Portrait of Jennie

by Robert Nathan

• Release: 1940
• Format: Novella
• Genres: Fantasy, Romance
• Audience: Adults
• Content: Definite Time Travel
• Original Language: English

Never before had it occurred to me to ask myself why the sun should rise each morning on a new day instead of upon the old day over again; or to wonder how much of what I did was really my own to do. It may be that here on this earth we are not grateful enough for our ignorance, and our innocence. We think that there is only one road, one direction—forward; and we accept it, and press on. We think of God, we think of the mystery of the universe, but we do not think about it very much, and we do not really believe that it is a mystery, or that we could not understand it if it were explained to us.

VARIANTS

2 English variants

TRANSLATIONS

5 translations

DERIVATIVE WORKS

1. Portrait of Jennie by Paul Osborn et al. , directed by William Dieterle, (premiered at an unknown movie theater, Los Angeles, 25 December 1948).

TAGS(SPOILERS!)

Time Periods

• Circa AD 1900 to 1929: the youngest Jennie is from about 1916
• Circa AD 1930 to 1939: 1938 winter

Time Travel Methods

• Emotional Outcries through Time: There is a strong case that the strength of Jennie’s emotions (and perhaps Eben’s despondency) cause her to reach out through time. Unlike the 1948 film, others can see Jennie, so we never considered the possibility of her being a ghost.

TIME TRAVEL ITINERARY (SPOILERS!)

1. From circa 1916 ⋙ to Central Park, New York City, the “winter of ’38” (Eben’s time). Round trip. Note: We believe Jenny’s emotions to be strong enough to transport her through time to Eben, and perhaps Eben’s despondency plays a role. Jenny is a very young girl. A “little girl,” we guess about five and from 1916 based on later events.
2. From circa 1918 ⋙ to Central Park Skating Rink on 72nd Street, still the winter. Round trip. Note: We know that Jennie is at least two years older because she mentions that Cecili hasn’t been her best friend for two years. And she mentions the war, so let’s call her age 7 in 1918.
3. From 1922 ⋙ to Eben’s New York City apartment, shortly after their skating. Round trip. Note: Mrs. Gekes calls her “a young lady,” and since we know the year to be 1922 from the wire having just broken, we’ll say she’s 11.
4. From circa 1925 ⋙ to Eben’s New York City apartment, the Saturday after skating. Round trip. Note: Eben says she’s in her “early teens,” which we’ll say is 14 in 1925.
5. From circa 1928 ⋙ to Eben’s New York City apartment, a fortnight later. Round trip. Note: “. . . In the shadow of a vigorous young womanhood,” which we’ll peg at 17.
6. From circa 1929 ⋙ to the gallery, still late winter. Round trip. Note: Just a guess that this is Jennie’s next year, about 18.
7. From 1930 ⋙ to Eben’s New York City apartment, Apr-38. Round trip. Note: Jennie is about to leave for France, where she spends eight years before returning in 1938.
8. From September 1938, after spending eight years in France so she and Eben are now more or less the same age ⋙ to on the steamship Litania, perhaps the same time. Note: the storm in Cape Cod, off Provincetown, Massachusetts.

INDEXER NOTES (SPOILERS!)

• Debut—We spotted a <a href='image-1000000000'>1939 overseas edition for the armed forces</a>, distributed for U.S. Army and Navy personel. It is a paperback, not for sale, published by Armed Services, Inc. It may have been released slightly earlier than the 1940 first edition from Alfred E. Knopf, but since it was not available for general distribution, we don’t list it as the debut.
• French Translatioin—A later French edition, published by Terrain Vague with ISBN 2852080990 in 1988, is listed at <a href='https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodreads.com%2Fbook%2Fshow%2F6435145-portrait-de-jennie'>Goodreads</a> with an apparently incorrect title of <em>portrait de Jennie</em> [sic]. We don’t know whether that 1988 French edition or others listed at Goodreads as <em>Le portrait de Jennie</em> are is the same edition as this 1984 translation by Germaine Delamain with ISBN 2277216402.