Literary Devices in The Wings of the Dove
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Venice is one of those places that pops up a ton on people's see-before-they-die lists. It has gondolas, for Pete's sake! Milly isn't immune to the lure of Venice, and it gets top billing on her bu...
Narrator Point of View
In all his books, James's preferred narrative voice is the Third Person Limited Omniscient, and The Wings of the Dove is no exception. In The Wings of the Dove, however, he jumps from one character...
Genre
At its core, Realism was a literary movement that reacted against fabulous, unrealistic stories that tried to make everything look sunny and nice. (We're looking at you, Romanticism.) Think of Real...
Tone
As a Realist writer, Henry James is committed to being objective and unsentimental about the characters and situations he writes about. That doesn't mean that we can't feel sympathy for the charact...
Writing Style
Most writers might describe characters' thoughts a lot during the slow points of a plot, but when the action heats up, they cut some of the long descriptions and speed things along.Not James, thoug...
What's Up With the Title?
The first clue to understanding this book's title comes when we realize that the "dove" in this story is Milly Theale. Kate bluntly says, "You're a dove" (1.5.6.23), when she is explaining to Milly...
What's Up With the Ending?
He heard her out in stillness, watching her face, but not moving. Then he only said: "I'll marry you, mind you, in an hour.""As we were?""As we were."But she turned to the door, and her headshake w...
Tough-o-Meter
We—unlike Kate Croy, Aunt Maud, Lord Mark and basically every other character in The Wings of the Dove—have no interest in lying to you. Henry James ain't an easy fellow to read.You don't get y...
Plot Analysis
In Maud We Trust FundMeet Kate Croy and Merton Densher. They want to get married. The problem is that Kate's rich benefactress, Maud Lowder, will totally cut her off if she marries a poor nobody li...
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
The CallThe force that "calls" Merton Densher is the same force that has called upon the heroes of stories for as long as anyone can remember: love. Merton loves Kate Croy. He believes that, truly,...
Three-Act Plot Analysis
Merton Densher and Kate Croy are in love. Yay! But Kate's rich aunt Maud has forbidden them to marry. Boo! This is because Merton is a poor commoner, and Maud will cut off Kate's financial pipeline...
Trivia
Believe it or not, it wasn't until after he died that Henry James became recognized as one of the greatest novelists ever. (Source)Henry came from a smart family. His brother William went on to bec...