...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!
Washington Square
- 214 statements
- 41 feature instances
- 10 referencing feature instances
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Washington Square | |
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WashingtonSquare | |
Washington Square | comment |
Henry James's Washington Square tells the story of Catherine Sloper, a cripplingly shy woman who lives with her widowed father, Dr. Austin Sloper, and his flighty sister, Lavinia Penniman. Viewed by everyone as lacking personality, it's a big surprise when handsome, charming Morris Townsend takes an interest in her after meeting her at a party. Within weeks, they are saying they love each other and even consider getting engaged. Dr. Sloper thinks there is something not quite right about this match. After all, what kind of man would actually be attracted to such a dull girl?Originally written in 1880, it was brought to the stage by Ruth and Augustus Goetz and retitled The Heiress in 1947. Two years later, it was made into a movie with the play's title starring Olivia de Havilland. It was adapted to film again under the original title in 1997 starring Jennifer Jason Leigh. There was also a brief Broadway revival of the play in 1995 starring Cherry Jones (who won a Tony for the leading role), and another from 2012 to 2013 with Jessica Chastain in the leading role.A strongly character-driven, subversive story that plays with a lot of love and romance tropes of its time and even now, its resolution stands out. | |
Washington Square | fetched |
2023-06-05T15:29:33Z | |
Washington Square | parsed |
2023-06-05T15:29:33Z | |
Washington Square | processingComment |
Dropped link to Foil: Not a Feature - IGNORE | |
Washington Square | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
Washington Square / int_1777688d | type |
Genre Savvy | |
Washington Square / int_1777688d | comment |
Genre Savvy: Aunt Penniman's meddling in Catherine's life is her deliberately playing the role of The Matchmaker in a lot of romance stories. Deep down, she is perfectly aware of what is really going on, but doesn't let it get in the way of her foolish romantic delusions. | |
Washington Square / int_1777688d | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_1777688d | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_1777688d | |
Washington Square / int_1779f10e | type |
"Well Done, Son" Guy | |
Washington Square / int_1779f10e | comment |
Well Done Daughter Girl: Catherine begins the story desperate for her father's approval. | |
Washington Square / int_1779f10e | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_1779f10e | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_1779f10e | |
Washington Square / int_1c21e3fb | type |
The Place | |
Washington Square / int_1c21e3fb | comment |
The Place: Washington Square. | |
Washington Square / int_1c21e3fb | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_1c21e3fb | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_1c21e3fb | |
Washington Square / int_2059a430 | type |
The Hedonist | |
Washington Square / int_2059a430 | comment |
The Hedonist: Morris actually inherited a decent amount of money at some point before the beginning of the story; however, he squandered it completely on hedonistic ventures. Even his sister reluctantly admitted during her "interview" with Dr. Sloper that he had used none of his inheritance to help her or her five children. | |
Washington Square / int_2059a430 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_2059a430 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_2059a430 | |
Washington Square / int_24321e44 | type |
Only Sane Man | |
Washington Square / int_24321e44 | comment |
Only Sane Woman: Mrs. Almond, Dr. Sloper's other sister, who is the most reasonable person in the story by a long shot. She thinks her brother's handling of the Morris situation and treatment of Catherine in general are needlessly cruel while at the same disagreeing with Aunt Penniman's meddling, guessing correctly that Morris is a Gold Digger. | |
Washington Square / int_24321e44 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_24321e44 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_24321e44 | |
Washington Square / int_2484396e | type |
Know-Nothing Know-It-All | |
Washington Square / int_2484396e | comment |
Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Aunt Penniman highly overestimates her social intelligence and matchmaking skills. Dr. Sloper comes off this way, too, but it turns out not to be the case. | |
Washington Square / int_2484396e | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_2484396e | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_2484396e | |
Washington Square / int_2804d516 | type |
Master of None | |
Washington Square / int_2804d516 | comment |
Master of None: Catherine was trained in a variety of skills as a child, including singing and the piano, but as an adult she has no particular talent in any of them except embroidery. | |
Washington Square / int_2804d516 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_2804d516 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_2804d516 | |
Washington Square / int_31da1e24 | type |
Shipper on Deck | |
Washington Square / int_31da1e24 | comment |
Shipper on Deck: Aunt Penniman, arguably a Deconstruction of this type of character as her obsession with getting Catherine and Morris together is treated as unhealthy. | |
Washington Square / int_31da1e24 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_31da1e24 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_31da1e24 | |
