Story summary
Samenvatting van De Amerikaan
- 8 min. leestijd
- 10 parts
- Binnenkort te beluisteren
A wealthy American in Paris sets out to marry the loveliest woman in France, and her proud old family sets its terms.
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De Amerikaan in het kort
Samenvatting: 8 min leestijd
- Leestijd
- Ongeveer 8 h 45 min7 h fast, 10 h 25 min slow
- Lengte
- 125.300 woorden
- Bibliotheekniveau
- Gemiddeld longer sentences, everyday words
- Voor het eerst verschenen
- 1877by Henry James
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). Hoelang het duurt om de klassiekers te lezen · Bijgewerkt
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De Amerikaan in short
The American follows a man who has won everything but a purpose. Christopher Newman makes a fortune, quits business after a strange hour in a cab, and crosses the ocean to buy pleasure, art and a perfect wife. He finds Madame de Cintré and seems, at the height of a grand ball, to have got just what he came for.
What De Amerikaan is about
A tall American lies on a divan in the Louvre in May 1868 with a headache from too much art. Within minutes he has bought a copy of a Madonna, been overcharged for it, and decided he does not mind. Who is this man, and what does he want from Paris?
The American is a novel by Henry James, written in the 1870s. Christopher Newman has made a fortune in the American West and walked away from business at thirty-six. He has come to Europe for pleasure, for art, and for a wife. You will meet a French family that guards eight hundred years of pride, and a young woman who sells bad paintings with great skill. The ending stays yours to find.
Voor wie is het?. Readers who enjoy a clever comedy of manners that darkens as it goes, and anyone curious about Americans abroad, family pride, love and money.
The story in 10 parts
Key idea 1 · free to read
A Louvre bargain shows who Newman is
Christopher Newman, a lean American of thirty-six, lies back on a divan in the Louvre. He has looked at every picture marked with a star in his red guidebook, and his eyes ache.
A young woman at an easel is copying a Murillo Madonna. Newman asks the price, and she writes two thousand francs in his guidebook, far too much for a copy. He takes her for an honest girl, and she is delighted to be taken so. Her name is Noémie Nioche. Her father soon shuffles up, a little old man who has lost his money and his courage. Newman agrees to take French lessons from him on the spot.
Newman does not haggle, and he holds no grudge once he guesses he has paid too much. He is shrewd in business and strangely unguarded in everything else. A man this open trusts too easily, and the book will test it.
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A strange hour in a cab ends his career
In the Louvre Newman meets Tom Tristram, an old acquaintance from St. Louis.
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Newman states exactly what wife he wants
Tristram takes Newman home, where his wife waits.
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A summer of sightseeing turns Newman thoughtful
Newman calls at the Hôtel de Bellegarde and is turned away.
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Count Valentin becomes his friend and ally
Back in Paris, Newman moves into a gilded suite full of mirrors and clocks.
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He proposes and promises to wait six months
Newman finds Madame de Cintré alone and speaks plainly.
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The family accepts Newman and holds a ball
Valentin takes Newman to meet the rest of the family.
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Money cannot buy a place in the old order
The book keeps asking what a person is worth.
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Honor and appearances rule many lives
Almost every character acts for the sake of how things look.
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A comic voice makes the story easy to follow
James tells the story in a warm, amused voice that speaks of Newman as our friend or our hero.
Read all 10 key ideas now
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Characters, plot and themes
Main characters
- Christopher Newman A self-made American who has quit business at thirty-six and wants Europe's best, including a magnificent wife.
- Madame de Cintré A gentle, graceful young widow of the old Bellegarde family, shy under her mother's rule and longing for a quieter life.
- Valentin de Bellegarde Her witty younger brother, a penniless count who likes Newman and enjoys the spectacle of his courtship.
- Marquis Urbain de Bellegarde The elder brother, polished and cold, who guards the family name and treats Newman with a thin, permanent smile.
- Madame de Bellegarde The old marquise, a small, upright woman who rules her children and cares only for rank and propriety.
- Mrs. Tristram A clever, ironical friend who matches Newman with Madame de Cintré, partly out of curiosity about the result.
- Noémie Nioche A pretty young Parisian who sells poor copies of famous pictures and plans to rise in the world by her wits.
- Mrs. Bread An old English servant in the Bellegarde household who has loved Madame de Cintré since birth and watches Newman with hope.
How it ends (spoiler)
The Bellegardes break their promise and Madame de Cintré enters a Carmelite convent. Valentin dies after a duel over Noémie. Mrs. Bread gives Newman the dying marquis's written accusation of murder against his wife, and Newman threatens to expose the family but cannot go through with it. At last he throws the paper into the fire, ashamed of wanting revenge, and lets the Bellegardes go.
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Vragen over De Amerikaan
What is The American by Henry James about?
It follows Christopher Newman, a wealthy American who quits business and goes to Paris to find a magnificent wife. He falls for Madame de Cintré and meets resistance from her proud aristocratic family, who have strong views about birth and money.
Who is Christopher Newman?
Newman is a self-made man from the American West who started earning his living as a boy and made a fortune in trade. He is open, humorous, generous and plain-spoken, with little education in art or manners but a strong sense of fair play.
Who are the Bellegardes in The American?
They are an old French noble family living in the Rue de l'Université. The old marquise rules her children, Urbain is the cold elder brother, Valentin is the witty younger son, and Madame de Cintré is the daughter Newman wishes to marry.
When was The American written and is it a true story?
Henry James wrote it in the 1870s as a work of fiction. The characters and plot are invented, though the setting of Paris in the 1860s and the contrast between Americans and Europeans reflect real social attitudes of the time.
Is The American easy to read?
It is approachable because most of it is lively conversation. The humor keeps scenes moving, Newman is a clear and likable guide, and settings range from the Louvre to drawing rooms and the opera.
Verwijs naar deze uitgave
James, Henry. The American. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-american.
James, H. (2026). The American. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-american (Original work published 1877)
James, Henry. The American. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-american.
@book{james2026american,
author = {James, Henry},
title = {The American},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-american},
note = {First published 1877}
}
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