The Sense of the Past
Encyclopedia
The Sense of the Past is an unfinished novel
by Henry James
, posthumously published in 1917. The novel is at once an eerie account of time travel
and a bittersweet comedy of manners
. A young American
trades places with a remote ancestor in early 19th century England
, and encounters many complications in his new surroundings.
has written a fine essay on the reading of history
. The essay so impresses a distant English relative that he bequeaths an 18th century London
house to Ralph. Pendrel goes to London and explores the house thoroughly. He feels himself going back in time as soon as he crosses the threshold. He finds a portrait of a remote ancestor, also named Ralph Pendrel. The portrait comes alive and the two men meet.
Later, the modern-day Pendrel goes to the U.S. ambassador in London and tries to tell him of these strange occurrences. He then returns to the mysterious house, steps across the threshold, and finds himself back in the early 19th century. At this dramatic juncture, the part of the novel that James wrote in 1900 breaks off. James resumed the novel in 1914 with scenes of Ralph meeting the relatives of his ancestor, whose place he has now taken. Ralph is engaged to one of those relatives, Molly Midmore, but finds himself attracted to her sister Nan. He also meets Molly's mother and unpleasant brother, and Sir Cantopher Bland, a suitor of Nan's.
The novel breaks off completely here. James left extensive notes on how the novel would continue. The notes indicate Nan would eventually realize that Ralph is actually a time-traveller from the future. She would then sacrifice her own happiness and help him return to his own time and to Aurora Coyne, a woman who had previously rejected Ralph but would now accept him.
The new beginning James made in 1914 doesn't reassure the reader that the aging master was up to the formidable demands of the time-travel storyline. The 1914 section allows scenes to ramble far too long, and James appears to have lost his ability to impose much-needed order on his material. Still, if he could have somehow molded the novel into presentable shape, The Sense of the Past might have become a brilliant, subtle exploration of the influence of the past on the present, but it's impossible to judge a novel left mostly incomplete.
s have regretted that James abandoned the book in 1900, then took up such complex material in 1914, when he was past seventy. (He returned to the novel in a futile attempt to escape the horrors of World War I
.)
James brilliantly handles Ralph's initial exploration of the house, which leads to the meeting with his namesake ancestor. But James wrote that part of The Sense of the Past in 1900, when he was at the top of his form. By the time he returned to the novel in 1914, he simply didn't have the energy to overcome the technical challenges inherent in the material.
, who had also starred in the stage production. The second version, produced in England
in 1951 and starring Tyrone Power
, was titled The House in the Square
for British release and I'll Never Forget You for release in the United States
. The latter version was released on DVD
in July 2008 as part of the Tyrone Power — Matinee Idol collection.
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....
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....
, posthumously published in 1917. The novel is at once an eerie account of time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
and a bittersweet comedy of manners
Comedy of manners
The comedy of manners is a genre of play/television/film which satirizes the manners and affectations of a social class, often represented by stock characters, such as the miles gloriosus in ancient times, the fop and the rake during the Restoration, or an old person pretending to be young...
. A young American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
trades places with a remote ancestor in early 19th century 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...
, and encounters many complications in his new surroundings.
Plot summary
Young Ralph Pendrel of New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
has written a fine essay on the reading of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. The essay so impresses a distant English relative that he bequeaths an 18th century 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...
house to Ralph. Pendrel goes to London and explores the house thoroughly. He feels himself going back in time as soon as he crosses the threshold. He finds a portrait of a remote ancestor, also named Ralph Pendrel. The portrait comes alive and the two men meet.
Later, the modern-day Pendrel goes to the U.S. ambassador in London and tries to tell him of these strange occurrences. He then returns to the mysterious house, steps across the threshold, and finds himself back in the early 19th century. At this dramatic juncture, the part of the novel that James wrote in 1900 breaks off. James resumed the novel in 1914 with scenes of Ralph meeting the relatives of his ancestor, whose place he has now taken. Ralph is engaged to one of those relatives, Molly Midmore, but finds himself attracted to her sister Nan. He also meets Molly's mother and unpleasant brother, and Sir Cantopher Bland, a suitor of Nan's.
The novel breaks off completely here. James left extensive notes on how the novel would continue. The notes indicate Nan would eventually realize that Ralph is actually a time-traveller from the future. She would then sacrifice her own happiness and help him return to his own time and to Aurora Coyne, a woman who had previously rejected Ralph but would now accept him.
Major themes
James was generally not interested in long-ago eras. At most he was attracted by a more recent, "visitable" past. It's characteristic of his preference for present-day reality that The Sense of the Past would have ended with Ralph triumphantly returning from the early 19th century to his own time. Whether James could have managed all the complex details of Ralph's trip through the past and return to the present is a very real question. He broke off the novel in 1900 because the material was becoming too intractable and convoluted.The new beginning James made in 1914 doesn't reassure the reader that the aging master was up to the formidable demands of the time-travel storyline. The 1914 section allows scenes to ramble far too long, and James appears to have lost his ability to impose much-needed order on his material. Still, if he could have somehow molded the novel into presentable shape, The Sense of the Past might have become a brilliant, subtle exploration of the influence of the past on the present, but it's impossible to judge a novel left mostly incomplete.
Literary significance & criticism
After James' death this novel was converted into a very successful play, which indicates the appeal of the subject-matter. CriticCritic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
s have regretted that James abandoned the book in 1900, then took up such complex material in 1914, when he was past seventy. (He returned to the novel in a futile attempt to escape the horrors of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.)
James brilliantly handles Ralph's initial exploration of the house, which leads to the meeting with his namesake ancestor. But James wrote that part of The Sense of the Past in 1900, when he was at the top of his form. By the time he returned to the novel in 1914, he simply didn't have the energy to overcome the technical challenges inherent in the material.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The Sense of the Past was the inspiration for the 1920s play Berkeley Square, frequently performed in London and elsewhere. To date two movie versions of the play have been made. The first version, made in 1933, starring Leslie HowardLeslie Howard (actor)
Leslie Howard was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer. Among his best-known roles was Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind and roles in Berkeley Square , Of Human Bondage , The Scarlet Pimpernel , The Petrified Forest , Pygmalion , Intermezzo , Pimpernel Smith...
, who had also starred in the stage production. The second version, produced 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...
in 1951 and starring Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
, was titled The House in the Square
The House in the Square
The House in the Square, also titled I'll Never Forget You and Man of Two Worlds, is a 1951 science fiction film about an American atomic scientist who is transported to the 18th century, where he falls in love. It starred Tyrone Power and Ann Blyth. It was adapted from the play Berkeley Square by...
for British release and I'll Never Forget You for release in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The latter version was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in July 2008 as part of the Tyrone Power — Matinee Idol collection.