"Successive Windows": Some Aspects of the Composition of Henry James's The Wings of the Dove

Abstract

The composition of The Wings of the Dove has received adverse criticism virtually since its first publication in 1902. Relying upon James's, and Percy Lubbock's, contention that the· purpose of a novel's form is to treat its subject, this thesis will argue against ~he prevailing critical·views. The discassion will demonstrate that the subject of The Wings of the Dove is located in Milly Theale's moral influence upon Merton Densher and Kate Croy. The composition of the novel adequately develops and augments this subject. Moreover, this thesis will suggest that The Wings of the Dove provides as good an example of the culmination of James's literary accomplishments as any of the other later novels. His special talents are equally apparent in the techniques he employs to create a structural unity in The Wings of the Dove.