The Altar of the Dead
by Henry James
- First published
- 1915
- Reading level
- Plain English
- Price
- Free
About the book
"The Altar of the Dead" by Henry James is a short story published in 1895. The tale follows George Stransom, who creates a private ritual of lighting candles in a church to honor his deceased friends and preserve their memory from oblivion. When he befriends a woman who shares his devotion to the dead, he discovers she mourns the one person he refuses to forgive. Their spiritual connection fractures over this single name, forcing Stransom to confront whether love and forgiveness can transcend even the deepest wounds of the past.
- Death
- Forgiveness
- Memory
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #642. The Altar of the Dead on Wikipedia.
