Henry James rg/wiki/Henry_Jam es

Biography Henry James came from a remarkable New York City family: his father, an eccentric and independently wealthy man, undertook the education of all his children; his brother William would become one of America's most important philosophers; and his sister, Alice, was a perceptive diarist. In 1876 James moved to England, where he devoted himself to writing; his novels were often international in scope, exploring the comic or dramatic effects of an American in Europe or a European in America.

Works James wrote short stories, plays, essays, and many classic novels, including The American (1877), Daisy Miller (1878), The Portrait of a Lady (1881), The Bostonians (1886), The Wings of the Dove (1902), and The Ambassadors (1903). For decades firmly established as one of America's major literary figures, James is revered as a critic, as a subtle psychological realist, and as an unsurpassed stylist and craftsman.

Basics about James The first American writer to plan an international career Ranked with Mark Twain as the greatest American novelist of the second half of the 19th century 3 phases: 1. international theme (Daisy Miller) ; 2. experimental (The Bostonians); 3. sophisticated psychological insights (The Wings of the Dove)

Themes Self-awareness and clear perception of others yield wisdom and self-sacrificing love The innocence and exuberance of America contrasted with the corruption and wisdom of Europe

style For him, art makes life, makes interest, makes importance. Long sentences. Elevated vocabulary.

Daisy Miller (1879) wiki/File:DaisyMillerPo ster.jpg

Plot Summary ( Daisy Miller and Winterbourne first meet in Vevey, Switzerland, where he is vacationing from his studies. They are introduced by young Randolph Miller, Daisy's brother. Randolph considers his hometown of Schenectady, New York, to be superior to all of Europe, especially for the quality of candies. Daisy, however, is absolutely delighted with the continent, especially the high society which she wishes to enter.VeveySchenectady Winterbourne is at first confused by her attitude, but soon determines that she is nothing more than a young American flirt. He continues his pursuit of Daisy in spite of the disapproval of his authoritarian and snobbish aunt Mrs. Costello, who spurns any family with so close a relationship to their courier as the Millers have with their Eugenio. She also thinks Daisy is a shameless girl for agreeing to visit the town with Winterbourne after a mere half hour together. The two have a fine time touring the Château de Chillon, then Winterbourne informs Daisy that he must go to Geneva the next day. Daisy extracts a promise from him to meet her in Rome, and they part.Château de ChillonGenevaRome In Rome, Winterbourne and Daisy meet unexpectedly in the parlor of Mrs. Walker, a fellow American. Daisy is undeterred by the open disapprobation of the other Americans in Rome, and her ineffectual mother seems quite unaware of the underlying tensions. Winterbourne attempts to extricate Daisy from her situation, but she refuses to take any of it seriously. One night, Winterbourne takes a walk through the Colosseum and, at its center, sees Giovanelli standing in front of Daisy. Winterbourne tells himself that Daisy is too common for him to love. He warns her about the danger of "Roman Fever" to her health, and she rushes home, although protesting that she doesn't care. Daisy falls ill, and dies a few days later.ColosseumRoman Fever

Five points of Calvinism Total depravity Unconditional election Limited atonement Irresistible grace Perseverance of the saints Nature of the atonement

questions Think of the story in terms of the following opposites: Reality and appearance Knowledge and innocence Action and meditation Nature and urbanity

“The Real Thing” wp- content/uploads/2010/01/ The-Real-Thing.jpg

Questions from a Website A. What is the setting and how is the setting important? B. What are the Monarchs like? C. What does the narrator mean by the “real thing”? D. What is the narrator like? E. What kinds of people make the best models? F. Why don’t the Monarchs make good artistic models? G. Why does the narrator continue to use them even if they don’t work?

H. Why does he discontinue their use as models? I. Why doesn’t he keep them as servants? J. Do such people as the Monarchs still exist and why? K. Are you a “real thing” in any fashion? L. How does James’s work fit the definition of realism? M. What is irony and how does it exist in all three stories?

Question 1. Analyze The Real Thing as a story in which James explicitly chooses to define the word real, and show how James's characterization of the Monarchs evolves a theory of fiction.