There are few authors whose style is as divisive as Henry James’. Littered with adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns his works paint in depth scenes of even the most mundane happenings; with paragraphs often running across several pages. While this has infuriated and alienated many readers and critics it has also seeped into the hearts of others and played an important role in literary evolution. He also stands out as one of history’s most important trans-Atlantic writers with his works offering a stark insight into the life of a New World American trying to fit into the established and ordered Victorian society.
James’ grandfather had made his fortune in banking and investments. This had allowed James’ father to pursue a career in philosophy and lecturing and James, and his siblings, in turn to try to make their way in the world as men and women of words and ideas. This familial wealth also allowed James’ father to travel Europe as he wished; alternating between France, England, Switzerland, and America depending on taste, mood, and finances.
As such the young James grew up with an eclectic array of world experiences. Yet a sense of difference and not entirely belonging seems to have permeated James’ experiences of Europe. These impressions only grew after 1869 when James settled in London. He had determined to live abroad as a man of letters some years before but had found it impossible to support himself as a writer in Rome or Paris. Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, still proved too provincial on his return and so it was in London that James settled.
Photo of Henry James from the frontispiece of 'Short Story Classics (American) Volume Three' photographer unknown, 1905
Here he was able to secure contracts from publishers for serial instalments that would, in turn, be published in book form. James was not a fan of this form of serialised writing and the limitations it imposed on style and content. It provided a means of subsistence through the written word, however, and James continued to compose these serials as well as one-act plays and articles until literary success and inherited wealth allowed him to do otherwise.
The move to London proved vital to the development of James’ style and career. Many of his works revolve around Americans as they come to Europe and the stark differences between their homes and this new Old World. ‘The Portrait of a Lady’, James’ first successful novel, uses this template to tell the story of Isabel Archer as she adapts to life as an American in Europe.
Newly arrived in Europe Isabel is courted, along with her inheritance, by two fellow American expatriates: Osmond and Goodwood. Though she marries the former it soon becomes evident that there is little passion between the two and Goodwood begins to try and woo her away. ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ is not only a reflection on the complexity of human relationships but also an expose on the societies and people of America and Europe and the differences between them. In the end Isabel is left with a choice between the safety of her relationship with her dour husband or the wild passion that Goodwood represents.
‘The Portrait of a Lady’ was the culmination of what many critics and academics refer to as James’ first period. Building on earlier works like ‘Daisy Miller’ it contrasted the social conventions of Europe and America and explored the role of women in society, what was expected of them and how they should act. While he doesn’t jettison the themes of human interaction, social conventions, and the expatriate in his later works James’ approach to the subjects change during his later periods.
Photo of Henry James by Alice Boughton, before 1916
In the 1890s, following the success of ‘The Portrait of a Lady’, James tried in earnest to establish himself as a playwright of note on the London scene. Though he would never achieve the fame or success of Wilde or J.M. Barrie James did achieve some success on the stage. This change in mediums coincided with an increased focus on the consciousness of James’ characters and the evolution of his language. When he returned his focus to the long novel form in his third period James retained these changes, using them to craft possibly his most famous work ‘The Wings of the Dove’.
By the time of his death in February 1916 James had established himself as a formidable and well respected author. Though his complex language alienated many it secured his legacy in the literary world. James had eschewed the traditional narratives and styles of writing to create his own voice. This voice proved to be one of the loudest in the new realist movement and the work of James has since gone on to influence literature and culture in numerous ways.
Join Susan as she talks with Dr Michael Hinds and award-winning biographer Lyndall Gordon about the life and literary legacy of Henry James. What distinguishes him from other writers? Is he as complex and impenetrable as his critics make out? And how did his writings impact on women and their role in society?
Rounding out the show ‘Talking Books’ continues to look to the past as Susan delves into Penguin Books’ new range of Little Black Classics. In celebration of its 80th birthday the publishing house has produced 80 short books containing some of the greatest pieces of writing from Antiquity on. Not restricting itself to any genre or period this affordable range of texts covers everything from ancient dramas to political essays and war poetry.
Join Susan as she talks with one of the series editors, Simon Winder, about this fantastic collection of short works. What are some of the more interesting works included? Why did they choose the books they did? How were the editors restricted and liberated by the size of the works? And why did Penguin choose to celebrate their 80th birthday this way?
