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Christopher Newman, a self-made American millionaire who made his fortune in washtubs and leather, arrives in Paris in 1868 determined to find the best wife…
Christopher Newman, a self-made American millionaire who made his fortune in washtubs and leather, arrives in Paris in 1868 determined to find the best wife money can buy. He falls in love with Claire de Cintré, a beautiful young widow from an ancient aristocratic family, the Bellegardes. Her proud mother and elder brother accept his money and pretend to accept him, but they find an American businessman impossible to bear, and Newman discovers that the family hides a dark secret.
Context and significance
Published in 1877, this early novel shows Henry James's lifelong theme, the meeting of open, innocent Americans with old, complicated Europe, in its boldest form, and Newman's honesty against the cold pride of the French nobility gives the story its power. Read also Daisy Miller, and see his life.
About the author
Henry James (1843–1916) was born in New York, the brother of the philosopher William James, and was educated in Europe and America. In 1876 he settled in London, and later in the small town of Rye, and spent his life writing about Americans in Europe and the clash of innocence and experience.
In some twenty novels and more than a hundred stories, including The Portrait of a Lady and The Turn of the Screw, he developed a subtle, psychological style that influenced modern fiction. He became a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death.