The Real Thing

The short fiction of Henry James is known for its thoughtful characterization and complexity, and he consistently explored three primary themes throughout his literary career: misunderstood writers and artists, ghosts and other supernatural beings, and vulnerable adolescents and children whose development is threatened through misfortune or political unrest. “The Real Thing” shows an artist negotiating his limited power in late 19th-century England’s system of social classes and directing his creative process into an ethical understanding of the relationship between representation and reality. Key moments in the story, such as when Miss Churm arrives at the studio and first meets the Monarchs, hint at James’s interest in the moral implications of aesthetic decisions, a question that is decidedly modern. In the story, James explores the themes of Social Hierarchy in Late 19th-Century England, Perception and Authenticity in Artistry, and Aesthetics Versus Ethics.

Scholars recognize James as one who bridged Victorian literature and Modernism. “The Real Thing,” with its exploration of an artist’s identity, is an example of James’s ability to express shifting views on art and culture. He highlights traditional tropes and themes with shades of realism and the avant-garde. Elements of Modernism emerge in the reflective first-person narration, as well as in the story’s characters, who each possess their own despair. The serialized structure speaks to Victorian readership expectations while subtly enforcing a Modernist aesthetic.

The first-person narrative allows the artist to take on a persona of both admiration and self-criticism, as he is constantly assessing the situation—both with his own work and with regard to how the Monarchs adapt to the needs of his studio. Throughout the story, he indirectly confronts the ethics of depicting real people in artwork. He ponders the role of art in the potboiler press to which he is contributing, despite his wish to pursue more elegant and intelligent forms. As he works with his models, the artist understands how a presence can be altered and manipulated for an audience’s pleasure or disapproval. This understanding serves as a testament to James’s Modernist sensibilities, which often questioned social conventions and critiqued people’s desire for beauty and ideals.

The confessional first-person voice and self-reflective tone is complicated by the presence of traditional Victorian tropes, such as the theatrical posing of Miss Churm as a Russian princess and the story’s setting of the small, rustic studio with outside forces—in this case, the oppressive social system—creating a moral dilemma. The artist’s struggle to find his place between these two conflicting worlds emphasizes not only James’s Modernist agenda but also shows how he was able to steer an emerging style into late-Victorian literary conventions. Other evidence in the story helps to convey this duality, such as the focus on interior thoughts instead of exterior events.

Other elements in the work exhibit a similar juxtaposition: The story’s characters are symbolic figures representing notions of power and privilege during Industrial Revolution-era Britain, with the Monarchs embodying Britain’s authority, and the artist-protagonist existing in a space between them as a reflection of London’s growing cosmopolitanism. Miss Churm and Oronte are also symbols, representing innocence and vulnerability in a complex power structure. Two minor characters, Jack Hawley and Claude Rivet, allow the narrator to observe how art can be used to manipulate political opinions, as well as explore the implications of representing real people in artwork. Together, the characters’ interactions and the narrator’s shifting thoughts lean in both directions—providing evidence of James’s ability to steer Victoriana into complex questions about art and society, blurring the boundaries between Classicism and Modernism.

As the fulcrum of the story’s plot, Major and Mrs. Monarch are sad, lost figures whose insistence on a conventional lifestyle of proper etiquette and good looks has resulted in their downfall. Although they hold steadfastly to the pretenses of their upper-class status, this is coupled with an unfortunate lack of foresight, which leads them to believe these intangibles will lead to financial success. In this light, they become empty symbols of trite conformity. They are bereft of purpose other than clinging desperately to their fading social rank. The narrator perceives them as too naïve to realize that their misplaced expectations will only lead them further down the road of destitution and despair. Similar characters might be found among the work of author Charles Dickens, where symbols of the upper class often appear in a negative light. However, the Monarchs hinge away from a comedic caricature toward a more solemn and regretted contemplation of their lack of social progress. These elements point to James’s Modernist leanings, as seen in his exploration of the ethical implications of art, his critique of Victorian ideals, and his use of characters to symbolize an entire class or notion.

Structurally, the story is told in four sections. The method of breaking a tale into segments was standard for the publication in which the story appeared, but it also serves to emphasize the ironic nature of the story’s events. The first section introduces us to the setting and characters, while the second stretches from Miss Churm’s arrival up to her performance as a Russian princess. This segment is followed by a third, where we witness what amounts to an unmasking, in which the real nature of all characters is revealed. Finally, the fourth section covers Major and Mrs. Monarch’s decline from their low point after the performance until the story’s conclusion. This gradual shift in narrative structure is Modernistic, as James uses each section to break apart traditional Victorian tropes and reveal a more complicated and multi-faceted reality.

“The Real Thing” is an example of how James incorporated Modernist elements into late Victorian literary conventions. By juxtaposing traditional tropes with a contemporary ethical lens and exploring the implications of art and power in an industrializing Britain, James was able to create a story that still resonates with modern readers. Although the story is set in a Victorian world, the characters, themes, and structure exemplify Modernist elements. In this way, James was able to bridge the gap between Classicism and Modernism during an era of great transformation.