Night and Day

Set in Edwardian London, Night and Day (1919) contrasts the daily lives and romantic attachments of two acquaintances. The novel deals with issues concerning women's suffrage, if love and marriage can coexist, and if marriage is necessary for happiness. The main characters are: Katharine Hilbery is the granddaughter of a distinguished poet and belongs to a privileged class. Katharine agrees to marry Ralph. Ralph Denham, a lawyer who occasionally writes articles for a journal edited by Trevor Hilbery, Katharine's father. Ralph is in constant pursuit of Katharine. Mary Datchet, the daughter of a country vicar, works in the office of an organization that campaigns for the enactment of women's suffrage. She falls wildly in love with Ralph Denham. William is a frustrated poet and dramatist, who often subjects others to his mediocre works. He is Katharine's first romantic interest.