Madame de Mauves
Encyclopedia
Madame de Mauves is a novella
by Henry James
, originally published in The Galaxy magazine in 1874. The story centers on the troubled marriage of a scrupulous American
wife and a far from scrupulous French
husband, and is told mostly from the point of view of a male friend of the wife. The tale reflects the intense interest James took in the "international theme," especially early in his career. One of the longest fiction
s he had yet attempted, the smoothly narrated
story shows that James was rapidly maturing in style and technique.
a wealthy American man named Longmore is introduced to his countrywoman Euphemia de Mauves. She is the sweet but austere wife of Comte Richard de Mauves, a cynical, womanizing Frenchman who hints that Longmore should take an amorous interest in his wife. Longmore resists the suggestion, even though he spots Richard with his latest mistress in a Paris cafe.
Longmore still can't bring himself to become involved in an affair with Euphemia. He goes on a trip in the French countryside, where the sight of an artist
and his girlfriend on a holiday, as well as a disturbing dream about Euphemia, makes him wonder if his scruples aren't foolish. Longmore finally leaves for America. Two years later he hears that Richard has committed suicide
because Euphemia wouldn't forgive his adulteries
and reconcile with him, though Richard promised to be faithful to her in the future. Although Euphemia is now free, Longmore is undecided about returning to Europe to pursue her.
American woman and an easy-living, pagan
Frenchman leads to despair and suicide. Whether an affair between Longmore and Euphemia (suggested by the amoral Richard and his equally cynical sister Madame de Clairin) would have made any difference is doubtful, but things couldn't have turned out much worse under any circumstances.
Longmore is somewhat typical of James' male protagonists, hesitant about taking action and entering fully into life. Even at the end of the story he can't decide whether to return to Euphemia. This paralysis of the will
affects many of James' central characters, but Longmore is extreme even by Jamesian standards in his uncertainty and indecision.
The final lesson seems to be that American idealism and European sophistication can make for a dangerous, even lethal mixture. James would write many more fictions about the clash of America and Europe, leading to the ultimate synthesis in The Golden Bowl
. In that much later novel, a marriage similar to the one in Madame de Mauves is saved by the kind of careful diplomacy that neither spouse in the earlier story is capable of.
in the first place.
Although the believability of the story's conclusion is somewhat in doubt, many critics agree that James narrates the tale in a more assured and masterful manner than he had demonstrated in any of his previous fictions. James' decade-long apprenticeship in short narrative was starting to pay off, and he would soon begin his productive career in the full-length novel
.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
, originally published in The Galaxy magazine in 1874. The story centers on the troubled marriage of a scrupulous American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
wife and a far from scrupulous French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
husband, and is told mostly from the point of view of a male friend of the wife. The tale reflects the intense interest James took in the "international theme," especially early in his career. One of the longest fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
s he had yet attempted, the smoothly narrated
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
story shows that James was rapidly maturing in style and technique.
Plot summary
Outside ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
a wealthy American man named Longmore is introduced to his countrywoman Euphemia de Mauves. She is the sweet but austere wife of Comte Richard de Mauves, a cynical, womanizing Frenchman who hints that Longmore should take an amorous interest in his wife. Longmore resists the suggestion, even though he spots Richard with his latest mistress in a Paris cafe.
Longmore still can't bring himself to become involved in an affair with Euphemia. He goes on a trip in the French countryside, where the sight of an artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and his girlfriend on a holiday, as well as a disturbing dream about Euphemia, makes him wonder if his scruples aren't foolish. Longmore finally leaves for America. Two years later he hears that Richard has committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
because Euphemia wouldn't forgive his adulteries
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
and reconcile with him, though Richard promised to be faithful to her in the future. Although Euphemia is now free, Longmore is undecided about returning to Europe to pursue her.
Themes
In this story James' international theme takes a tragic and even perverse turn, as the marriage of a somewhat puritanicalPuritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
American woman and an easy-living, pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
Frenchman leads to despair and suicide. Whether an affair between Longmore and Euphemia (suggested by the amoral Richard and his equally cynical sister Madame de Clairin) would have made any difference is doubtful, but things couldn't have turned out much worse under any circumstances.
Longmore is somewhat typical of James' male protagonists, hesitant about taking action and entering fully into life. Even at the end of the story he can't decide whether to return to Euphemia. This paralysis of the will
Will (philosophy)
Will, in philosophical discussions, consonant with a common English usage, refers to a property of the mind, and an attribute of acts intentionally performed. Actions made according to a person's will are called "willing" or "voluntary" and sometimes pejoratively "willful"...
affects many of James' central characters, but Longmore is extreme even by Jamesian standards in his uncertainty and indecision.
The final lesson seems to be that American idealism and European sophistication can make for a dangerous, even lethal mixture. James would write many more fictions about the clash of America and Europe, leading to the ultimate synthesis in The Golden Bowl
The Golden Bowl
The Golden Bowl is a 1904 novel by Henry James. Set in England, this complex, intense study of marriage and adultery completes what some critics have called the "major phase" of James' career...
. In that much later novel, a marriage similar to the one in Madame de Mauves is saved by the kind of careful diplomacy that neither spouse in the earlier story is capable of.
Critical evaluation
Much critical dispute has arisen over Richard's suicide after Euphemia's refusal to reconcile with him. Some commentators find it frankly incredible that his wife's rebuff would drive Richard to self-destruction. Others maintain that such a man could easily sicken of life and decide to end it all, but have doubted that he could ever have repented and asked Euphemia's forgivenessForgiveness
Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all...
in the first place.
Although the believability of the story's conclusion is somewhat in doubt, many critics agree that James narrates the tale in a more assured and masterful manner than he had demonstrated in any of his previous fictions. James' decade-long apprenticeship in short narrative was starting to pay off, and he would soon begin his productive career in the full-length novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
.
External links
- Original magazine publication of Madame de Mauves (1874)
- New York Edition text of Madame de Mauves (1908)
- Author's preface to the New York Edition text of Madame de Mauves (1908)
- Note on the texts of Madame de Mauves at the Library of AmericaLibrary of AmericaThe Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature.- Overview and history :Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LoA has published over 200 volumes by a wide range of authors from Mark Twain to Philip...
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