The Bostonians (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Henry James
- First Published: 1885
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: Early 1870’s
- Setting: Massachusetts and New York City
- Principal Characters: Olive Chancellor, Mrs. Adeline Luna, Basil Ransom, Verena Tarrant, “Doctor” Selah Tarrant, Mrs. Tarrant, Miss Birdseye, Dr. Prance, Mrs. Farrinder, Mrs. Burrage, Henry Burrage
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Nineteenth century, New York City, Social issues, New England, Reformers, Women’s rights, Hypnotism
- Locales: New York, NY, Boston, MA
The Story:
Olive Chancellor, a Boston activist in the women’s movement, was entertaining her cousin Basil Ransom, a Mississippian who lived in New York City. She invited him to join her at a gathering at the home of Mrs. Birdseye, a leader in the movement. Though he disagreed with the ideals of the feminists, Ransom accepted, partly out of curiosity and partly to meet Mrs. Farrinder, a national spokesperson for women’s rights. At Mrs. Birdseye’s, Ransom expressed his views on the movement to Dr. Prance, a woman who had become successful in a traditionally male profession....
[The entire page is 2617 words long]
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