Washington Square is a simple tragicomedy that recounts the conflict between a dull but sweet daughter and her brilliant, unemotional father. After the death of his beautiful and gifted wife Dr. Sloper's heart has grown cold, but his head functions perfectly. He is pretty cruel to his daughter Catherine and against her romance with Morris Townsend.

Henry James (1843-1916) was an American-British writer who spent most of his writing career in Britain. James is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He is best known for a number of novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, English people, and continental Europeans – examples of such novels include The Portrait of a Lady, The Ambassadors, and The Wings of the Dove.