Project Gutenberg 2001-01-01 Public domain in the USA. 269 James, Henry 1843 1916 The Madonna of the Future Transcribed from the 1887 Macmillan and Co. edition by David Price, proofed by Jennifer Austin "The Madonna of the Future" by Henry James is a novella written in the late 19th century, during the transitional period between the Victorian era and the early modern age. The narrative explores themes of artistic aspiration, the struggle for perfection in art, and the complex relationships between artists and their subjects. Set primarily in Florence, it reflects on the nature of artistic ambition and the dichotomy between idealism and reality. The story centers on an American artist named Theobald, who is obsessed with creating a masterpiece—a Madonna that synthesizes the best attributes of past representations of the Virgin Mary. The protagonist, who serves as the narrator, recounts his encounters with Theobald, whose lofty ideals and passionate devotion to art seem at odds with his inability to create anything significant. As their friendship develops, the narrator learns about Theobald's muse, Serafina, a beautiful woman whose simplicity and maternal aura have captured Theobald’s imagination. However, Theobald's fixation leads to a tragic realization that time has worn away the freshness of both his muse and his own artistic prospects. Ultimately, the story serves as a poignant reflection on the struggle between artistic ambition and the harsh realities of life, culminating in a meditation on failure and loss. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Artists -- Fiction PS Text Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction 113987 113867 2024-09-01T13:21:46.417375 2023-10-02T03:41:19.627943 text/html text/html 113590 2021-01-01T00:07:47 text/html 43954 2021-01-01T00:07:47 text/html application/zip 89165 2024-09-01T13:21:49.743348 application/epub+zip 89475 2024-09-01T13:21:47.597365 application/epub+zip 89476 2024-09-01T13:21:46.882367 application/epub+zip 180923 2024-09-01T13:21:51.483351 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 172893 2024-09-01T13:21:49.303353 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 173036 2022-09-02T04:13:32.236995 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 106562 106485 2024-09-01T13:21:46.148357 2023-10-02T03:41:19.397935 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 106309 2021-01-01T00:07:47 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 42674 2021-01-01T00:07:47 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 17837 2024-09-01T13:21:51.626328 application/rdf+xml 13516 2024-09-01T13:21:47.222357 image/jpeg 3810 2024-09-01T13:21:47.050361 image/jpeg 89921 2024-09-01T13:21:46.428365 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia