One of three masterpieces from Henry James’s final, “major” phase, The Wings

of the Dove dramatizes the conflict between nineteenth-century values and

twentieth-century passions. Born to wealth and privilege, Kate Croy’s mother

threw it all away to marry a penniless opium addict. After her mother’s

death, Kate is offered an opportunity to return tothe opulent lifestyle her

mother gave up—on one condition. Kate must renounce the man she loves: the

witty, good-looking, but poor, Merton Densher. Reluctantly agreeing, Kate

finds herself becoming friends with “the world’s richest orphan,” Millie

Theale. When Kate learns that Millie is dying, she devises a plan of

dizzying possibility for herself and Merton that should solve all their

problems, but instead leads them down a path strewn with tragic, unexpected

consequences.