The Romance of Certain Old Clothes

= The Romance of Certain Old Clothes =

"The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" was written by Henry James in February 1868 and was first published in the"The Atlantic Monthly". The original debut was in Volume 21, Issue 124. This short fictional story can be considered Gothic Literature due to its ghostly nature, social and contemporary issues brought forth in this article. Since this short story had not debuted on its own, many authors included this ghostly story into their anthologies. While several other decided to retell the story, such as in "Ginevra" written by, Samuel Rogers.

Plot Summary

"The Romance of Certain Old Clothes"Begins in the eighteenth century in the Province of Massachusetts. It begins with a widowed mother who has three children, one boy and two girls. The two girls whose names are Viola and Perdita are what the narrator considers to be equally beautiful in their own right. The girls were to be married, but their suitors seemed to be more interested in their looks and possessions than the women themselves.

Both women fall in love with Mr. Arthur Lloyd. He was then forced with the decision to choose between the sisters. The sisters vowed not to be envious or angry when Mr. Lloyd finally rendered his choice. Mr. Lloyd finally chose Perdita. Perdita initially tried hiding the engagement from Viola for one month in fear of her sister’s envy. As Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd moved twenty miles away from the home, Viola became bitter and depressed. While attending the wedding of Mr. Lloyd’s brother in law, Perdita stayed home impregnated, while Arthur and Viola got to rekindle their admiration for one another. Arthur received a message that his wife requested his presence with the birth of his little girl, and a new illness that has taken over her body. Perdita fully aware she was dying, forces Arthur to promise that nobody handles her belongings left in the chest. They are for the sole purpose of their daughter. This is brought on by the fear that Viola would infringe, and try to use Arthur for his wealth and possessions. Arthur does promise and swear to Perdita.

Viola does go to the home to take care of the child after the death of her sister, while the mother frowned upon this. Eventually Viola and Arthur do marry after some time of Viola staying at the home. Afterwards, several misfortunes bestow the couple. Viola is unable to bear children even after three years of marriage, and the couple suffers a great deal of financial loss. At this time Viola begins to pressure Arthur to open the chest. Arthur does argue that he made a promise to Perdita; Arthur does continue to make a stand against Viola regarding the opening of the chest. However, the bickering continues. At this time Arthur surrenders to Viola and allows her to open the chest. When Viola failed to attend diner or respond to several of Mr. Lloyds calls, he begins to climb the stairs to the attic where his presumes his wife is. When Arthur finally reaches the top of the attic, he finds Viola dead on her knees in front of the opened chest, with a bloody brow and ten hideous wounds from ghostly hands.

Analysis

This ghostly tale is considered to be a Gothic Tale due to its Freudian uncanny nature. It is something that is familiar while at the same time as being repressed. It is possibly something that is hidden, but has been brought to life. Freud describes it as atavistic feelings of death. “The Romance of Certain Old Clothes” makes the reader encounter several various feelings about the short story. It also brings diverse questions to its readers. Does Arthur really ever love Viola? Why does he really let Viola open the chest?

The Gothic short story is a representation of the century in which it was written with a twist. James invites several different types of emotions to the reader, as well as the characters. The story is written in a format that allows the reader to become angry and confused about Viola’s actual motivations after her sister’s death. At the same time, others may understand this is her revenge. Her motivation is the opening of the chest that was not to be touched until the daughter was ready to wear the clothing and jewelry. Perdita is the one who actually has the last laugh or success so to speak, she was well aware of her sister’s intention, and her ghostly body guarded her family and the chest. Perdita haunts the family and eventually kills her sister. This is the something that Freud is trying to interpret when he describes the “uncanny.” This is the strange with the familiar. It is also a repetition. After all, both sister’s have their revenge.

Critical Overview

Many critics seem to agree this story is a reflection of the Freud’s theory of “uncanny.” Critics say it is a revenge of the dead versus the dead combined with sibling rivalry. James is considered to be a Shakespeare of his time. In fact in this short story, he refers to Viola's appearance as Shakespearian poetic character. Other critics note that James is an admirer of Hawthorne, and that his works reflect Hawthorne's writing style.

References

*"AMERICAN GOTHIC TALES" by Joyce Carol Oates (New York,The Penguin Group 1996) ISBN 0-452-27489-3
*"AMERICAN GOTHIC FICTION: AN INTRODUCTION" by Alan Lloyd-Smith (New York, The Continuum Internation Publishing Group 2004) ISBN 0-8264-1594-6

External Links

* [http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABK2934-0021&byte=255267434] Original Debut in "The Atlantic Monthly" Archived by Cornell University
* [http://www.henryjames.org.uk/romococ/RCtext.htm] Text of 1885
* [http://www.henryjames.org.uk/romococ/intro_inframe.htm] Bibliography of "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes"
* [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/1999] A Critics Analysis