Roderick Hudson (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Henry James
- First Published: 1876
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: 1870’s
- Setting: Chiefly Rome, also Florence and Switzerland
- Principal Characters: Roderick Hudson, Rowland Mallet, Mrs. Light, Christina Light, The Cavaliere Giacosa, Prince Casamassima, Sam Singleton, Hudson, Mary Garland
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: Gambling, Nineteenth century, Art or artists, Marriage, Beauty, Obsession, Ethics, Italy or Italians, Sculpting or sculptors, Switzerland or Swiss people, Rome, Debtors or creditors
- Locales: Florence, Italy, Rome, Italy, Switzerland, Northampton, MA
The Story:
Rowland Mallet, expecting to sail for Europe in September, visited his cousin Cecilia in Northampton, Massachusetts. He was an idle bachelor, having inherited money, and he felt that he was leading a useless life. Having a passion for art, he was interested to learn of a young sculptor who lived in the town. On meeting the intense, impetuous Roderick Hudson and seeing proof of his talent, he offered to subsidize the young artist for a period of study in Rome. Rowland gained the assent of Hudson’s widowed mother. At a farewell picnic, Rowland had a last talk with...
[The entire page is 2449 words long]
