book's heroine, Catherine is seen as a plain, dull, and almost stupid girl with an unyielding devotion to her father. Dr. Sloper is an intelligent and prosperous man, who unfortunately cares little for his daughter because she is 'decidedly not clever.' Dr. Sloper's sister, Mrs. Penniman, is shown as a meddlesome aunt. And finally, one can already guess, that Morris Townsend, the penniless young charmer, is none other than a fortune hunter. When once you see him, can you doubt that he is only after Catherine for her money? Yet, throughout the novel, new sides of each character are being shown, creating multi-faceted characters out of the simple and easy to understand characters we first see. Catherine isn't as simple-minded as originally made out to be. Her devotion to her father is understandable because you know that she is a merely being a good and pure and loyal daughter. But we also see that her loyalty and devotion can be given to someone other than her father. We see Catherine does have some backbone because she is so steadfast in her loyalty concerning both her father and Morris. Dr. Sloper's motives are very unclear. He is rough and tough towards his daughter, but he cannot continue being indifferent to her. Is it because he finally has found some feeling for her or because his pride has taken a blow? Aunt Penniman: what is her real motive concerning Catherine and Morris' relationship? And throughout the book, you are never really sure if Morris is just after Catherine's money or if he really does love her in some fashion.
It is a quick and satisfying read, but beware that this is not a romance. There are topics found in the novel that anybody can relate to, be it from sympathizing with Catherine's character, or understanding something of the others. Even though there are many things to think about and question after reading this book, it is definitely worth your while to read this book.
Rating: 4
Summary: A great little book
Comment: I had the pleasure of playing Morris Townsend in The Heiress, the play version of James' Washington Square at my local theatre. In preparation for the role I read the novel and was delighted. Unlike the play, which tries to make up the viewers mind about who is good and who is bad, James' original novel is all about gray area; one never really knows who is the antagonists are. Catherine, no doubt, is the protagonist, but its hard to gauge who the real villian is, Morris or Catherine's father. Either way, it doesn't matter as Catherine ultimately makes her own decision, which is what the book is really about: taking control of one's life. Like any James work, Washington Square is a thought-provoking read. Enjoy!
Rating: 4
Summary: Father / daughter relationship...........
Comment: Washington Square is the story of a daughter's relationship with her father, a widowed physician. Dr. Sloper sees his daughter as plain and not very intelligent, and when a young man shows an interest in Dr. Sloper's daughter, Catherine, Dr. Sloper decides that the young man is merely attempting to access Catherine's fortune and he decides to put an end to it. Catherine Sloper never seems to quite make a stand for herself and her future unfolds in ways that none of them foresee.
Henry James tells a blunt straight-forward tale of a family choose to approach any problems or differences with an almost clinical detachment from deep emotion. Henry James is an eloquent author with a minimalist manner of expression.
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Title: Daisy Miller (Penguin Classics) by Henry James, Geoffrey Moore ISBN: 0140432620 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: March, 1988 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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Title: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, Anna Quindlen ISBN: 0451527569 Publisher: New American Library Pub. Date: February, 2000 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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Title: The Portrait of a Lady (Penguin Classics) by Henry James, Geoffrey Moore ISBN: 014043223X Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: December, 1988 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: The Ambassadors (Penguin Classics) by Henry James, Harry Levin ISBN: 0140432337 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: March, 1987 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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Title: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Louis Auchincloss ISBN: 0375753206 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 02 March, 1999 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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