Essay from the year 2012 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, University of Augsburg, language: English, abstract: The novel Washington Square, written by Henry James in 1880 takes place during the 1840s in New York, in the neighborhood of Washington Square. The story can be summarized and sub-divided into different actions of drama: Firstly, the reader is provided with the family background of the main characters. The author starts off with a detailed portray of Austin Sloper.