Henry James

Brief biography

Henry James is the second of the five children (William, born in 1842, Garth Wilkinson, born in 1845, Robertson, born in 1846, and Alice born in 1848) of Henry James senior and Mary Robertson Walsh. The fortune acquired by his/her grandfather, Irish emigrant made at the the United States in 1789, had put the family at the shelter of the constraints of the daily life. His/her older brother, William James, will become professor with Harvard and will make known himself for his philosophy pragmatist. In spite of solid bonds with Henry, the competition between the two brothers always created latent psychical conflicts.

After a five years stay in Europe, the family is established, in 1860, New England where it remained during the civil war. In September 1862, Henry James is registered with the Faculty of Law of Harvard, quickly abandoned vis-a-vis the desire being “quite simply an arts person”. In 1864, it publishes its first news anonymously, as well as critical reports intended for reviews. The story off has Year , its first signed news, appears in issue of the March 1865 of the Atlantic Monthly .

From February 1869 in spring 1870, James travels to Europe, initially in England, then in France, Suisse and Italy. Of return to Cambridge, it publishes its first novel Watch and Ward ( the glance with the aguets ). By May 1872 at March 1874, it accompanies his/her Alice sister and her aunt in Europe where it writes reports of voyage for The Nation . It begins with Rome the writing of its second novel Roderick Hudson , published as from January 1875 in the Atlantic Monthly , which inaugurates the “international” topic of confrontations of the cultures of refined Europe and often amorale and of rougher America, but right.

After a few months with New York, it again embarks for Europe the October 20th 1875. After a stay with Paris, where it binds friendship with Tourgueniev and meets Flaubert, Zola, Maupassant and Daudet, it settles, in July 1876, with London. Five years that it master key will be fertile there: in addition to many news, it publishes The American (1877), The Europeans (1878), a test on the poets and novelists French ( French Poets and Novelists , 1878)… Daisy Miller , published in 1878, is worth to him the fame on the two sides of the Atlantic. After Washington Public garden (1880), The Portrait off has Lady is often regarded as a masterly conclusion in the first manner of James.

His/her mother dies in January 1882, whereas James remains with Washington. It returns to London in May and accomplishes a voyage in France (from which will be born, under the title has Little Tour in France , a small guide which will be used for several generations of travellers in the areas of the Loire and the South). It returns in a way precipitated to the the United States where his/her father dies the December 18th, before its arrival. It returns to London in spring 1883. In 1884, his/her sister Alice, nevrotic, joined it with London where she will die the March 6th 1892.

In 1886, it publishes two novels, The Bostonians ( the Bostonians ) and The Princess Casamassima , which associates with political and social topics (Féminisme and Anarchisme) the search for a personal identity. Two short novels in followed 1887, The Reverberator and The Aspern Papers ( papers of Jeffrey Aspern ), then The Tragic MUSE in 1888.

Although become an author with the recognized talent, the incomes of its books remained modest. It decides then, in the hope of a more important success, to devote itself to the theater. In 1891, a dramatic version of The American meets a small success in province, but receives a reception more mitigated with London. He will write then several parts which will not be assembled. In 1895, the first of Guy Domville finishes in the disorder and the hootings. After this failure, it returns to the novel, but while applying to it, little by little, the new technical skills acquired during its short dramatic career. In 1897, it publishes off The Spoils Poynton ( skins of Poyton ) and What Maisie Knew ( what Maisie knew). Then come the Romance large last: The Wings off the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903) and The Golden delicious Bowl (1904).

In 1903, James is sixty years old and a “evil of the impassioned country” invades it. The August 30th 1904, it has unloaded with New York, for the first time for twenty years. It leaves the the United States the July 5th 1905, after having given many conferences through all the country. Its impressions will be joined together in a volume entitled The American Scene .

Before its return in England, it develops, with the Éditions Scribner, the project of a final edition of its writings, The Novels and Tales off Henry James, New York Edition , which will comprise, in the long term, twenty-six volumes. Between 1906 and 1909, it works with the establishment of the texts, not hesitating to make significant corrections to its oldest works, and writes eighteen forewords which give penetrating sights on the genesis as of its works and its literary theories. The lack of success of this company affects it durably.

In 1915, disappointed by the attitude of the the United States vis-a-vis the war which makes rage on the continent, it requires and obtains British nationality. It has an heart attack the December 2nd, followed by one second the 13. It receives the Order of Merit the New Year's Day 1916 and dies the February 28th.

