Henry James (1843 — 1916) Henry James (1843—1916)

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

Literary career: three stages  a. 1865~1882: international theme  The American  Daisy Miller  The Portrait of a Lady

 b. 1882~1895: inter-personal relationships and some plays  The novels and plays were poorly received but he got a better knowledge of literary techniques.

 c. 1895~1900: 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

James ’ s 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

American personalities of European personalities of innocence, enthusiasm, vulgarity, ignorance, unsophistication, freshness, freedom, individuality American heroes and heroines, who confronted European sophistication, either triumphed over it or were overwhelmed. over-refinement, degeneration, complexity, high cultivation, contrast with

James ’ s literary criticism( 文学评论 ) the artist should write about anything that concerns him, even the ugly and the commonplace “ The Art of Fiction ” is concerned with form devoted to human values Art must be related to life "The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life" the aim of the novel is to present life

James ’ s literary techniques 1. “ point of view ” Explain the situation and character through one or several minds readers observe events and people through the consciousness of characters and participate in their experience

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

Style – “ stylist ” a. over-elaborate style b. Language: highly-refined, polished, ( 文雅 ) insightful, accurate c. Construction: complicated, intricate are not the liking of the common readers