Henry James
1) Daisy Miller
Daisy Miller is a fascinating portrait of a young woman from Schenectady, New York, who, traveling in Europe, runs afoul of the socially pretentious American expatriate community in Rome. First published in 1878, the novella brought American novelist Henry James (1843–1916), then living in London, his first international success. Like many of James' early works, it portrays a venturesome American girl in the treacherous waters of European
...The Golden Bowl is an intense, involved study of marriage, adultery and family ties. The central characters are a man and his daughter and James delves into their consciousness to explore the complexity of their relationship to each other and their respective spouses. The novel is often considered the completion of the "major phase" of James' career.
The Aspern Papers is a novella set in Venice. A young man travels to the city and takes lodgings with an old woman—the former lover of the dead American poet Aspern. The man believes the old woman still has some letters from Aspern and he ingratiates himself with her niece in an attempt to find them. Suspense builds around the motives and actions of James' masterfully drawn characters.
Explore timeless questions about spirituality, love, remembrance, and mortality with this tale from the pen of Henry James, a master of psychological suspense fiction. The two protagonists featured in The Altar of the Dead have dedicated their lives to remembering those who have passed on from this world, but find that honoring the dead can make living one's own life to the fullest a challenge.
Like many of Henry James' short stories, The Figure in the Carpet revolves around an artist whose body of work hides a deeper meaning and several other characters who bear the heavy burden of a momentous secret. When a group of friends unlocks the true significance of a misunderstood novelist's oeuvre, the weight of this knowledge bears unforeseen—and terrible—consequences.
Henry James, the nineteenth-century American writer who was lauded for his skill with insightful, elegantly styled prose, was fascinated by the differences between Americans and their European counterparts. This theme was a feature of many of his works, including the novella The Europeans. In this text, James takes a comic approach to highlighting the stark contrasts between the two cultures.
7) In the Cage
Long recognized as one of the most refined and insightful American writers of the nineteenth century, Henry James turns his keen powers of perception and observation to the case of a London telegraph operator in the novella In the Cage. Over time, the operator becomes adept at inferring personal details from customers' messages and develops an unhealthy interest in the quotidian lives of those she serves. A masterpiece of psychological subtlety,
...First published in 1886, The Bostonians is one of James' wittiest social satires. It begins with the arrival in Boston of Basil Ransom, in search of a career. The book turns on the relationship between Ransom, a conservative civil war veteran, his feminist cousin Olive Chancellor, and Verena Tarrant, a newcomer to their circle whose affections are sought by both Olive and Basil.
James' ambivalence towards the reformist movement is made
...In this tale from the master of subtle psychological insight, American writer Henry James, the narrator tells a story about a pair of star-crossed lovers who never find a way to make their ill-fated relationship work — and who punish everyone around them by constantly harping on the failed romance.
10) Hawthorne
Though Henry James is best remembered as a titan of nineteenth-century American literature and an important innovator in the domain of literary realism, he was also a key figure in the literary criticism of the period and helped to shape the era's critical sensibility. In this fascinating volume, James focuses his critical lens on Nathaniel Hawthorne, his creative forebear, who many regard as one of James' only true literary equals in the American
...11) The American
The American by renowned novelist Henry James offers readers a fascinating glimpse into the differences—and, though less pronounced—the similarities between American culture and European culture. Regarded as one of the most important American writers of his era, James' deft juxtaposition of these two cultural traditions—set against the backdrop of a subtly nuanced love story—will delight fans of literary fiction.
American author Henry James is regarded as one of the foremost figures in the genre that some critics call "trans-Atlantic" literature. His fiction often explores the tension between traditional European values and the brash, assertive national character of America. This epistolary novella captures the impressions of American visitors in Europe in a series of letters.
Washington Square by Henry James is the story of the gentle, dull Catherine Sloper who falls for the ambivalent Morris Townsend, who her father believes is a fortune hunter. When Catherine's father refuses to countenance the marriage and threatens to disinherit her if she proceeds, the dutiful Catherine is unable to choose between her father and the man of her dreams. Often compared to Austen for the precision and elegance of the prose Washington
...14) The Reverberator
In this lighthearted comedic novel from author Henry James, the august Proberts clan finds itself thrust into the unwelcome glare of the spotlight when tabloid newspaper The Reverberator publishes some of the family's dirty laundry. When the identity of the person who leaked the news is revealed, all hell breaks loose. Will they ever be able to overlook this grievous lapse of decorum and restore peace in the family?
Regarded as one of Henry James' finest works, the short story The Beast in the Jungle centers around protagonist John Marcher and his seemingly bizarre phobia—a pervasive sense of doom that prevents him from living his life to the fullest and precludes the possibility of him ever finding true love. This fascinating read highlights the psychological complexity that has earned James' fiction so much critical acclaim.
Henry James is widely recognized as one of the key figures in the American literary canon, but he was just one part of the brilliant and accomplished James clan. This moving memoir details Henry's early years with his beloved brother William James, the renowned psychologist and thinker.
17) The Patagonia
Grace Mavis may be engaged to be married, but to say she has mixed feelings about the impending union would be putting it mildly. On the sea voyage to reunite with her betrothed, Grace is determined to have one last wild time. But when her behavior crosses the bounds of propriety, tragedy ensues.
As the Victorian era drew to a close and the twentieth century loomed, women began to assert themselves more and take greater liberties. It was a shift that Henry James dealt with in many of his stories, including the beguiling novella Georgina's Reasons. The Georgina of the title is a mysterious figure who commits a number of transgressions for reasons that ultimately remain unclear. It's a masterful character study of the caliber only
...19) Roderick Hudson
In this beautifully wrought novel from master of American fiction Henry James, a talented young sculptor is taken under the wing of a rich and powerful patron who attempts to help foster the full emergence of the sculptor's creative prowess by setting him up in grand style in Italy. However, plans rarely go off as conceived, and before long, the sculptor Roderick finds himself unable to work and in love with the wrong woman.
American author Henry James often grappled with weighty topics in his work, and the story The Madonna of the Future—longer than a typical short story, but shorter than a novella—is no exception. Framed as an anecdote related among a group of men engaged in post-dinner chitchat, the story deals with an artist whose outsize ambitions and perfectionism have frozen him in a kind of creative paralysis. It's a profoundly thought-provoking
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