Henry James' "The Real Thing"

Paper Summary:

This paper evaluates James' short story "The Real Thing" and cites arguments by several critics on Henry James' theme of verisimilitude vs. reality in art.

From the Paper:

"In a 1915 letter to H. G. Wells, Henry James stated, "It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance, for our consideration and application of these things, and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process." James' statement illustrates one side of the artistic question that was prevalent among intellectuals, writers, and artists in James' era: does art imitate life or does life imitate art? In evaluating art and literature, what is more important, verisimilitude or reality? His contemporary John Ruskin states, "That "great art" is art which represents what is beautiful and good, may not seem a very profound discovery; and the main question may be thought to have all the time lost sight of, namely, "What is beautiful and what is good?"" (Ruskin 345). These questions form the basis of the theme in James' short story "The Real Thing." James' thesis is the subtle and often deceiving difference between what is genuine and what is dissimulated or disguised in art and literature. The author's theory is illustrated in his characters the Monarchs, Oronte, Miss Churm, and the narrator. Through the use of these characters, James shows that the real thing in real life may not be the most beautiful and convincing element in art or literature."

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