The Real Thing

In “The Real Thing,” Henry James explores the intricate relationships between artistry, societal structure, and class in late Victorian England (1880-1901). The narrator reaches a remarkable level of control and mastery when it comes to subverting the social superiority represented by the Monarchs: “Whether they were or not was a subordinate and almost always a profitless question” (144). Despite the perceived apparent power of their status, his art has challenged their representation in a way that follows through with a new aesthetic economy. This observation causes an immense internal struggle for the narrator, as all his carefully planned and set processes for finding balance between the two powerful forces of real social power and artistic ideals come crumbling down. In effect, he could not have predicted that these amateur figures—and he has a “detestation of the amateur” (144)—would be able to compete on level as professional artists, thus making his situation all but impossible and his ultimate goal unattainable.

Specific scenes in the story also drive home this idea of class stratification, such as when Miss Churm resists the artist’s request that she make and serve tea for the Monarchs. Despite her own social standing, she hesitates to participate in what she perceives as an act of servitude that would undermine the power dynamics between them.