Henry James A Critical Study With A Portrait

Presents critical analyses of five novels by Henry James, each with a plot summary and list of characters, and includes a biography of James, and an index of themes and ideas.

One of the subjects of deepest and most enduring interest to Henry James was the creative experience of writers and critics. This study examines James's fictions about this experience, placing them within the context of James's critical work and enabling the reader to see this body of work as James himself did: as a coherent, extended portrayal of the creative experience of the writer-critic.

Excerpt from Henry James a Critical Study Let me say at once that I regard the works of Mr. Henry James as those most worthy of attention by the critics - most worthy of attention of all the work that is to-day pouring from the groaning presses of continents. In saying this I conceal for the moment my private opinion - which doesn't in the least matter to anyone, though it is an opinion that can hardly be called anything but mature - that Mr. James is the greatest of living writers and in consequence, for me, the greatest of living men. I might, that is to say, have thought, as I have, that Mr. James is the greatest of living men without ever contemplating thus setting out to write a book about him. A man may be supremely great and offer no opportunity for comment of any kind. I cannot, that is to say, imagine any serious writer setting to work to say anything about Shakespeare, about Turgenieff, or for the matter of that about Nelson or Moltke. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Henry James (1843-1916) has been championed as an historian of social conscience and attacked as a spokesman for social privilege. His Americanness has been questioned by nativists and defended by Brahmins. Critics took issue with his lucidly complex style. "It's not that he bites off more than he can chew, but that he chews more than he bites off," a contemporary complained. Although he was an acknowledged master in his final years, James' narrow readership has dwindled in the century since his death. This book examines allusions, sources and affinities in James' vast body of work to interpret his literary intentions. Chapters provide close analysis of Daisy Miller, The American, The Beast in the Jungle and The Wings of the Dove. His fascination with poet Robert Browning is discussed, along with his complicated relationship with Marian "Clover" Adams and her husband, Henry, who was the author of The Education of Henry Adams. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

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"A bibliographical note: Blackmur's essays on Henry James": p. 243-244. Includes index.