The Tragic Muse

"The Tragic Muse" by Henry James is a story set in the late 1800s, about the tough decisions artists must make to follow their dreams. It follows Nicholas Dormer, a young man stuck between what his family wants for him and his own artistic desires, alongside Miriam Rooth, an actress battling to be taken seriously for her art. The novel kicks off with the Dormer family visiting an art show in Paris, where discussions about art reveal different views and hint at the struggles between fitting in and being true to oneself. Nicholas's interactions with his family and the unique Gabriel Nash show the beginnings of the big questions about what society expects, what people want, and what it means to be an artist.