The Wings of the Dove

Rating:
Summary: Worth it if you work for it
Review: You really have to work for what you get out of this book. The thick prose is difficult, and the long, rambling sentences and page-and-a-half paragraphs require the whole of the reader's attention. This is certainly not a book that I would be able to read on a trip, in a public place, or when I'm tired. That having been said, this is a great piece of literature that demonstrates an interesting contrast in European and American society. The story revolves around a conspiracy by two individuals, Kate Croy and Merton Densher (both Londoners), against a young, rich American girl named Milly. The ultimate goal of these two is to get the dying Milly's vast fortune for themselves when she dies. Densher, who is not a wealthy man, would by gaining Milly's fortune to gain enough social standing to gain the consent of Kate's rich aunt Maud for Kate's hand in marriage.

The motives of the pair are not completely selfish. Milly is dying, it is true, but as long as she enjoys life she does well, and the doctor pronounces that the more joy she can have, the better. Kate is a good friend of Milly's, and knows (or at least thinks) that her last days will be happy with even the artificial love of Densher.

The contrast between American and European society comes in the question of social standing. As Maud puts it, and as everyone understands it, Densher is not 'good enough' for Kate. Milly, though many times more wealthy, has no such scruples, and the common Densher is plenty good for her, even though she's also being pursued by a nobleman named Lord Mark. Milly sees Densher's personality as the core of her fondness for him, and cares nothing for his social standing. Maud, though she really likes Densher, will not consent to Kate's marriage to him for the simple fact that he is, essentially, nobody.

The ultimate distinction between Europe and America is the fact that the Europeans, especially Aunt Maud, will do nothing for anybody unless it will somehow benefit themselves. Maud is a grand hostess, and a generous woman, but only when it works to her advantage. The climax of the novel is when Milly proves herself the stronger in character, by committing an act so charitable, though she knows of the plot against her, that only Densher can truly understand it, and Kate is left at a loss. Densher and Kate have a chance to redeem themselves, and the truly climactic finish of the novel is an interesting look at how the Londoners (Kate and Densher), so different in social standing, deal with this chance.

Overall this is a very good book. I would not call it an enjoyable read, because of the complex and often confusing prose, but it nevertheless is worth reading, both for the message it conveys and for the fascinating and multifaceted characters.

Rating:
Summary: Henry James=Dominick Dunne
Review: []If Henry James were alive today, he would be Dominick Dunne writing for "Vanity Fair." Born in 1843 to a distinguished American family, the son of a famous theologian and philosopher, James was the first documented Anglophile. Long before the rest of us were obsessed with the House of Windsor, James was educated at Harvard and eventually became a British subject in to show his support for the Empire in World War I. []A classic Jamesian theme juxtaposes us American pagans, aflame with life but darned uncivilized, against a bunch of Over-the-Ponder's who may have a corner on cultured tradition but have less emotional insight into their own identities than some unmentionable British pudding. James' morality play examines the lives of Kate Croy and Merton Densher, who have a passionate affair. The only problem is that Densher has no money but, what a coincidence, the American heiress Milly Theale has a fatal illness. Think Lily Tomlin in "All of Me." []If innocence traveled abroad becomes not just experienced but also introspective and guilt-ridden, that's pretty much the dramatic conflict of "The Wings of the Dove." It doesn't hurt that Helena Bonham-Carter is a British babe in the movie version. James' model of betrayal and true love is still meaningful almost a century after the master's death.