Home : Washington Square : Study Guide

Washington Square Study Guide

by Henry James

Washington Square study guide contains a biography of Henry James, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

This novel takes place in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Square in the mid-nineteenth century. Washington Square begins with a portrait of Dr. Austin Sloper, a respectable physician. His wife, Catherine, gives birth to as on who dies at the age of three. Two years later, Catherine gives birth to a daughter named Catherine - but the childbirth is difficulty and the mother dies. The daughter, Catherine, is the heroine of the novel.

Dr. Sloper is almost immediately disappointed in Catherine. From the start, he views his daughter as a strange genetic twist of fate: she is not a boy; she is not beautiful like her mother; she is not clever like her father.

Dr. Sloper has two sister, both younger and both very different from each other…

Read the full Washington Square Summary

• Washington Square Summary
• About Washington Square
• Character List
• Major Themes
• Summary and Analysis of Chapters 1-5
• Summary and Analysis of Chapters 6-10
• Summary and Analysis of Chapters 11-16
• Summary and Analysis of Chapters 17-20
• Summary and Analysis of Chapters 21-26
• Summary and Analysis of Chapters 27-30
• Summary and Analysis of Chapters 31-35
• Related Links on Washington Square
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• Washington Square: Major Themes
• Washington Square: Essays
• Washington Square: E-Text
• Washington Square: Questions
• Washington Square: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Henry James: Biography