Works (nonexhaustive list)

Henry James was a prolific writer. He wrote nineteen novels, more than one hundred of news, some plays (which were not, for the majority, ever played) and of many accounts of voyage. It was also a literary critic of foreground. It maintained throughout its life an important correspondence (several thousands of letters), in particular with other famous writers (Robert Louis Stevenson, Joseph Conrad, Edith Wharton).

In connection with " The animal in the jungle": " The animal in the jungle" is a superb text. And as opposed to what thinks about it Henry, it is not it that as a reader includes/understands immediately. Henry, in a comment on his text, confuses incomprehension - the solid and colossal barrier, thick and colorless, iniquitous to see shitting - John Marcher and of the reader. The reader is with May. It is May which is superb; as vast, rich person as a jungle - all colors of a fire that one lets die out, which one however lit, a fire projettant a majestic shade on these old high interiors of ceilings in the James, in this medium - May is all the desire which runs vision that one has of a jungle. The beauty of John, alone May sees it and there drips, not the reader, so much it is of speed, it is dispatched like this: it takes along it sometimes twelve times in month to opera, and one explains us that it is there for John To go way of doing counterweight to selfishness from which he comes to previously show in one these discussions where they probe are pit (they are the rate/rhythm of the text, and each last counterpart is sphinx for John when so much the sublime wave of May is presented), his pit with him. Henry crafty person conceals the magic operated on May by John with his operas and its etc, let us not doubt it, magic which was there so that May appears then in our eyes so beautiful so desirable, while reading I see only one kissing I dream some. And it is: in our eyes, although description is supposed to be worth in the eyes of John, here is a coarseness that of speaking about the eyes of a blind man. John makes us to pleasure with us readers only at the time when it includes/understands, it already died. And no matter what you say Henry of it, it is not here that the reader must include/understand! or all the text is lost, May. And John gives us pleasure whipped by the density rougeoyante of the face of a man obviously destroyed by a mourning, mourning of a real passion, lived. John pleases to us when as an accident (until the end the same old woman connects!) he throws the head the first on the tomb of May; Henry pleases to us by making some his last sentence.

; Novels

Roderick Hudson (1876) ( Roderick Hudson )
The American (1877) ( the American )
Daisy Miller (1878) ( Daisy Miller)

The Europeans (1878) ( Europeans )

The Portrait off has Lady (1881) ( a portrait of woman )

Washington Square (1881)

The Bostonians (1886) ( the Bostonians )

The Princess Casamassima (1886) ( the Princess Casamassima )

The Tragic MUSE (1890)

What Maisie Knew (1897) ( what Maisie knew)

The Wings off the Dove (1902) ( Wings of the Dove )

The Ambassadors (1903) ( the Ambassadors )

The Golden Bowl (1904) ( gold Cut)

; News

In the Cage (1898)

Owen Wingrave ( Owen Wingrave )

The Aspern Papers (1888) (Papers of Aspern)

The Awkward Old (1899)

The Beast in the Jungle (1903) ( the animal in the jungle )

The Diary off has off Man Fifty

The Figure in the Carpet '' the image in the carpet ''

The Friends off the Friends ( friends of the friends )

The Private Life ( the Private life )

The Spoils off Poynton (1897)

The Turn off the Screw (1898) ( the turn of nut )

The Pupil (1891) (the Pupil)

Travelling Companions

Italian Bruise ( The Aspern Papers , The Diary off has off man Fifty , Travelling Companions ), shorts stories by Henry James, ED. Zulma, coll Classics, Paris, 2005,192 p.

; Theater

Guy Domville (1895)

; Accounts of voyage

has Little Tour in France (1884)

English Hours (1905)

The American Scene (1907)

Italian Hours (1909)

Critical bibliography

Laurette Veza, Henry James, the Field of the glance , Paris the Roundtable, 1989,343p
David Lodge, the author! The author! editions Shores pocket n° 557 (Payot) translated from English by Suzanne V. Mayoux.
Nancy Blake, James, writing and absence, Cistre, 1985
Leon Edel, Henry James, a life , Threshold, 1990
Evelyne Labré, Written on the abyss: last novels of Henry James , University Presses of Lyon, 1990.

External bonds

the site The Henry James scholar' S Guide to Web Sites contains consultable works on line and many bonds.
The Ladder contains many texts of James annotated by Adrian Dover and consultable on line.

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