num_pages: 194
description: The Outcry, Henry James's final novel, is an effervescent comedy of money and manners. Breckenridge Bender, a very rich American with a distinct resemblance to J.P. Morgan, arrives in England with the purpose of acquiring some very great art; he is directed to Dedborough, the estate of the debt-ridden Lord Theign. But plutocrat and aristocrat come into unexpected conflict when a young connoisseur, out to establish his own reputation, declares a prize painting from the lord's collection to be in fact an even rarer, and pricier, work than had been thought.A popular success in its own day, but long unavailable since and now almost unknown, The Outcry is one of the most surprising and amusing of James's works. Here he explores questions of privilege and initiative, repute and honor, high art and base calculation, revisiting some of his favorite themes with a deft and winning touch.
language: English
title: The Outcry
titlecomplete: The Outcry (New York Review Books Classics)
characters: Breckenridge Bender, Lord John, Hugh Crimble, Lady Grace Theign, Lady Amy Sandgate, Lord Theign, Lady Kitty Imber
genres: Classics, Comedy, American, Novels, Classic Literature, 20th Century, Literary Fiction, Fiction
ratings_count: 188
places: England
publisher: NYRB Classics