James, Henry - Life, Works and Fame of one of the main authors of the American Literature

The article is about Henry James, a famous American-born British writer. He is regarded as a key figure between literaròanguy realism and literary modernism and his figure is considered to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. Henry James reached his notoriety thanks to his main works: the short story “Daisy Miller” and the romance “A Portrait of a Lady”.

Henry James (1843 – 1916: Life)

An outstanding personality in the world of fiction, and a critic as well as a novelist, Henry James was born in New York in 1843.

He started his education under the supervision of his father, an eclectic philosopher, whose vivid sense of words and psychological insight he inherited.
The James's family had frequent sojourns in Europe, and Henry attended schools in London, Paris and Geneva. After attending Harvard law school for a short time, he decided to devote himself entirely to writing, and his short stories made him famous when he was only 25.
In 1869 James came to Europe; He visited England, where He met George Eliot and He went to France and tally, the background of so many of his works. During his stay in Europe, his cousin Minnie Temple died. She was the only woman of whom he had a strong, attachment, and James later portrayed her in two of his major novels, "The portrait of a Lady", and "The Wings of the Dove".
James made more visits to Europe, and in 1875 settled in Paris, where He met the leading writers of the time, like Zola, Maupassant, Daudet, Flaubert and the Russian Turgenev. From the latter he learnt that it is not so much the story but the character that matters in fiction.
In 1876 He settled in London, where He produced some of his major works: "The American" (1877), "Daisy Miller" (1879) which won hi man international reputation, and "The Portrait of a Lady (1881)", with which He became an important figure in the world of literature. These novels are considered international in that they present two worlds, or societies – the American and the European – in contrast with each other. "Washington Square" (1881) and "The Bostonian" (1886) are different from the rest of his works because they present exclusively "American life".
After a short visit to America in 1881, James spent the rest of his life in Europe, mainly in England, in contact with writers, critics and painters. In particular, He was on friendly terms with R.L Stevenson, E. Gosse, and later J.Conrad, H.G Wells and R. Kipling. The second phase of his literary career was marked by such works as "The Spoils of Poynton" (1897), "What Maisie Knew" (1897) and "The Turn of the screw" (1899), a ghost story.
"The Wings of the Dove" (1902), "The Ambassadors" (1903) and "The Golden Bowl" (1904) marked a return to the international theme. James also spent years revising his works, which testifies to his concern for style as well as his great professional awareness.
World War I aroused in James a strong feeling of love for England, prompting him to take British citizenship in 1915. He received the Order of Merit from the King in the same year. He died in 1916 and his ashes were taken tot eh United States and buried in the family plot.

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Main Work: "The Portrait of a Lady"

is a novel by Henry James, first published in 1881. It is one of James's most popular novels and is regarded by critics as one of his finest.

The Portrait of a Lady is the story of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer, who, "affronting her destiny," finds it overwhelming. She inherits a large amount of money and subsequently becomes the victim of two American expatriates. Like many of James's novels, it is set in Europe, mostly England and Italy. Generally regarded as the masterpiece of James's early period, this novel reflects James's continuing interest in the differences between the New World and the Old. It also treats in a profound way the themes of personal freedom, responsibility, and betrayal.
Isabel Archer, from Albany, New York, is invited by her maternal aunt, Lydia Touchett,at her estate near London,at the death of Isabel's father. There, Isabel meets her uncle, her friendly invalid cousin Ralph Touchett, and the Touchetts' robust neighbor, Lord Warburton, who suddendly proposes to her but gets rejected.

She also declines the hand of Caspar Goodwood, the charismatic son and heir of a wealthy Boston mill owner. Although Isabel is drawn to Caspar, her commitment to her independence precludes such a marriage, which she feels would demand the sacrifice of her freedom.

The elder Touchett grows ill and, at the request of his son, Ralph, leaves much of his estate to Isabel upon his death. With her large legacy, Isabel travels the Continent and meets an American expatriate, Gilbert Osmond, in Florence. Although Isabel had previously rejected both Warburton and Goodwood, she accepts Osmond's proposal of marriage, unaware that it has been actively promoted by the accomplished but untrustworthy Madame Merle, another American expatriate, whom Isabel had met at the Touchetts' estate.

Isabel and Osmond settle in Rome, but their marriage rapidly sours, owing to Osmond's overwhelming egotism and lack of genuine affection for his wife. Isabel grows fond of Pansy, Osmond's presumed daughter by his first marriage.

Isabel then learns that Ralph is dying and she wants to see him one more time, but Osmond selfishly opposes this plan. Meanwhile, Isabel learns from her sister-in-law that Pansy is actually the daughter of Madame Merle, who had had an adulterous relationship with Osmond for several years.

Isabel pays a final visit to Pansy, who desperately begs her to return someday, which Isabel reluctantly promises to do. She then leaves, without telling her spiteful husband, to comfort the dying Ralph in England, where she remains until his death.

Goodwood encounters her at Ralph's estate and begs her to leave Osmond and come away with him, but Isabel flees. Goodwood seeks her out the next day but is told she has set off again for Rome.

The ending is ambiguous, and the reader is left to imagine whether Isabel returned to Osmond to suffer out her marriage in noble tragedy (perhaps for Pansy's sake), or if she is going to rescue Pansy and leave Osmond.