But instead, he moves his readers to sympathise with Catherine’s plight, to admire her loyalty and devotion, her sincerity and innate honesty. He took a big risk! He could have made Catherine Sloper as uninteresting to the reader as she clearly is to her father. But Henry James created a heroine who is not only plain, but also far from bright, socially gauche and awkward. Jane Eyre had been clever, able to match Mr Rochester’s wit with her own sharp intelligence. This was not what novels were supposed to be about! Who wanted to read about an unattractive female? After all, wasn’t it the first duty of a woman to be decorative?īut Henry James took the idea of a plain heroine one step further. When in 1847 Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre was published, with its plain heroine, many readers felt terribly cheated.

Golden or raven tresses, sparkling eyes, an elegant figure and a pleasing countenance – these were what any heroine ought to have if she were to interest a reader. Readers of novels in the 19th century expected heroines to be beautiful.

‘The Story of an African Farm’ – Olive Schreiner.

‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ – Muriel Spark.

‘The Leopard’ – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

‘The Doll’s House’ – Katherine Mansfield.

‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ – Alexandre Dumas.

‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ – Thomas Hardy.‘Seven Little Australians’ – Ethel Turner.‘Little Red Riding Hood’ – The Brothers Grimm.‘Gone with the Wind’ – Margaret Mitchell.Terms of Service, Privacy Policy & Refund Policy.

Washington square de henry james