（1843-1916） A famous novelist and literary critic Henry James （1843-1916） A famous novelist and literary critic
Life of Henry James Born in a wealthy family in New York to a philosopher and theologist father Brother William James a famous philosopher, psychologist, and founder of utilitarianism. Father encouraging children to familiarize themselves with all kinds of thoughts and things, to make their own judgment, to cultivate independent thinking (inwardness)
Life of Henry James Frequent tour to Europe learning Henry James with the long history and brilliant culture of Europe (known for his international topic, world citizen) Acquaintance with William Dean Howells in the 1860s and publishing short stories and articles on The Atlantic Monthly, North American Review
Life of Henry James Acquaintance with Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev, Gustave Flaubert, Guy de Maupassant, Emile Zola, and Adlai Ewing Stevenson Settling in London from 1875 on A English man in 1915 Death in 1916
Periodization of James’s Career The experimental period (1865-1881) Collection of creative materials and international subject Realistic, rich content Vivid characters Daisy Miller (1879) The Portrait of A Lady (1881) The American (1877)
Periodization of James’s Career The Second period (1881-1895) More forms of art (novel, story, play) Subject matters other than international cultural conflict (social and political problems but conservative) (The Bostonians, 1886; The Princess Casamassima, 1886) Morality and good conscience of modern man (What Maisie Knew 1897) Art and life (The Tragic Muse, 1890)
Periodization of James’s Career The Third Period (1895-1916) International cultural themes but more emphasis on the harmony between cultures and between men Ambiguous attitude toward European and American culture (sophistication & hypocrisy & arrogance vs. vulgarity & simplicity & equality & kindness) The Wings of he Dove (1902) The Ambassadors (1903) The Golden Bowl (1904)
Literary Contribution of James Literary criticism The Art of the Novel Terms: “theme” “technique” “narrative angle” “showing” (with the character’s interior monologue) and “telling.”
Literary Contribution of James Novel Creation Theories Content more important than form A novelist’s peculiarity in creation Novelist like artist Art based on life, reflecting realistically life, but elevating life Morality, truth and beauty as the novelist’s concern
Literary Contribution of James Psychological Realism Novels faithful to life Plot not so important as the characterization, esp. their psychological activities Plot depending not on external events but the characters’ internal consciousness Forerunner of Stream of Consciousness novel
Literary Features of Henry James The cultural conflict between Europe and America The psychological activities of character Upper class men and women, esp. children, women, artists and writers Fluid, orthodox, subtle, well-chosen language Integrity of form and content Dramatic effect Ambiguity in attitude towards many things
Negativity of Henry James’s Novels Narrow, sometimes disgusting, psychological “realities” Extravagant and ambiguous beyond the limit (the cathedrals of frosted glass) James a snobbish aesthete Too autobiographical Ornamented language
The Portrait of A Lady Characters Mr. and Mrs. Touchett Ralph Touchett Lord Warburton Casper Goodwood Gilbert Osmond Isabel Archer Madame Merle
The Portrait of A Lady Questions Who is the “lady”? What is the implied meaning of this word? What kind of person is Isabel Archer? What is James’s attitude towards the Europeans What is James’s attitude towards Madame Merle? What do you think about the structure of this novel?