The Romance of Certain Old Clothes

"The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" is a short story by American-British author Henry James, written in February 1868 and first published in The Atlantic Monthly. The original debut was in Volume 21, Issue 124. James later made some revisions, including changes to the family name and eldest daughter when he published the story in the UK in 1885. It has been included in several anthologies, including American Gothic Tales, edited by Joyce Carol Oates.

Plot summary

The tale begins in the 18th century in Massachusetts. It features the Willoughbys (changed to Wingraves in the 1885 revision), a widowed mother and her three children, one boy and two girls. The two girls, Viola (changed to Rosalind in the 1885 revision) and Perdita, are considered by the narrator to be equally beautiful. The girls were to be married, but their suitors seemed to be more interested in their looks and possessions than in the women themselves.

Both women fall in love with Mr. Arthur Lloyd, who then must choose between them. The sisters vow not to be envious or angry at his choice. Lloyd chooses Perdita, and Viola is jealous in spite of herself. The new Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd move twenty miles away from home, and Viola becomes bitter and depressed. Mr. Lloyd leaves the now-pregnant Perdita at home when he attends the wedding of his brother-in-law, where he meets Viola, and the two renew their friendship. Arthur receives a message that his daughter has been born but his wife's health is failing. Perdita, aware that she is dying and angry that her husband was with Viola while she (Perdita) was in childbirth, makes Arthur to promise to preserve the gowns she has saved in a chest for their daughter. She fears Viola will marry Lloyd and appropriate the dresses for herself. Arthur promises he will protect the chest and its contents.

Viola comes to the Lloyd home to help take care of her niece, and eventually she and Mr. Lloyd marry. A series of misfortunes follow, leaving them with significant financial losses and with Viola unable to bear children. At this time, Viola begins to pressure Arthur to open the chest. Arthur argues that he made a promise to Perdita and tells Viola that the matter is closed. However, Viola's hounding continues and eventually, Arthur surrenders and allows her to open the chest. Later in the evening, when Viola has failed to attend dinner or respond to several of Mr. Lloyd's summons, he climbs the stairs to the attic, where the chest is kept, to look for her. In the attic, he finds Viola dead, on her knees in front of the opened chest, with ten hideous wounds inflicted by ghostly hands.

Analysis

The 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.

Reception

Many critics seem to agree this story is a reflection of the Sigmund Freud's theory of "the uncanny". Critics say that it is a revenge story about the grudges of the dead combined with sibling rivalry. Arthur is considered to be a Shakespeare of his time, and he refers to Perdita's appearance as Shakespearean poetic character. Other critics note that James' writing style in this work reflects Nathaniel Hawthorne's.

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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 International Publishing Group 2004) ISBN 0-8264-1594-6
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