Ron’s Reviews > Washington Square > Status Update

"day to day" on page 185: ref Macbeth 'Tomorrow', connects Mrs. Penniman's social plan to Mac's political one. A common device in James's novels, ref "Wings of the Dove" ("condemned from day to day", Milly's tour in Europe, a reaction, possibly treatment, to her learning of her terminal illness), it fits nicely here for the conflicting, yet unvoiced conceptions of Cat's marriage. Lots of parallels to later J novels.

Henry James really knows how to develop characters and scenes; the progression of the story, when read from a summary could be called cliche, is masterfully done and makes the reading and experience of the thing more than worthwhile.