Washington Square / int_35e077 | type |
Fourth-Date Marriage | |
Washington Square / int_35e077 | comment |
Fourth-Date Marriage: Morris proposes to Catherine after only a couple of days. | |
Washington Square / int_35e077 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_35e077 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_35e077 | |
Washington Square / int_4623b3bb | type |
Why Couldn't You Be Different? | |
Washington Square / int_4623b3bb | comment |
Why Couldn't You Be Different?: Dr. Sloper not-so-secretly despises his daughter—she's not even a shadow of her beautiful clever mother in his eyes. Not only that, but she is The Unfavorite compared to her brother who died before she was even born! In his heart he probably feels she should have died instead. | |
Washington Square / int_4623b3bb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_4623b3bb | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_4623b3bb | |
Washington Square / int_4b316d47 | type |
Break the Cutie | |
Washington Square / int_4b316d47 | comment |
Break the Cutie: A double-whammy for Catherine. The first one comes from her father during their stay in Europe; when she tells him she still plans to marry Morris, he gives a speech lathed with sarcasm, comparing her to a mindless animal whose "value is twice as great" after her experiences abroad, ending it with "We have fattened the sheep before he kills it!" Then Morris—after finding out that Catherine will not be as rich as expected— turns his inner Jerkass up to eleven hoping it will turn her off him, and when that fails, he cruelly dumps her and runs off to California. | |
Washington Square / int_4b316d47 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_4b316d47 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_4b316d47 | |
Washington Square / int_5c24cfa1 | type |
Love Will Lead You Back | |
Washington Square / int_5c24cfa1 | comment |
Love Will Lead You Back: Subverted. Catherine starts off feeling this way about Morris, but soon comes to terms with the fact that she had been exploited, and when he does return twenty years later, she has no longer has any interest in him. | |
Washington Square / int_5c24cfa1 | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
Washington Square / int_5c24cfa1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_5c24cfa1 | |
Washington Square / int_66dfe36a | type |
Missing Mom | |
Washington Square / int_66dfe36a | comment |
Missing Mom: Catherine's mother died shortly after she was born. | |
Washington Square / int_66dfe36a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_66dfe36a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_66dfe36a | |
Washington Square / int_6977c45e | type |
Purple Prose | |
Washington Square / int_6977c45e | comment |
Purple Prose/ Wall of Text: Being a work of Henry James, practically the modern Trope Codifier, the language can be purplish and hard to grasp at times. Incidentally, contemporaries praised the book for being more straightforward in comparison to his other books. | |
Washington Square / int_6977c45e | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_6977c45e | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_6977c45e | |
Washington Square / int_6da1d9ae | type |
Parental Marriage Veto | |
Washington Square / int_6da1d9ae | comment |
Parental Marriage Veto: Dr. Sloper tries to pull this on Catherine during the entirety of their relationship, even threatening to disinherit her. (Though he likely considers her an Inadequate Inheritor anyway.) | |
Washington Square / int_6da1d9ae | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_6da1d9ae | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_6da1d9ae | |
Washington Square / int_6f78d9be | type |
Resentful Guardian | |
Washington Square / int_6f78d9be | comment |
Resentful Guardian: Dr. Sloper, while never crossing over into being a fully Abusive Parent, clearly resents having someone like Catherine in his care. | |
Washington Square / int_6f78d9be | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_6f78d9be | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_6f78d9be | |
Washington Square / int_77bc8a56 | type |
Unable to Support a Wife | |
Washington Square / int_77bc8a56 | comment |
Unable to Support a Wife: Another of the good doctor's reasons for dissaproving of Morris being with his daughter: he has no job or any real motivation to get one, and the way he wasted the little money he had makes him wonder what he would do with Catherine's fortune. | |
Washington Square / int_77bc8a56 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_77bc8a56 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_77bc8a56 | |
Washington Square / int_7e676cdf | type |
Engagement Challenge | |
Washington Square / int_7e676cdf | comment |
Engagement Challenge: Not so challenging as other examples, but Dr. Sloper takes Catherine away with him to Europe for six months to test their relationship, reasoning that if Morris really loved Catherine and not her money, he would be willing to wait for her. He was willing to wait, but he didn't love her. | |
Washington Square / int_7e676cdf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_7e676cdf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_7e676cdf | |
Washington Square / int_958f1f57 | type |
Maiden Aunt | |
Washington Square / int_958f1f57 | comment |
Maiden Aunt: Aunt Penniman is a widow, but she never sought out another man after the death of Rev. Penniman, and is content living her romantic fantasies through her niece and Morris. | |
