Dec 22, 2009

The Middle Years | The Middle Years

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]

The Middle Years | The Middle Years

At a glance:

The Story

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