Project Gutenberg 2001-01-01 Public domain in the USA. 419 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.) Reading ease score: 69.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Artists -- Fiction PS Text Category: Novels Category: American Literature 114118 2025-08-01T13:30:52.016339 text/html 113590 2021-01-01T00:07:47 text/html 43954 2021-01-01T00:07:47 text/html application/zip 109626 2025-08-01T13:30:56.124339 application/epub+zip 109699 2025-08-01T13:30:53.622340 application/epub+zip 109701 2025-08-01T13:30:52.600327 application/epub+zip 225188 2025-08-01T13:30:57.915339 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 217174 2025-08-01T13:30:55.471339 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 173036 2022-09-02T04:13:32.236995 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 106562 2025-08-01T13:30:51.713335 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 106309 2021-01-01T00:07:47 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 42674 2021-01-01T00:07:47 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 18299 2025-08-01T13:30:58.054294 application/rdf+xml 13453 2025-08-01T13:30:53.127350 image/jpeg 3793 2025-08-01T13:30:52.878345 image/jpeg 108377 2025-08-01T13:30:52.027372 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia