Under the Skylights

In Short

Set against the backdrop of a rapidly industrializing American city, this volume follows the intersecting lives of earnest writers, struggling painters, and ambitious financiers. Whether depicting a novelist wrestling with the hypocrisies of his social betters, artists vying for lucrative corporate commissions, or a "squash painter" stumbling into unexpected fame, the narratives highlight the absurdity of the creative life in a society governed by bottom lines. It remains a timeless, wry study of the friction between idealism and the marketplace, written with a keen, observant eye for human folly.

The Story

Abner Joyce, a raw and ruggedly sincere young novelist, arrives on the literary scene with a desire to "set matters right" for a society he deems collectively corrupt. His rigid principles are quickly tested by his immersion in a world of socialites and artists. Despite his desire to remain unspotted, he is drawn into the orbit of Medora, a woman who manages his domestic and social transitions with effortless grace. She steers him toward the approval of the influential Mrs. Whyland, forcing Abner to navigate the very social circles he claims to despise. As he balances his role as an author against the demands of a "gentleman," he finds himself becoming an unwitting pawn in the social maneuvering of the elite.

Simultaneously, the city's artistic community is thrown into a frenzy by the construction of the "Grindstone," a monumental bank building. Led by the blustering but irrepressible Little O'Grady, a group of painters and sculptors attempts to secure the massive budget earmarked for interior decoration. They scramble to impress the board of directors—a collection of financiers like Andrew P. Hill and Jeremiah McNulty—by adapting their artistic visions to the whims of men who equate progress with marble columns and polished granite. The artists, including the intense Ignace Prochnow, find their professional dignity eroding as they are forced to lobby, flatter, and compromise their work to appease board members who are themselves teetering on the edge of financial ruin.

In the final movement, the narrative pivots to the curious case of Jared Stiles, a painter who dedicates his entire career to the singular, obsessive study of the squash. Jared’s quiet, rustic devotion stands in stark contrast to the chaotic professional scramble of the city artists. While the city’s “art circles” engage in desperate, high-stakes games of influence, Jared’s uncomplicated commitment to his subject—and his shrewd ability to manage his own financial interests—brings him a unique, if eccentric, form of success. His life intersects with the influential Dr. Gowdy, a clergyman and public orator who bridges the gap between the pulpit and the marketplace. By the end, the frenzied ambitions of the city dwellers, the crumbling empires of the financiers, and the simple, stoic success of the squash painter weave together to illustrate a landscape where art is often the first casualty of, or the final excuse for, a successful business deal.

How It Unfolds

The literary debut Abner Joyce launches his career with a grim, sincere book designed to reform the world. He soon finds himself struggling to reconcile his ascetic, rural values with the sophisticated, smoke-filled, and "decadent" social life of his new urban peers.

The social entrapment Medora, an adept social climber, systematically refines Abner’s rough edges, introducing him to the influential Mrs. Whyland. Abner is forced to attend functions he detests, sacrificing his autonomy for the sake of his career and the comforts of domesticity.

The bank commission The directors of the Grindstone bank decide to decorate their new building, triggering a desperate gold rush among local artists. Little O'Grady and his peers scramble to interpret the "Ideal" of finance through art, ignoring the warnings that the bank is financially unstable.

The financial unraveling As the artists grovel for commissions, the bank itself faces collapse due to reckless over-extension and the machinations of the "Pin-and-Needle" combine. The artists’ dreams of wealth shatter alongside the reputation of the bank directors.

The squash master Jared Stiles finds a strange, stable prosperity by painting only squashes, navigating the world with a shrewdness that the more "artistic" souls lack. His interaction with the oratorical Dr. Gowdy highlights the absurdity of how the world values—and mislabels—creative work.

The People

Abner Joyce is a gifted, humorless writer who wants to save the world but finds himself compromised by his own ego and the allure of social acceptance. He ends up caught in a web of obligations, his "rugged" identity softened by the very elite he intended to reform.

Medora is a pragmatic, graceful woman who treats social engineering like an art form. She successfully maneuvers Abner into a more polished life, acting as the architect of his public success while keeping her own desires carefully hidden.

Little O'Grady is the irrepressible, chaotic spirit of the "Rabbit-Hutch" studios. He refuses to be intimidated by anyone, acting as both the catalyst for the artists' hopes and the primary witness to their inevitable disappointment.

Jared Stiles serves as the book's ironic anchor. Unlike the other artists, he is not haunted by high-minded theories or the need for approval. By focusing on a single, humble subject, he achieves the financial and professional stability that eludes the more complex, anxious characters.

Dr. Gowdy is a populist clergyman who treats every issue as a performance. He bridges the gap between the spiritual and the material, ultimately providing the final judgment on what constitutes "art."

In Its Own Voice

"Here was the world with its many wrongs, with its numberless crying needs; and the thing for the strong young man to do was to help set matters right."

Abner Joyce’s initial ambition is described as a mixture of genuine concern and a touch of grandiose self-importance.

"He mastered the squash with all the ease of true genius."

The narrator describes Jared Stiles's single-minded and ultimately successful career path with dry irony.

What It's Really About

This book is a biting examination of the commercialization of the creative spirit. It asks whether integrity can survive in an environment where "art" is viewed merely as a commodity to be purchased by the wealthy to burnish their own status. Through the failure of the Grindstone commission and the success of the squash painter, the text suggests that the "art world" is often less about talent and more about the management of appearances. The characters’ obsession with how they are perceived by others—whether they are painters seeking commissions or writers seeking entry into salons—drains them of their purpose, leaving them to chase the shadows of success while the actual work of living, or painting, is neglected.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate a dry, ironic wit and a clear-eyed look at the absurdities of professional life will find much to admire here. The book is written with a sharp, journalistic precision that cuts through the sentimentalism of many 19th-century novels. It captures the frantic energy of a city transitioning into modernity, where the "art circle" is just as cutthroat as the stock exchange.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the dense, period-specific vocabulary and the somewhat meandering pace of the interconnected tales. The humor is subtle and often relies on an understanding of the social hierarchies of the time, which may require a moment of adjustment. What stays with the reader is the chillingly familiar portrait of the "artistic" ego—the way talented individuals convince themselves they are doing something meaningful while they are actually just catering to the whims of the powerful. It is a thoughtful, sobering, and often very funny reminder that the tension between "doing good work" and "getting ahead" is a struggle that rarely changes, no matter the era.