Henry James

Daisy Miller is a novella by Henry James that first appeared in Cornhill Magazine in June-July 1878, and in book form the following year. It portrays the courtship of the beautiful American girl Daisy Miller by Winterbourne, a sophisticated compatriot of hers. His pursuit of her is hampered by her own flirtatiousness, which is frowned upon by the other expatriates when they meet in Switzerland and Italy. Annie "Daisy" Miller and Frederick Winterbourne first meet in Vevey, Switzerland, in a garden of the grand hotel 2] where Winterbourne is allegedly vacationing from his studies (an attachment to an older lady is rumoured). They are introduced by Randolph Miller, Daisy's 9-year-old brother. Randolph considers their hometown of Schenectady, New York, to be absolutely superior to all of Europe. Daisy, however, is absolutely delighted with the continent, especially the high society she wishes to enter. Winterbourne is at first confused by her attitude, and though greatly impressed by her beauty, he soon determines that she is nothing more than a young flirt. He continues his pursuit of Daisy in spite of the disapproval of his 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 Ch teau de Chillon with Winterbourne after they have known each other for only half an hour. The next day, the two travel to Ch teau de Chillon and although Winterbourne had paid the janitor for privacy, Daisy is not quite impressed. Winterbourne then informs Daisy that he must go to Geneva the next day. Daisy feels disappointment and chaffs him, eventually asking him to visit her in Rome later that year. In Rome, Winterbourne and Daisy meet unexpectedly in the parlor of Mrs. Walker, an American expatriate. Her moral values have adapted to those of Italian society. Rumors about Daisy meeting with young Italian gentlemen make her socially exceptionable under these criteria. Winterbourne learns of Daisy's increasing intimacy with a young Italian of questionable society, Giovanelli, as well as the growing scandal caused by the pair's behavior. Daisy is undeterred by the open disapproval of the other Americans in Rome, and her mother seems quite unaware of the underlying tensions. Winterbourne and Mrs. Walker attempt to persuade Daisy to separate from Giovanelli, but she refuses any help that is offered. One night, Winterbourne takes a walk through the Colosseum and sees a young couple sitting at its center. He realizes that they are Giovanelli and Daisy. Winterbourne, infuriated with Giovanelli, asks him how he could dare to take Daisy to a place where she runs the risk of catching "Roman Fever". Daisy says she does not care and Winterbourne leaves them. Daisy falls ill and dies a few days later.

Having travelled from her native New York to London to meet her relatives, Isabel Archer, a young, independently minded young woman, rejects the marriage proposals of two suitors in her determination to stay in control of her destiny. When she suddenly comes into a large legacy, Isabel believes that this windfall will finally ensure the freedom that she yearns for and embarks on an exhilarating journey through France and Italy, only to find her endeavours thwarted by the sinister plotting of some of her acquaintances. Considered by many to be Henry James’s finest novel, The Portrait of a Lady is a subtle examination of Victorian society and power relations, providing a groundbreaking psychological study of its protagonist. This volume is based on the authoritative New York Edition, and includes the author’s seminal preface.

Los papeles de Aspern (en ingl s, The Aspern Papers) es el t tulo de una novela corta de Henry James publicada por primera vez por entregas en la revista The Atlantic Monthly en 1888, y aparecida en libro al a o siguiente. La obra se inspira en una an cdota real que lleg a o dos del autor acerca de un bostoniano llamado Silsbee, que sent a adoraci n por el poeta Shelley. Es una de las obras m s conocidas y aclamadas de James.

Se trata de la historia de Isabel Archer, una mujer estadounidense que "afronta su destino", destino que encuentra abrumador. Tras heredar una gran suma de dinero, se convierte en la v ctima de un maquiav lico plan. Al igual que otras muchas novelas de James, transcurre principalmente en Europa, particularmente en Inglaterra e Italia. Considerada generalmente como la obra maestra de los primeros trabajos de Henry James, refleja su inter s en las diferencias entre el Nuevo y el Viejo Mundo. Tambi n trata en profundidad temas como la libertad personal, la responsabilidad, la traici n y la sexualidad.

Eugene Pickering es un relato corto que Henry James public en 1874 en la revista Atlantic Monthly y que incluy m s tarde en la primera de sus recopilaciones de historias breves. Como en casi todas sus primeras obras (aunque son motivos recurrentes en toda su literatura) el relato se sit a en un marco extranjero -Alemania- y muestra las diferencias casi antag nicas entre norteamericanos y europeos, si bien muy matizadas y, en algunas ocasiones, caricaturizadas.

Maggie vuelve a encontrarse con su amiga Charlotte, bella y culta, pero sin dinero, y a trav s de unos amigos, el matrimonio Assingham, conoce a Amerigo, un pr ncipe italiano de rancio abolengo pero tambi n sin medios de subsistencia. Padre e hija deciden volver a casarse, y sus respectivas parejas ser n la joven Charlotte y el pr ncipe Amerigo, sin saber que ambos han sido amantes en el pasado. Adam y Maggie contin an la misma vida de antes, haci ndose compa a y coleccionando obras de arte, a pesar de que ahora tienen otro v nculo que atender. Charlotte y Amerigo vuelven a ser amantes, pero Maggie comienza a sospechar de ambos, y una visita accidental a una tienda de antig edades le proporcionar la prueba. En ella compra la copa dorada, un objeto de lujo que Charlotte quer a haber regalado a Amerigo antes de que ambos contrajeran matrimonio, pero que ste rechaz por tener una fisura. Maggie comienza a desplegar una estrategia muy sutil para separar a los dos amantes. Hace frente a Amerigo y Charlotte, pero sin revelar que tiene pruebas de su adulterio, y poco a poco convence a su padre para que regrese a Estados Unidos con su mujer. La novela termina con Adam y Charlotte a punto de embarcar de regreso a su pa s.

No, no-there are depths, depths The more I go over it, the more I see in it, and the more I see in it, the more I fear. I don't know what I don't see-what I don't fear ".... Henry James In "The Turn of the Screw", Henry James has created a different kind of ghost story; what he later described as "the strange and sinister embroidered on the very type of the normal and easy." Although the imagery is reminiscent of the gothic genre, the approach is more subtle, inviting the reader to ponder the true nature of the evil that may be present.