The Bostonians
Bostonians, The,a novel by H. James , published 1886 .
Basil Ransom, a young lawyer fresh from Mississippi and the humiliations of the Civil War, has come north in search of a career. In Boston he calls on his cousin Olive Chancellor and her widowed sister, the girlishly arch Mrs Luna. Olive, a wealthy chill feminist, introduces him to a reformist group (acidly portrayed by James ) at the house of the selfless and well-meaning Miss Birdseye. Selah Tarrant, a charlatan faith-healer and showman, is presenting his young daughter Verena. She is an ‘inspirational’ speaker, and while Basil Ransom is attracted by her prettiness Olive is intensely moved by the girl's performance, and sees her as a valuable instrument for the cause. She removes Verena from her unacceptable parents and sets about her education. Out for revenge rather than equality, she attempts to instil in the girl her own distrust and loathing for men. Ransom,...
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