The Golden Bowl
Encyclopedia
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. The Golden Bowl explores the tangle of interrelationships between a father and daughter and their respective spouses.
The novel focuses deeply and almost exclusively on the consciousness
of the central characters, with sometimes obsessive detail but also with powerful insight. The title is a quotation from Ecclesiastes
12:6, "…or the golden bowl be broken, …then shall the dust return to the earth as it was".
nobleman, is in London
for his marriage to Maggie Verver, only child of the fabulously wealthy American
financier and art collector, Adam Verver. While there, he re-encounters the American Charlotte Stant, a former mistress of his from his days in Rome, in Mrs. Assingham's drawing room; Maggie and Charlotte have been dear friends since childhood, although Maggie doesn't know of Charlotte and Amerigo's past relationship. Charlotte and Amerigo go shopping for a wedding present for Maggie. They find a curiosity shop where the shopkeeper offers them an antique gilded crystal bowl. But the Prince declines to purchase the bowl because he suspects it contains a hidden flaw.
After Maggie's marriage she is afraid that her father has become lonely. She persuades him to propose to Charlotte, unaware of the past relationship between Charlotte and Amerigo. Adam's proposal is accepted, and soon after the wedding, Charlotte and the Prince find themselves thrown together because their respective spouses seem more interested in their father-daughter relationship than in their marriages. The Prince and Charlotte finally consummate an adulterous affair.
Maggie eventually begins to suspect Amerigo and Charlotte. This suspicion is intensified when she accidentally meets the shopkeeper and buys the golden bowl. Uncomfortable with the high price she paid for the bowl, the shopkeeper visits Maggie and confesses to overcharging her. At Maggie's home he sees photographs of Amerigo and Charlotte. He tells Maggie of the pair's shopping trip on the eve of her marriage and their intimate conversation in his shop. (They had spoken Italian, but he happens to understand the language.)
Maggie now confronts Amerigo, and then begins a secret campaign to separate the Prince and Charlotte while never letting her father know of their affair. She lies to Charlotte about not having anything to accuse her of, and she gradually persuades her father to return to America with his wife. Amerigo appears impressed by Maggie's delicate diplomacy, after he had previously regarded her as rather naive and immature. The novel ends with Mr. and Mrs. Verver about to depart for America, while Amerigo says he can see nothing but Maggie and embraces her.
. Maggie gradually sheds her childish naivete and grows into a capable woman who saves her marriage with dexterous handling of a potentially explosive situation. She realizes that she can't remain forever dependent on her father but must accept adult responsibilities in her marriage.
The Prince is portrayed as a thoroughgoing snob and far from overly scrupulous. But he comes to respect Maggie as she works cleverly and effectively to save their marriage. He had previously regarded Maggie and Adam as little more than "good children, bless their hearts, and the children of good children."
While it's never certain exactly how much Adam knows of the situation, he finally appears wise and understanding of his daughter's plan for the two couples to separate. Charlotte is a dazzlingly beautiful woman, but she may be a little "stupid" as the Prince pronounces in a harsh final judgment. She ultimately appears more bewildered than self-possessed.
gives the novel both its tremendous power and its peculiar feeling of claustrophobia. While the book delves deeply and often brilliantly into the consciousness of Amerigo and Maggie, readers may sometimes feel that the novel loses its way in a maze of over-analysis.
There's always been a fairly strong negative case against this novel, beginning as far back as Rebecca West's
assertion that "winter had fallen on [James'] genius in The Golden Bowl." The naysayers have criticized the heavy symbolism of the golden bowl, which is eventually broken in a scene that may not quite come off effectively. They've also disliked the space given to Fanny and Bob Assingham, a couple acquainted with the four central characters and given to much discussion of them. (The pun is probably intended, though nobody can be sure.) Finally, the general closed-in feeling of the novel has been decried as suffocating and unrealistic, and the book's style has been considered too ornate and figurative.
The favorable case asserts that the novel is a superb dramatization of the stresses inherent in any marriage and the sometimes circuitous methods required to overcome them. James' presentation of Maggie's subdued but desperate struggle is much admired for its insight and precision. The dialogue is often brilliant in its delicate indirection, and many scenes are realized with the full impact of James' most mature technique.
In 1998, the Modern Library
ranked The Golden Bowl 32nd on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
, Gayle Hunnicutt
as Charlotte, Barry Morse
as Adam Verver, Jill Townsend
as Maggie, Daniel Massey
as the Prince, and Cyril Cusack
as Bob Assingham, ingeniously presented as the narrator, commenting on the development of the story very much in the style of Henry James himself. More faithful to the book than the later Merchant-Ivory film, in the U.S., this version was presented on Masterpiece Theatre
.