Washington Square / int_958f1f57 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_958f1f57 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_958f1f57 | |
Washington Square / int_a7016efe | type |
Lonely Rich Kid | |
Washington Square / int_a7016efe | comment |
Lonely Rich Kid: Catherine. | |
Washington Square / int_a7016efe | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_a7016efe | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_a7016efe | |
Washington Square / int_a8adc5a0 | type |
Like a Son to Me | |
Washington Square / int_a8adc5a0 | comment |
Like a Son to Me: Aunt Penniman never tells him this directly, but she does think to herself that if she and her late husband had been able to have children, they would have had a son not unlike Morris. This could be a factor in her Shipper on Deck tendencies, as it was not uncommon for cousins—especially in a wealthy family— to marry in the 19th century. | |
Washington Square / int_a8adc5a0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_a8adc5a0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_a8adc5a0 | |
Washington Square / int_a8dcb1d7 | type |
Love at First Sight | |
Washington Square / int_a8dcb1d7 | comment |
Love at First Sight: Seems to be this for Catherine and Morris at first. | |
Washington Square / int_a8dcb1d7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_a8dcb1d7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_a8dcb1d7 | |
Washington Square / int_ae3d6438 | type |
Deadpan Snarker | |
Washington Square / int_ae3d6438 | comment |
Deadpan Snarker: Dr. Sloper—most of his dialog with Catherine is nothing but snark. | |
Washington Square / int_ae3d6438 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_ae3d6438 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_ae3d6438 | |
Washington Square / int_b3096202 | type |
Oedipus Complex | |
Washington Square / int_b3096202 | comment |
Oedipus Complex: Inverted—Morris actually can't stand Aunt Penniman, but she is both attracted to him and he reminds her of the son she wishes she'd had. | |
Washington Square / int_b3096202 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_b3096202 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_b3096202 | |
Washington Square / int_c132c0c5 | type |
I Have No Son! | |
Washington Square / int_c132c0c5 | comment |
I Have No Daughter: Feeling that there is nothing more he can do to keep Morris and Catherine apart, he completely disinherits his daughter, leaving his $30,000 estate to various organizations. Catherine still gets $10,000 a year from her mother... but that's not enough for Morris. | |
Washington Square / int_c132c0c5 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_c132c0c5 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_c132c0c5 | |
Washington Square / int_c5330897 | type |
Naïve Everygirl | |
Washington Square / int_c5330897 | comment |
Naïve Everygirl: A major part of the story is Catherine maturing out of this trope. | |
Washington Square / int_c5330897 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_c5330897 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_c5330897 | |
Washington Square / int_c5caf1e5 | type |
Silly Rabbit, Romance Is for Kids! | |
Washington Square / int_c5caf1e5 | comment |
Silly Rabbit, Romance Is for Kids!: By the end of the story, Catherine seems to have this view, at least for herself. She had turned down several dates and marriage proposals in the years after her father died, and when Morris asks her why she never married (assuming she was waiting for him to come back), she explicity states that there was no reason for her to. | |
Washington Square / int_c5caf1e5 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_c5caf1e5 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_c5caf1e5 | |
Washington Square / int_ce6487aa | type |
Misery Builds Character | |
Washington Square / int_ce6487aa | comment |
Misery Builds Character: Implicit in the story—the heartbreak Catherine suffers due to the people around her forces her to stand on her own two feet and not depend on the love and approval of others to be happy. Otherwise, it's likely she may very well have remained an awkward, "dull" wallflower forever. | |
Washington Square / int_ce6487aa | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_ce6487aa | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_ce6487aa | |
Washington Square / int_d08595d3 | type |
Broken Bird | |
Washington Square / int_d08595d3 | comment |
Broken Bird: Catherine turns into this after being betrayed by Morris and disapproved of by her father. | |
Washington Square / int_d08595d3 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_d08595d3 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_d08595d3 | |
Washington Square / int_daf81d3 | type |
Plain Jane | |
Washington Square / int_daf81d3 | comment |
Plain Jane: Catherine, and while she never has a Beautiful All Along moment, the narrator and other characters describe that she has the kind of looks that would be better suited to a 40 year old than a 20 year old, making this perhaps a delayed version of She's All Grown Up. | |
Washington Square / int_daf81d3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_daf81d3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_daf81d3 | |
Washington Square / int_e2d457 | type |
The Ditz | |
Washington Square / int_e2d457 | comment |
The Ditz: Aunt Penniman, no doubt! | |
Washington Square / int_e2d457 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_e2d457 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_e2d457 | |
Washington Square / int_e4bb68b8 | type |
