Book Description

The Outcry was a play written by Henry James in 1909, near the end of his most productive stage. He had written a number of plays, which had been performed to less than enthusiastic audiences, although they had garnered some critical acclaim. American producer Charles Frohman asked James to write a play for the 1909 London repertory season and he would be one of a group of distinguished writers such as Shaw and Maugham. The play was written but not performed. It was delayed due to the death of King Edward VII and ultimately not performed until after the death of Henry James himself. In the meantime, James decided to transform it into a novel. It was published in 1911 and was the last completed novel to be published before James' death. The plot of The Outcry concerned a group of wealthy Americans who were using their money to buy up British art collections. The play had an overtone of comedy to it, despite the serious veneer. Lord Theign, who has an impressive art gallery of old masters, has been driven into debt by the waywardness of his older daughter, Kitty Imber. He turns to the idea of selling off some of the masterpieces to an American collector, Breckinridge Bender.