Guide Note:
The Wings of the Dove is an early 20th century novel by Henry James, which tells the story of Kate Croy and Merton Densher, an engaged couple with little money. When Kate meets Milly, a rich but very ill American heiress, she secretly plans for Milly to meet and marry Merton, in the hopes that he will inherit Milly's money after she dies, and then marry Kate. When both Milly and Merton learn of her scheme, however, Kate must decide between love, social standing, and money.
Fast Facts:
- Author: Henry James
- Year of Publication: 1902
- Original Publisher: Archibald Constable & Co.
- Adapted into a play and opera in the 1960's
- One of James' most critically acclaimed novels
- Considered a masterpiece of his later period
- Classic example of James' use of the morality play
- Character of Milly is based on James' real-life cousin
- Set in London and Venice
- Adapted into a 1997 film starring Helena Bonham Carter and Linus Roache