The Charmer | |
Washington Square / int_e4bb68b8 | comment |
The Charmer: Even Dr. Sloper admits that Morris is very charming, though he sees it as an act. | |
Washington Square / int_e4bb68b8 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_e4bb68b8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_e4bb68b8 | |
Washington Square / int_eb002293 | type |
Shrinking Violet | |
Washington Square / int_eb002293 | comment |
Shrinking Violet: Catherine, to the point where every time she asserts herself seems like a Moment of Awesome. | |
Washington Square / int_eb002293 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_eb002293 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_eb002293 | |
Washington Square / int_eb8ec7c8 | type |
Jerkass | |
Washington Square / int_eb8ec7c8 | comment |
Jerkass: Dr. Sloper, Aunt Penniman, Morris—basically everyone but Catherine has their moments. | |
Washington Square / int_eb8ec7c8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_eb8ec7c8 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_eb8ec7c8 | |
Washington Square / int_ed874c14 | type |
Self-Made Man | |
Washington Square / int_ed874c14 | comment |
Self-Made Man: Dr. Sloper may have married the wealthy Catherine Harrington, but he worked his way up to where he is at the beginning of the story, eventually tripling his late wife's estate. | |
Washington Square / int_ed874c14 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Washington Square / int_ed874c14 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_ed874c14 | |
Washington Square / int_f12d9d83 | type |
Promotion to Parent | |
Washington Square / int_f12d9d83 | comment |
Promotion to Parent: Mrs. Montgomery, Morris's older sister who more or less raised him after the death of their parents. | |
Washington Square / int_f12d9d83 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_f12d9d83 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_f12d9d83 | |
Washington Square / int_f19ff224 | type |
TheUNFavourite | |
Washington Square / int_f19ff224 | comment |
The Un-Favourite: Catherine is this to her father, in comparison to her older brother... who died several years before she was born and doesn't appear to have lived long enough to be named. | |
Washington Square / int_f19ff224 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_f19ff224 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_f19ff224 | |
Washington Square / int_f6b2bfb7 | type |
Gold Digger | |
Washington Square / int_f6b2bfb7 | comment |
Gold Digger: Dr. Sloper assumes correctly that Morris is just after Catherine's money. Dr. Sloper himself could be accused of being one, but he was always adamant that he married his late wife for love and that he earned everything he had. | |
Washington Square / int_f6b2bfb7 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_f6b2bfb7 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_f6b2bfb7 | |
Washington Square / int_fdc1e848 | type |
Will They or Won't They? | |
Washington Square / int_fdc1e848 | comment |
Will They or Won't They?: They don't—Morris comes to see her when they are both approaching middle-age after failing to hit it big in the west. Catherine says that she does not hate him, but has no interest in having any kind of relationship, with him or anyone. | |
Washington Square / int_fdc1e848 | featureApplicability |
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Washington Square / int_fdc1e848 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_fdc1e848 | |
Washington Square / int_ff2ceef1 | type |
Old Maid | |
Washington Square / int_ff2ceef1 | comment |
Old Maid: A bit of subtext in the story is the other characters' belief that due to Catherine's shyness and "dullness", she will never find a man and will end up a spinster. When the story skips ahead 20 years, it concludes with Catherine at age 40, unmarried, and childless. However, Catherine willingly chose never to marry, and is perfectly content with her life and comfortable in her own skin in a way that she never was as a younger woman when she had to worry about pleasing her father or fulfilling social obligations of courtship and marriage. | |
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Washington Square / int_ff2ceef1 | featureConfidence |
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Washington Square | hasFeature |
Washington Square / int_ff2ceef1 | |
Washington Square / int_name | type |
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Washington Square / int_name | comment |
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Washington Square |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
Washington Square | hasFeature |
American Literature (T to Z) / int_f5a75ada | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Love Will Lead You Back / int_f5a75ada | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Old Maid / int_f5a75ada | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Parental Marriage Veto / int_f5a75ada | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Plain Jane / int_f5a75ada | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Relationship Sabotage / int_f5a75ada | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
The Place / int_f5a75ada | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
Why Couldn't You Be Different? / int_f5a75ada | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
You Should Have Died Instead / int_f5a75ada | |
Washington Square | hasFeature |
The Matchmaker / int_f5a75ada |
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Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.