Henry-James

HenryJames(1843-1916)•novelist,literarycritic,playwrightandessayist•LivinginthetransitionalperiodbetweenRealismandModernism.Works•DaisyMiller1879•TheAmerican1877•ThePortraitofaLady1881(1865-1881internationalnovel/theme)•TheBostonians1886•ThePrincessCasamassima1886(1882-1895talesofinter-personalrelationships)•“WhatMaisieKnew”1897•(1895-1916novellasandtalesdealingwithchildhoodandadolescence;internationalnovel)•TheWingsoftheDove1902•TheAmbassadors1903•TheGoldenBowl1904•“TheArtofFiction”(Literarycriticism)Life•HenryJameswasbornintoawealthyculturedfamilyofNewEngland.•Hisfather,HenryJames,Sr.wasaneminentphilosopherandreformer,andhisbrother,WilliamJames,wastobethefamousphilosopherandpsychologist.•HenryJameswasoneofthefewauthorsinAmericanliteraryhistorywhodidnothavetoworryaboutmoney.•HewasexposedtotheculturalinfluenceofEuropeateaveryearlyage.•Laterhemetanddevelopedalife-longfriendshipwithWilliamDeanHowells.•ForawhileheattendedtheHarvardLawSchool.•HetouredEngland,FranceandItaly,andmetFlaubertandTrugenevwhowasthenstayinginParis.•HesettleddowninLondonin1876andspenttherestofhislifethere.In1915,hebecameanaturalizedBritishcitizen.Evaluation•HenryJameswasaprolificwriter.Hecomposednovels,travelpapers,criticalessays,literaryportraits,plays,autobiographiesandaseriesofcriticalprefacesontheartoffiction.•HenryJamesproducedanumberofinternationalnovels.Hewasfascinatedwithhis“internationaltheme”.•DaisyMillerwonhiminternationalfame.•Thelast3onesrepresentthesummitofhisart.•James’contributiontoliterarycriticismisimmense.•InhiswholewritingcareerJameswasconcernedwith“pointofview”(observingeventsandpeoplethroughtheconsciousnessofthecharacters)whichisatthecenterofhisaestheticofthenovel.Theauthorshouldavoidartificialomniscienceasmuchaspossible.•Heis,today,aworldliteraryfigure,oneofthe“largest”tocomeoutofAmericaduringthe19thcenturyandtheearly20thcentury,aremarkableNewWorldbridge.TheAmbassadorTheAmbassadors,consideredbyHenryJameshimselfashisbestwork,isthemostexquisiterefinementofhisfavoritetheme:thecollisionoftheAmericanwithEuropeanexperience.JamesrecountsthecontinentaljourneyofLouisLambertStrether--afiftyyearsofoldmanwhohasbeendispatchedabroadbyarichwidow,Mrs.Newsome.TheAmbassadorHismissionistosavehersonChadwickfromthecontrolofawickedwoman,andtoconvincehersontoreturntoWoollett,Massachusetts.Insteadofperfectlyaccomplishinghismission,thisall-AmericanenvoyfindsEuropeaniceplaceandisattractedtoit.•HealsofindsthatadmittedlyParishas“improved”Chadbeyondrecognition,andconvincinghimtoreturntotheU.S.isgoingtobeataskwhichseemsquiteimpossibletofinish.Atlast,Stretherchangedhismindaftersuchhesitationandconsideration.•InsteadofadmonishingChadforhisintention,hepersuadedhimtostayinParis.Theplotinthenovelarenotcomplicated,almostnophysicalactionlikeotherlaternovelsofHenryJames.FromthepointofviewofStrether,readersseeandhearallthingsandexperienceinthemindofStrether.ItisnotonlyajourneyofParis,butajourneyofmindaswell.NarrativeTechniques•ItiswidelyheldthattheuncertaintyinTheAmbassadorsfundamentallyresultsfromHenryJames’sdramatizationofthenarrative.Itbeginswithadiscussionabouthissuggestionofdramatizationandhiscomplexattitudestowardsformofnarrative.Jamesthinksthatthereader’sstrongsenseoftheauthor’spresencedetractsfromthestoryitsdramaticvividness,whiletheauthor’sdetachmentaddstotheworktheeffectofobjectivity.NarrativeTechniques•Toachieveit,unlikethetraditionalwriters,HenryJamesattemptstouseaninnovativemeansofnarration:centralconsciousness,asuccessfulexperimentofHenryJamesandtherealmofnarrationaswell.Impersonality•Heattemptstoavoidadisturbingandunwarrantedincursionoftheauthorintotheworkbyanymeans.Thetechniqueofimpersonalitymainlyconcernstwoaspects:thethirdpersonnarrationandthetechniqueofcenterintelligence(意识中心）.•James’snovelsaremostoftenthe“portrait”ofaladyoraman.Andmostofhisnarrators•presenttheirstoriesinthethird-personnarrative.Jamespracticallybanishedthe“I”narratorinhispracticeandtheoryofthenovel.Thischangeofnarratorfromthefirstpersontothethirdperson.farfrombeingamerelytechnicalone,canexplainJames’scomplexattitudetowardsimpersonality（作者退场）.Centerintelligence(意识中心)•Thisisalimitedpointofview，withwhichthenovelcanbeconstitutedbywhatoneormorecharactersees，hears，feelsandthinks.Thisoneormorecharactercanbecalled“centralintelligence”.Theynarrateandthenovelistrarelycomestostage.Thustheunityandcoherenceofthenovelareemphasizedtotheutmostbythesinglenessofthepointofview.•HenryJames对小说叙事的观察点和角度进行了多次实验,创造了一个新的叙述方式,即”意识中心”的叙述方式,这种方式既不同于全知叙述的方式(小说中没有那位无所不知的叙述者),也不同于自传体的叙述方式(即不用第一人称”我”的观点来叙述故事),而是让作品中的某一个角色来充当小说故事的叙述人,一切都从这个角色的视点出发,这是一种有限的视角,故事完全由一个或几个人物所看,所听,所感,所思构成,即由一个或几个精巧细致的”意识中心”来讲述故事,作者极少出现。•这种手法并非第一人称叙事，它是对属于作品中某一个或某几个人物的视觉和知识的近于戏剧化的呈现。这种视点打破了作者的全知全能，读者与作品中人物一起经历喜怒哀乐。EuropeversusAmericaTheperceptualconflictbetweenAmericaandEuropeexistsinTheAmbassadors,anditcanbedemonstratedmostlythroughwomen.Mrs.Newsome,inTheAmbassadors,representstheWoollettandthePuritanethic,whileMadamdeVionnetisasymbolofParis.StretherinitiallyviewsMrs.Newsome,atypicalAmericanpuritan,andMadamedeVionnet,atypic