The Bostonians by Henry James
"The Bostonians" is a novel by Henry James that intricately explores themes of feminism, power dynamics, and personal relationships in late 19th-century America. The narrative centers on Olive Chancellor, a passionate activist in the women's movement, who becomes embroiled in a complex relationship with her cousin, Basil Ransom, a man who opposes the feminist ideals she champions. The story unfolds as Olive attempts to recruit the young and charismatic Verena Tarrant into her cause, envisioning her as a future leader in the fight for women's rights.
As Olive mentors Verena, tensions rise between her and Ransom, who is captivated by Verena's charm and beauty but also seeks to sway her away from activism toward a traditional marriage. The plot thickens as multiple characters, including Verena's family and other social figures, become involved, each with their own motives regarding Verena's future. Throughout the novel, readers witness the struggle between personal desires and societal expectations, culminating in a pivotal moment where Verena must choose between her commitment to activism and her attraction to Ransom. Ultimately, the novel presents a nuanced examination of the conflicting roles of women in society and the varying interpretations of women's liberation during this transformative period.
The Bostonians by Henry James
First published: serial, 1885-1886; book, 1886
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Psychological realism
Time of plot: Early 1870’s
Locale: Massachusetts and New York City
Principal characters
Olive Chancellor , a woman of modest meansMrs. Adeline Luna , her sisterBasil Ransom , her cousin from MississippiVerena Tarrant , Olive’s protégé and a platform prodigy“Doctor” Selah Tarrant , Verena’s father and a mesmeric healerMrs. Tarrant , the daughter of Boston abolitionists and Verena’s motherMiss Birdseye , a veteran of New England reform movementsDr. Prance , a woman doctor attending Miss BirdseyeMrs. Farrinder , a campaigner for women’s rightsMrs. Burrage , a New York society hostHenry Burrage , her son, a Harvard undergraduate who courts Verena
The Story
Olive Chancellor, a Boston activist in the women’s movement, is entertaining her cousin Basil Ransom, a Mississippian who lives in New York City. She invites him to join her at a gathering at the home of Miss Birdseye, a leader in the movement. Though he disagrees with the ideals of the feminists, Ransom accepts, partly out of curiosity and partly to meet Mrs. Farrinder, a national spokesperson for women’s rights. At Miss Birdseye’s, Ransom expresses his views on the movement to Dr. Prance, a woman who is successful in a traditionally male profession. Olive, becoming aware that Ransom opposes all she stands for, develops a strong animosity toward her cousin.
In attendance also at Miss Birdseye’s are the Tarrants, a family supported by the father’s lectures on mesmerism; the Tarrants claim that their daughter Verena has a special gift for oratory, and they persuade Miss Birdseye to let her speak to the group about the women’s movement. Everyone is captivated by Verena’s performance. Olive immediately recognizes that the young woman has a future as a public figure promoting women’s rights. Ransom is smitten with Verena’s beauty and charm. Both speak briefly to Verena after her performance.
Ransom is forced to return immediately to New York, but Olive goes to the Tarrants’ home in Cambridge on the following day to try to persuade Verena to become active in the women’s movement in Boston. The Tarrants are anxious to comply, Mr. Tarrant seeing this as a way to make money and Mrs. Tarrant believing that it would provide an opportunity for her daughter to move into high society. Although Verena is being wooed by several young men, including the Harvard student Henry Burrage and the journalist Matthias Pardon, she agrees to collaborate with Olive. Over time, the two became inseparable and Olive eventually enters into a financial arrangement with the Tarrants to permit Verena to live at the Chancellor home. There, Olive educates her protégé in feminist doctrine. Olive is insistent that Verena abandon all thoughts of marriage and devote her energies to the cause. After years of dominating women, she declares that “men must take their turn” as objects of domination and that “they must pay!”
During this time, Ransom is struggling to practice law in New York. He spends his spare time writing Carlylean tracts against modern times, but no one will publish them. He manages to make ends meet by working for Mrs. Luna, Olive’s sister, who makes amorous advances that he consistently rejects. She is the first to recognize that Ransom is in love with Verena, whom she considers a sham.
Ransom decides to go back to Boston to woo Verena. Outside Olive’s house, Ransom meets Miss Birdseye, who is under the impression that he supports the women’s movement and therefore tells him that Verena is now staying with her parents in Cambridge. Ransom goes to see her, and though she rejects his advances, Verena nevertheless takes him on a tour of Harvard and agrees to keep the meeting secret from Olive.
Sometime later, after Ransom returns to New York, he receives an invitation to attend a meeting at the home of Mrs. Burrage, a socialite, who is sponsoring a public appearance by Verena. Basil attends, knowing that Verena arranged for the invitation. Before Verena’s speech, he has an ugly encounter with Mrs. Luna, who accuses him of impropriety in his relationship with Verena. While she is in New York, Verena agrees to see Ransom socially. When he tries to persuade her to give up her work in the movement and marry him, Verena balks. She received an invitation to stay on in New York with the Burrage family, whose son, Henry, courted her in Cambridge and wants to marry her. Knowing that Olive has a special influence over Verena, Mrs. Burrage tries to convince her that such an arrangement would be good for women’s rights, but Olive is not persuaded. When Verena insists that she cannot stay in New York, Olive takes her back to Boston.
Months later, Ransom travels to New England again, this time to Cape Cod, where Olive and Verena are staying together with Miss Birdseye and Dr. Prance. Olive is preparing Verena for a triumphant public engagement at Boston’s Music Hall. Ransom once again ingratiates himself with Miss Birdseye and Dr. Prance, but though he stays with them for a month, he makes no headway against his cousin’s dislike or in convincing Verena to marry him. Everyone is greatly saddened when Miss Birdseye, who was ailing, dies.
The party returns to Boston, where Miss Birdseye is buried. Little time is spent on mourning, however, as Verena’s big night at the Music Hall approaches. Ransom is kept away from her. Olive even sends Verena into hiding so that he will not be able to divert her attention from her mission, and when he attempts to see her backstage at the Music Hall before her performance, he finds a policeman barring his way. He is finally able to see Verena in her dressing room, where he confronts Olive, Verena’s parents, and Matthias Pardon and accuses them of expecting to profit in some way from Verena’s newfound notoriety. Verena hesitates to go before the crowd in the Music Hall, and Basil senses that she is finally coming around to his way of thinking. He makes a final impassioned plea to her to abandon this scheme devised by others to use her talents for their ends. Finally persuaded, Verena refuses to go on stage and leaves with Ransom to start a new life outside the spotlight and away from political wrangling.
Bibliography
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