Washington Square

novel by James

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Article History

Washington Square, short novel by Henry James, published in 1880 and praised for its depiction of the complicated relationship between a stubborn father and his daughter.

The novel’s main character, Catherine Sloper, lives with her widowed aunt and her physician father in New York City’s fashionable Washington Square district. A plain, rather stolid young woman, Catherine is a disappointment to her father. She is courted by Morris Townsend, who is interested only in her potential inheritance. When her father threatens to disinherit her if she marries the fortune hunter, Townsend abandons her. Many years later, after her father’s death, Townsend reappears and attempts to renew his suit.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.