The Spoils of Poynton (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Henry James (Author), David Lodge (Editor) "Mrs. GERETH had said she would go with the rest to church, but suddenly it seemed to her she shouldn't be able to wait even..." (more)
Key Phrases: Owen Gereth, Fleda Vetch, Miss Vetch (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Short novel by Henry James, first published as a serial titled The Old Things in The Atlantic Monthly in 1896. Retitled The Spoils of Poynton, it was published as a book in 1897. Poynton Park is the home of old Mrs. Gereth, an antique collector with impeccable taste who has filled her lodgings with splendid art objects and furniture. The possessive Mrs. Gereth wants her weak-willed son to marry a pleasant young woman who shares her refined tastes. Instead he becomes engaged to a vulgar, greedy woman, and the treasures of Poynton become the prize over which mother and fiancee battle. In the end Poynton and its spoils, which have destroyed all of the novel's relationships, are immolated in a fire of undetermined origin. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Mrs Gereth is convinced that Fleda Vetch would make the perfect daughter-in-law. Only the dreamy, highly-strung young woman can genuinely appreciate, and perhaps eventually share, Mrs Gereth's passion for her 'things' - the antique treasures she has amassed at Poynton Park in the south of England. Owen Gereth, however, has inconveniently become engaged to the uncultured Mona Brigstock. As a dramatic family quarrel unfolds, the hesitating Fleda is drawn in, yet she remains reluctant to captivate Owen, who seems as attracted to her as she is to him. Is she motivated by scruple or fear? In "The Spoils of Poynton (1897)", Henry James created a work of exquisite ambiguity in his depiction of three women fighting for the allegiance of one weak-willed man.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (March 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140432884
• ISBN-13: 978-0140432886
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #725,224 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully made parable, May 16, 1998

By	Kelly (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spoils of Poynton (The World's Classics) (Paperback)

Fleda is gifted with sensitivity to beauty. She finds it in the "things" her friend Mrs. Gereth has spent a lifetime collecting and in Mrs. Gereth's son, Owen. If Fleda acted with even a touch of cunning -- or just acted, period -- she could possess both. James gives her many opportunities, but, for some maddening reason, she won't seize them. Why? James is at his enigmatic best in this tightly plotted tale written after his experiences as a playwright led him to show more and tell the reader less.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spoils quite a Prize!, September 24, 1997

By	Kenneth H. Jones "tatkhj" (Hansville WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Henry James' Spoils of Poynton is a jewel--quite a prize indeed. His shorter fiction and essays are among his most balanced efforts. He's a writer who is constantly obsessed with polishing his work. And the larger the piece the more cumbersome and tedious that polishing often becomes for him. This small work with few of the devisive distraction that seem to haunt his major projects, contains some his crispest and most telling dialogue. And you may feel in certain succinct instances that you have somehow entered profoundly into the pysche of that character for a moment Here, at least on those rare occasions, James' subtlety and charm counterbalance his observation of human cruelty with all the poise the author may have wished..

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice piece of 1890s James, June 23, 2005

By	A Reader (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

Negative reviews of this small gem baffle me. The writing is so refined that in the best passages slide forth in a leisurely, ambling brilliance. Fleda Vetch, who dreams away the chance of marriage and ruins both her own and her loved one's prospects, in her indecision and her vanity, has a great Jamesian fineness and clearness. The dialogue is crisp and witty. The possessive, acute Mrs Gereth a wonderfully large creation; and the ending a satisfying moment of justice after a bitter climax. Recommended.