The Middle Years (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Henry James
- First Published: 1893
- Type of Plot: Fable
- Time of Work: The late nineteenth century
- Setting: Bournemouth, England
- Principal Characters: Dencombe, Doctor Hugh, The countess, Miss Vernham
- Genres: Fable, Short fiction
- Subjects: Authors or writers, Nineteenth century, Art or artists, Doctors, Novelists, England or English people, Death or dying
- Locales: Bournemouth, England
The Story
A middle-aged writer, Dencombe, is ill and feels his strength ebbing irrevocably. He has just had a novel published, The Middle Years, and is reading it on a cliffside bench in the sea resort of Bournemouth, on the English Channel coast. As he meditates on his waning energy, he is distracted by three people who are walking slowly along the beach. He imagines that the young man is the son of the large, opulent matron, and that the humble young woman, possibly a clergyman's or officer's daughter, is secretly in love with the man. The object of her affection...
[The entire page is 1373 words long]
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