Classics · MelancholicKate and Merton are engaged but poor, and Milly Theale, a rich American heiress, arrives in London
The Wings of the Dove
by Henry James
An engaged couple without money meets a wealthy American heiress in London
Kate Croy is a young Londoner who lives with her domineering aunt, Maud Lowder. She and her fiancé Merton Densher have little money, so they cannot marry. Milly Theale, a wealthy American heiress, arrives in London with her travelling companion Susan Stringham, and Kate and Maud welcome her. Milly enjoys great social success, and an eminent physician, Sir Luke Strett, also appears. Later scenes are set in Venice. Archibald Constable in London and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York published it in 1902.
More about this book
Who
Milly Theale, Kate Croy, Merton Densher, Maud Lowder, Susan Stringham and Sir Luke Strett.
World
London, with later scenes in Venice.
What makes it different
Scribner's issued it in two volumes, while Constable's edition runs to 576 pages.
Feel
Slow and psychologically detailed.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- The Wings of the DoveWikipedia