# The Real Thing and Other Tales

By Henry James.

"The Real Thing and Other Tales" by Henry James is a collection published in 1893. The title story follows an unnamed illustrator who hires a down-on-their-luck aristocratic couple, the Monarchs, as models. Though they embody the perfect genteel type, they prove rigid and inflexible for his work. Meanwhile, two working-class subjects—an Italian man and an Englishwoman—prove far more adaptable. When a fellow artist warns that the Monarchs are damaging his art, the illustrator faces a difficult choice between authenticity and artistic success. (Summary by Project Gutenberg, written by machine.)

- Language: English
- Subjects: Short stories; Married people -- Fiction; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Social classes -- Fiction; Artists -- Fiction; Artists' models -- Fiction

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From Project Gutenberg. Public domain in the United States.