Belchamber
1905 novel by Howard Sturgis
Belchamber is a 1904 novel by Howard Sturgis.
Plot
The story follows the life of Sainty, Marquis of Belchamber, from childhood to his mid-twenties. Sainty is shy, physically weak, likes knitting and dislikes sports. After much goading from his mother (Lady Charmington), he marries Cissy. However, she turns out to find him repugnant, and the marriage is unconsummated. Cissy later gives birth to a son, who Sainty realises is the result of an affair with his cousin Claude. Despite this, Sainty feels great love for the baby and is devastated when it falls ill and dies. As they grieve, Sainty and Cissy learn that an uncaring Claude has become engaged to someone else.
Literary significance and criticism
The novel received mainly poor reviews from readers and critics, although E. M. Forster deplored the lack of readership the book received. Edith Wharton, a personal friend of Sturgis', nonetheless praised the novel.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Belchamber” as 1905 novel by Howard Sturgis. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1905 novel by Howard Sturgis. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4882042. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1904.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Belchamber”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Belchamber primary sources, Belchamber archive and Belchamber research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Belchamber”?
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- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Belchamber” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.