Washington Square tells the classic story of the conflict of Dr. Austin Sloper, a brilliant, wealthy but unemotional physician, with his good-natured but ordinary daughter Catherine over her plans to marry Morris Townsend, a suitor that Sloper fears is after her money.  He threatens to disinherit her in hopes of exposing Townsend’s intentions, but she persists, while Townsend senses a bluff and maintains the engagement while repeatedly deferring its fulfillment.  The doctor takes Catherine on a grand European tour for a year in hopes of weakening her relationship with Townsend. The matter is discussed only twice, and when Catherine remains resolute her father displays a contempt that cuts deep and alienates Catherine for good. Upon their return Catherine informs Townsend of her father’s views and he at last withdraws, leaving Catherine disillusioned and destined for spinsterhood.

The story is based on a real life situation related to James by his friend actress Fanny Kemble. It was serialized in Cornhill Magazine and Harper’s New Monthly Magazine before release in book form in 1880. The novel is structurally simple and comparatively short, and is compared with Jane Austen in its clear, graceful style and focus on family relationships. It remains one of the most popular titles in the James oeuvre.

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