The Golden Bowl
was filmed by Merchant Ivory Productions
in 2000, directed by James Ivory
, starring Uma Thurman
, Nick Nolte
, Kate Beckinsale
and Jeremy Northam
. In some ways Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
's adaptation differs from James's novel. In the book Charlotte is a calculatingly amoral character who terrifies her potential enemies with a glance and a smile. In the movie, Charlotte is shown as more shallow and frivolous.
A central point of the novel is James's comparison of the adultery of Amerigo and Charlotte vs. the self-absorption of Maggie and Adam. Marrying Charlotte to Adam is at first Maggie's response to her leaving her widowed father alone, and then Charlotte and Amerigo's adultery is enabled by Maggie and Adam's relationship. The film treats this aspect of the novel rather superficially.
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....
. Set in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, this complex, intense study of marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
and adultery
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...
completes what some critics have called the "major phase" of James' career. The Golden Bowl explores the tangle of interrelationships between a father and daughter and their respective spouses.
The novel focuses deeply and almost exclusively on the consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
of the central characters, with sometimes obsessive detail but also with powerful insight. The title is a quotation from Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes
The Book of Ecclesiastes, called , is a book of the Hebrew Bible. The English name derives from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title.The main speaker in the book, identified by the name or title Qoheleth , introduces himself as "son of David, king in Jerusalem." The work consists of personal...
12:6, "…or the golden bowl be broken, …then shall the dust return to the earth as it was".
Plot summary
Prince Amerigo, an impoverished but charismatic ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
nobleman, is in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for his marriage to Maggie Verver, only child of the fabulously wealthy American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
financier and art collector, Adam Verver. While there, he re-encounters the American Charlotte Stant, a former mistress of his from his days in Rome, in Mrs. Assingham's drawing room; Maggie and Charlotte have been dear friends since childhood, although Maggie doesn't know of Charlotte and Amerigo's past relationship. Charlotte and Amerigo go shopping for a wedding present for Maggie. They find a curiosity shop where the shopkeeper offers them an antique gilded crystal bowl. But the Prince declines to purchase the bowl because he suspects it contains a hidden flaw.
After Maggie's marriage she is afraid that her father has become lonely. She persuades him to propose to Charlotte, unaware of the past relationship between Charlotte and Amerigo. Adam's proposal is accepted, and soon after the wedding, Charlotte and the Prince find themselves thrown together because their respective spouses seem more interested in their father-daughter relationship than in their marriages. The Prince and Charlotte finally consummate an adulterous affair.
Maggie eventually begins to suspect Amerigo and Charlotte. This suspicion is intensified when she accidentally meets the shopkeeper and buys the golden bowl. Uncomfortable with the high price she paid for the bowl, the shopkeeper visits Maggie and confesses to overcharging her. At Maggie's home he sees photographs of Amerigo and Charlotte. He tells Maggie of the pair's shopping trip on the eve of her marriage and their intimate conversation in his shop. (They had spoken Italian, but he happens to understand the language.)
Maggie now confronts Amerigo, and then begins a secret campaign to separate the Prince and Charlotte while never letting her father know of their affair. She lies to Charlotte about not having anything to accuse her of, and she gradually persuades her father to return to America with his wife. Amerigo appears impressed by Maggie's delicate diplomacy, after he had previously regarded her as rather naive and immature. The novel ends with Mr. and Mrs. Verver about to depart for America, while Amerigo says he can see nothing but Maggie and embraces her.
Major themes
In the broadest sense of the term, The Golden Bowl is a novel of educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. Maggie gradually sheds her childish naivete and grows into a capable woman who saves her marriage with dexterous handling of a potentially explosive situation. She realizes that she can't remain forever dependent on her father but must accept adult responsibilities in her marriage.
The Prince is portrayed as a thoroughgoing snob and far from overly scrupulous. But he comes to respect Maggie as she works cleverly and effectively to save their marriage. He had previously regarded Maggie and Adam as little more than "good children, bless their hearts, and the children of good children."
While it's never certain exactly how much Adam knows of the situation, he finally appears wise and understanding of his daughter's plan for the two couples to separate. Charlotte is a dazzlingly beautiful woman, but she may be a little "stupid" as the Prince pronounces in a harsh final judgment. She ultimately appears more bewildered than self-possessed.
Literary significance & criticism
The Golden Bowl's intense focus on these four charactersFictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
gives the novel both its tremendous power and its peculiar feeling of claustrophobia. While the book delves deeply and often brilliantly into the consciousness of Amerigo and Maggie, readers may sometimes feel that the novel loses its way in a maze of over-analysis.
