The Real Thing was written by Henry James in 1891. According to his notebook dated February 22, 1891, the idea for the story is came in the form of a real incident disclosed. by his friend Georges du Maurier. James juxtaposes an unimaginative, upper-class couple with a poor, unrefined girl who understands the artist's purpose. The narrator is an artist who draws in black and white for magazines publishing short stories. He uses these people as models. For the artist, illustrating stories is a way to make money, not an art form. This is explained when he says: “My “illustrations” were my boilers; I turned to a different branch of art – by far the most interesting it has ever seemed to me – to perpetuate my fame. In fact, he would rather be known as an artist than as a story illustrator. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayJames writes “The Real Thing” to validate his theory that art is not an exact copy of life, but a reproduction that goes beyond revelation. the “truth” in reality. The story's narrator expresses "an innate preference for the depicted subject over the real subject: the real subject's defect was so often a lack of representation." When he painted his upper-class models, Major and Mrs. Monarch, he felt obligated to ensure that the images were exact replicas of their appearances. The artist describes the paradox of Miss Churm, his usual model: "She was just a freckled cockney, but she could represent everything from a beautiful lady to a shepherdess." Since he draws gentlemen and ladies in his illustrations, the artist initially believes Monarchs would be good models, as they truly belong to the distinguished class. In contrast, James characterizes Miss Churm as the archetypal cockney Londoner of her era. As such, she can only imitate the characters she models for. Problems soon arise in the narrator's efforts to use monarchs in more than one story. Drawing Mrs. Monarch, he says: “She was the real thing, but still the same thing. » Mrs. Monarch can only represent a woman of her own class. The artist is incapable of guessing qualities in women that are reflected in women of a condition other than his own. It contains no truth beyond its limited self. Critic Adam Sonstegard argues that Henry James did not want much information on a subject he set out to write about because it would limit the scope of his imagination (11). Miss Churm has few distinctive attributes, allowing her figure to develop further. The artist is free to exhibit his original form. James recognizes that not everyone understands an artist's need for such intellectual freedom. Mrs. Monarch notes that although she and her husband are recognizable in the designs for which they modeled, Miss Churm was hidden. Instead of an inspiring role model, idea, or topic being hidden because it is ugly or offensive, it is hidden because it undergoes a metamorphosis that ends in something better. "If [Miss Churm] was lost, it is only as the dead who go to heaven are lost - all the more in an angel's gain." James includes editors and publishers among those who do not understand the meaning of art. They may work with great artists and even have an influence on the success of an artist's work, but they don't understand what art is supposed to convey. The narrator's fellow artist and friend, Jack Hawley, describes this feeling by: 1999.