The Bostonians

“She’s a female Jacobin—she’s a nihilist

Before Basil Ransom meets his cousin Olive Chancellor, her sister Adeline Luna confirms that Olive is “a roaring radical” (7) and that her associates are “witches and wizards, mediums, and spirit-rappers” (7). Mrs. Luna mocks suffragists by likening them to the Jacobins, a violent political group responsible for the Reign of Terror in Revolutionary France. This passage serves several purposes. It establishes a contrast between Mrs. Luna, a conservative and a socialite, with Olive. It also is an early indication of the disparaging picture that James will paint of feminists. Finally, it establishes a contrast between Olive and Basil, a Southern conservative who by his own admission “never saw” any “progress” (18). This passage sets the stage for how Olive and Basil, who are representative of their respective beliefs, will battle each other throughout the novel. 

“That was the way he liked them—not to think too much, not to feel any responsibility for the government of the world, such as he was sure Miss Chancellor felt.” 

When Basil first meets Olive, he immediately senses that she is “morbid” (11), unlike women “of his own soft clime” (11). He prefers women who are “private and passive” (11) and who leave important issues “to the sex of tougher hide” (11). Basil’s traditional beliefs are a major focus of the novel and will grow ever more important as he falls in love with young feminist