The Wings of the Dove is a novel written by Henry James in 1902. It follows the story of Milly Theale, an American woman who inherits a large amount of money but is suffering from a serious illness. The novel explores how Milly’s presence influences the people around her. Some individuals in her life act with good intentions, while others are motivated by personal gain.

Synopsis

Kate Croy and Merton Densher are two engaged people in London who want to get married but don’t have much money. Kate has family problems and lives with her controlling aunt, Maud Lowder. A wealthy American woman named Milly Theale arrives in London. Milly had previously met and fallen in love with Densher, but she never told him. Her traveling companion, Mrs. Stringham, is a close friend of Maud. Kate and Maud welcome Milly to London, and Milly becomes popular in social circles.

With Kate’s help, Milly visits a well-known doctor, Sir Luke Strett, because she is worried she has a serious illness. The doctor does not give clear answers, but Milly fears she is dying. Kate believes Milly is very sick. After returning from America, where he had met Milly, Densher comes to London. Kate asks Densher to pay close attention to Milly, though she does not explain why at first. Kate has kept secret that she and Densher are engaged.

Because of her health concerns, Milly decides to travel to Venice with Mrs. Stringham. Aunt Maud, Kate, and Densher join her there. At a party in Milly’s Venetian home (called “Palazzo Leporelli” in the story), Kate finally tells Densher her plan: he must marry Milly so that, after Milly’s expected death, he will inherit her money. Densher had guessed this was Kate’s idea and demands that they have a relationship before agreeing to the plan.

Aunt Maud and Kate return to London, while Densher stays with Milly. Unfortunately, Milly learns from a former admirer of Kate about the plan to take her money. She stops spending time with Densher, and her health worsens. Densher sees her one final time before returning to London, where he later learns of her death. Milly leaves him a large sum of money, but Densher refuses it. He will not marry Kate unless she also turns down the inheritance. If Kate chooses the money instead, Densher promises to give it to her fully. The story ends with Kate saying, “We shall never be again as we were!”

Inspiration

Henry James created the character Milly in his novel The Wings of the Dove based on his cousin Minny Temple, who died of tuberculosis. In his autobiography, James described the book as an effort to portray Minny’s death with "beauty and dignity." In the preface to the New York Edition of the novel, James explained that he needed to prepare the story of Milly’s final months. He also set up the reason why the characters Kate and Densher could not marry: they lacked enough money.

The image of a dove’s wings is often linked to ideas of wealth or money, as shown in a Bible verse: "The wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her feathers with shimmering gold" (Psalm 68:13).

The story of The Wings of the Dove was inspired by a novel called Germaine, written in 1857 by French author Edmond About.

Literary significance and criticism

The Wings of the Dove is one of the most highly respected novels by Henry James. However, James himself sometimes felt the book had problems. In his introduction to the New York Edition, he admitted that the novel had a weak structure, characters that were not clearly developed, and did not fully match his original plan for the story.

Most critics believe these issues are minor or not real. Instead, they focus on the main characters, the supporting characters, and the writing style James used to present them. Using the work of scholar Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, critic Rachel Haines noted that the novel includes themes related to same-sex relationships and how characters influence each other, especially among Milly, Kate, and Susan (Mrs. Stringham).

In 1998, the Modern Library ranked The Wings of the Dove as the 26th best English-language novel of the 20th century.

Theatrical, television, and film adaptations

The first television version of The Wings of the Dove was shown in 1952 on Westinghouse Studio One, a program on CBS. Franklin J. Schaffner directed it, and Charlton Heston played Merton Densher in one of his early roles. The story was shown again on TV in 1959 on Playhouse 90, also on CBS. Dana Wynter played Kate Croy, and James Donald played Merton Densher, who was renamed Miles Denshaw in this version.

In 1956, playwright Guy Bolton adapted the novel for Broadway as Child of Fortune. The play ran for 23 performances, opening on November 13, 1956, and closing on December 1, 1956. Mildred Dunnock played Susan Shepherd, Norah Howard played Mrs. Lowder, Edmund Purdom played Richard Denning (Merton Densher in the novel), Pippa Scott played Milly Temple (Theale in the novel), and Betsy von Furstenberg played Kate Croy. The play was performed at the Royale Theatre (now called the Jacobs Theatre) and directed by Jed Harris.

Composer Douglas Moore turned the story into an opera, which had its first performance on October 12, 1961, at the New York City Opera. Regina Sarfaty played Kate Croy in this version.

In 1963, Christopher Taylor adapted the work into a play for London’s Lyric Theatre on the West End. Frith Banbury directed it, and the cast included Gene Anderson as Kate Croy, Susannah York as Milly Theale, Wendy Hiller as Susan Shepherd, Elspeth March as Maud Lowder, and James Donald as Merton Densher.

The story was shown again as a television play by the BBC in 1979, directed by Rudolph Cartier. Another TV version was made in 1979, starring John Castle and Suzanne Bertish.

The Wings of the Dove has been made into three theatrical films: in 1981, 1997, and 1998. Iain Softley directed the 1997 version, which starred Helena Bonham Carter as Kate Croy, Alison Elliott as Milly Theale, and Linus Roache as Merton Densher. This film received mostly positive reviews and did well in movie theaters. Helena Bonham Carter was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1998, the story was adapted into a film called Under Heaven, which moved the setting from London to Seattle.