The Sense of the Past (published in 1917) - A posthumous novel by Henry James

Henry James was one of the greatest literary figures of the 19th century and his works are considered mini masterpieces of the time. He was born in New York City into a wealthy and intellectual family. Young James was tutored in the many learning centers of Europe and also studied at the Harvard Law School for some time. But he liked his literary pursuits to the study of law. James preferred living in Europe than in America and even renounced his American Citizenship for its refusal to enter in to World War I. He was a regular contributor to literary magazines and started his first novel “Watch and Ward” in his early twenties. His masterpieces like “Daisy Miller” and “Portrait of a Lady” quickly followed. His protagonist are complex individuals battling personal and provincial prejudices and many a time bring about the complexities of American and European lives. Henry James died at the age of 65 and his ashes are interred at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Sense of the Past is a sweet comedy where a young American travels across time to find his ancestors. This novel was published posthumously and was largely left unfinished by the author. A large break between time and errors in aligning the characters dent the image of this book. Ralph Penderel is a history buff and his treatise on how to read history when published suitably impresses a long lost relative. So Ralph is bequeathed a old London house by the relative after his death. Ralph travels to London to view the house which is now his. As he wanders across the rooms he fonds certain disturbances. This disturbances are the break in the time line and the house has the ability to transport anybody to another time zone.



Ralph meets his ancestor who has his own name and is vastly intrigued. He meets the US ambassador at the embassy to ask for help and returns to this house. But soon he is transported to the old 19th century England where his ancestors had lived. Henry James abandons this book at this stage and carried on with life. Towards his early seventies he revived this book to escape the horrors of World War I. But many feel that as a old man he did not have the energy and the technical prowess to tie the loose ends and start the novel from 1900. Instead the book makes a quantum leap to circa 1914 where Ralph is leading the life of his ancestors.
Ralph lives in 1914 england and is engaged to a woman called Molly Modmore. But he soon is attracted to her sister Nan who has a slimy suitor Cantopher Bland. As the name suggest Bland is as Bland can get and Nan soon gets entangled with Ralph. Ralph also has to contend with their fearsome brother and mother. Here the novel breaks off completely as James would be in his death bed. Extensive notes reveal that Nan gets to know that Ralph actually belongs to the 20th century and sacrifices her own happiness to return him to his own time-line. He reunites with his old flame Aurora Coyne and lives on.
This book even though unfinished held a special fascination for the readers and was well received. It was also made in to a play and would have had the approval of Henry james. A good book to enjoy.