There's always been a fairly strong negative case against this novel, beginning as far back as Rebecca West's
Rebecca West
Cicely Isabel Fairfield , known by her pen name Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, DBE was an English author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. A prolific, protean author who wrote in many genres, West was committed to feminist and liberal principles and was one of the foremost public...
assertion that "winter had fallen on [James'] genius in The Golden Bowl." The naysayers have criticized the heavy symbolism of the golden bowl, which is eventually broken in a scene that may not quite come off effectively. They've also disliked the space given to Fanny and Bob Assingham, a couple acquainted with the four central characters and given to much discussion of them. (The pun is probably intended, though nobody can be sure.) Finally, the general closed-in feeling of the novel has been decried as suffocating and unrealistic, and the book's style has been considered too ornate and figurative.
The favorable case asserts that the novel is a superb dramatization of the stresses inherent in any marriage and the sometimes circuitous methods required to overcome them. James' presentation of Maggie's subdued but desperate struggle is much admired for its insight and precision. The dialogue is often brilliant in its delicate indirection, and many scenes are realized with the full impact of James' most mature technique.
In 1998, the Modern Library
Modern Library
The Modern Library is a publishing company. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, it was purchased in 1925 by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer...
ranked The Golden Bowl 32nd on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
In 1972 the BBC produced a six-hour televised version that was highly praised, with a screenplay by Jack PulmanJack Pulman
Jack Pulman was an award-winning British television screenwriter, most famous for the critically acclaimed 1976 BBC television series, I, Claudius, based on the novel of the same name by Robert Graves....
, Gayle Hunnicutt
Gayle Hunnicutt
Gayle, Lady Jenkins , known by her birth name Gayle Hunnicutt, is an American actress.-Personal life:Hunnicutt was born in Fort Worth, Texas, the daughter of Colonel Sam Lloyd Hunnicutt and Virginia Hunnicutt, and attended the University of California, Los Angeles. She worked as a fashion model...
as Charlotte, Barry Morse
Barry Morse
Herbert "Barry" Morse was an Anglo-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio best known for his roles in the ABC television series The Fugitive and the British sci-fi drama Space: 1999...
as Adam Verver, Jill Townsend
Jill Townsend
Jill Townsend, born 25 January 1945 in Santa Monica, California, United States, is an actress best known for her roles as Elizabeth Warleggan in Poldark and Dulcey Coopersmith in the 1967 western television series Cimarron Strip...
as Maggie, Daniel Massey
Daniel Massey (actor)
Daniel Raymond Massey was an English actor and performer. He is possibly best known for his starring role in the British TV drama The Roads to Freedom, as Daniel, alongside Michael Bryant...
as the Prince, and Cyril Cusack
Cyril Cusack
Cyril James Cusack was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films.-Early life:Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa, the son of Alice Violet , an actress, and James Walter Cusack, a sergeant in the Natal mounted police. His parents separated when he was young and his mother took...
as Bob Assingham, ingeniously presented as the narrator, commenting on the development of the story very much in the style of Henry James himself. More faithful to the book than the later Merchant-Ivory film, in the U.S., this version was presented on Masterpiece Theatre
Masterpiece Theatre
Masterpiece is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service on January 10, 1971, making it America's longest-running weekly prime time drama series. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions...
.
The Golden Bowl
The Golden Bowl (film)
The Golden Bowl is a 2000 American/British/French drama film directed by James Ivory. The screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is based on the 1904 novel of the same title by Henry James, who considered the work his masterpiece.-Plot:...
was filmed by Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Their films were for the most part produced by the former, directed by the latter, and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, with the noted exception of a few films. The films were often...
in 2000, directed by James Ivory
James Ivory (director)
James Francis Ivory is an American film director, best known for the results of his long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, which included both Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...
, starring Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
, Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
, Kate Beckinsale
Kate Beckinsale
Kathryn Bailey "Kate" Beckinsale is an English actress. After some minor television roles, she made her film debut in Much Ado About Nothing while still a student at Oxford University...
and Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Philip Northam is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Ivor Novello in the 2001 film Gosford Park, as Dean Martin in the 2002 television movie Martin and Lewis, and as Thomas More on the Showtime series The Tudors...
. In some ways Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, CBE is a Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer, and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant...
's adaptation differs from James's novel. In the book Charlotte is a calculatingly amoral character who terrifies her potential enemies with a glance and a smile. In the movie, Charlotte is shown as more shallow and frivolous.
A central point of the novel is James's comparison of the adultery of Amerigo and Charlotte vs. the self-absorption of Maggie and Adam. Marrying Charlotte to Adam is at first Maggie's response to her leaving her widowed father alone, and then Charlotte and Amerigo's adultery is enabled by Maggie and Adam's relationship. The film treats this aspect of the novel rather superficially.