Henry James (1843

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Henry James (18431916)
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Henry James (18431916)
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Life
father-- an eminent philosopher and reformer
a wealthy cultured family
brother--a famous philosopher and psychologist
developed a life-long friendship with Howells,
who became his moral police
the cultural influence of Europe
In the Harvard Law School, he read French
novelists and critics.
He toured England, France and Italy, and met
Flaubert and Turgenev.
He settled down in London in 1876.
In 1915 he became a British citizen.
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Literary career three stages

• a. 18651882 international theme
• The American
• Daisy Miller
• The Portrait of a Lady

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• b. 18821895 inter-personal relationships and
  some plays
• The novels and plays were poorly received but he
  got a better knowledge of literary techniques.

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• c. 18951900 novels and tales dealing with
  childhood and adolescence, then back to
  international theme
• The Turn of the Screw
• What Maisie Knew
• The Ambassadors
• The Wings of the Dove
• The Golden Bowl

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Jamess international theme
are set against a large international background,
usually between Europe and America
focus on the confrontation of the two different
cultures with two different groups of people
representing two different value systems
novels
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innocence, enthusiasm, vulgarity, ignorance,
unsophistication, freshness, freedom,
individuality
American personalities of
contrast with
European personalities of
over-refinement, degeneration, complexity, high
cultivation,
American heroes and heroines, who confronted
European sophistication, either triumphed over it
or were overwhelmed.
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Jamess literary criticism(????)
is concerned with form
devoted to human values
The Art of Fiction
the artist should write about anything that
concerns him, even the ugly and the commonplace
the aim of the novel is to present life
Art must be related to life
"The only reason for the existence of a novel is
that it does attempt to represent life"
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Jamess literary techniques

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Explain the situation and character through one
or several minds
point of view
readers observe events and people through the
consciousness of characters and participate in
their experience
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• 2.

emphasizes the inner awareness and inward
movement of characters
psychological analysis
the forerunner of "stream-of-consciousness"
novels
the founder of psychological realism
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Style stylist

• a. over-elaborate style
• b. Language highly-refined, polished, (??)
  insightful, accurate
• c. Construction complicated, intricate

are not the liking of the common readers