''The Sacred Fount'' is a novel by

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

, first published in 1901. The book follows an unnamed narrator at a weekend party in the English countryside as he attempts to discover the truth about the love lives of his fellow guests. ''The Sacred Fount'' is the only one of James's novels written in first person. Since its publication it has received mixed responses from critics, and it was not included in James's

New York Edition The ''New York Edition'' of Henry James' fiction was a 24-volume collection of the Anglo-American writer's novels, novellas and short stories, originally published in the U.S. and the UK between 1907 and 1909, with a photogravure frontispiec ...

, the edition of his work he considered definitive.

Plot summary

The unnamed narrator waits for a train to take him to a weekend party at an estate called Newmarch in the English countryside. While waiting, he sees an old acquaintance, Gilbert Long, and notices that he seems much more lively and self-assured than he had previously. On the train, he meets another of his companions, Mrs. Brissenden, who appears to him much younger and more beautiful than she was the last time he saw her. At the party, he notices Mrs. Brissenden's husband looks far older, and begins to formulate a theory that Mrs. Brissenden is somehow siphoning the "sacred fount" of youth from her husband. He quickly applies this idea to Gilbert Long, as well, and begins to speculate as to whose wit and energy have been 'stolen' in order to account for the change in Long's personality. At first, the narrator theorizes that the source of Long's newfound assurance and intelligence is a woman named Lady John; however, he dismisses the idea upon discussing the 'case' both with Mrs. Brissenden (initially eager to speculate with him) and an artist named Ford Obert. The narrator notices that another woman at the party, May Server, seems listless, and he starts to wonder if she may be the lover providing vitality to Long. Eventually, he begins to construct extremely elaborate theories to explain Long's energy and Mrs. Server's witlessness, even wondering if either person might be flirting with others in order to obfuscate their real affairs. The novel concludes with a long midnight confrontation with Mrs. Brissenden, who has changed her mind since she spoke to the narrator early in the day. She says the narrator's theories are ridiculous, and he has completely misread the actual relationships of their fellow guests. The conversation ends with her accusation that the narrator is crazy and bidding him goodnight, and the narrator is left dismayed and overwhelmed.

Criticism

Early critics treated the novel with blank incomprehension or near-contempt.

Rebecca West Dame Cicily Isabel Fairfield (21 December 1892 – 15 March 1983), known as Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, was a British author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. An author who wrote in many genres, West reviewed books ...

wrote that the narrator "spends more intellectual force than Kant can have used on '' The Critique of Pure Reason'' in an unsuccessful attempt to discover whether there exists between certain of his fellow-guests a relationship not more interesting among these vacuous people than it is among sparrows." In a letter dated March 15, 1901, written to Mrs. Humphry Ward, James himself declared: "I say it in all sincerity – the book isn't worth discussing ..I hatingly finished it; trying to make it – the one thing it 'could' be – a 'consistent' joke." Other critics have praised the novel. Ezra Pound, in his 1934 book ''

ABC of Reading ''ABC of Reading'' is a book by the 20th-century Imagist poet Ezra Pound published in 1934. In it, Pound sets out an approach by which one may come to appreciate and understand literature (focusing primarily on poetry). Despite its title the text c ...

'' wrote: "When you have read James' prefaces and twenty of his novels, you would do well to read ''The Sacred Fount''. There for perhaps the first time since 1300 a writer has been able to deal with a sort of content wherewith

Cavalcanti Cavalcanti is an Italian surname, used by people of ancient Italian origin. In Italy and Brazil the variant Cavalcante is also used. The family came to Brazil in 1560. * Alberto Cavalcanti (1897–1982), Brazilian film director * Andrea Cavalcant ...

had been 'concerned'. In his introduction to the 1995 New Directions edition of the novel, Leon Edel called the novel "undervalued." The critic

Ray Carney Raymond Carney (born February 28, 1947) is an American scholar and critic, primarily known for his work as a film theorist, although he writes extensively on American art and literature as well. He is known for his study of the works of actor and ...

judged it to be one of the "hardest" novels ever written.

In popular culture

In Chapter 21 of Donna Leon's third Guido Brunetti detective novel, ''Dressed for Death'' (1994; aka ''The Anonymous Venetian''), the character Paola says to Guido: "I'm reading the master. ''The Sacred Fount'' is wonderful. ''Nothing'' happens, absolutely nothing." Later in the conversation, she states: "I'm already eager to finish it so that I can begin it all over again immediately."

References

External links

Original book text of ''The Sacred Fount'' (1901)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sacred Fount, The 1901 American novels Novels by Henry James Methuen Publishing books