Terminations Henry James 9781230209586 Books
Download As PDF : Terminations Henry James 9781230209586 Books
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1895 edition. Excerpt ... THE COXON FUND "They've got lrim for life !" I said to myself that evening on my way back to the station ; but later, alone in the compartment (from Wimbledon to Waterloo, before the glory of the District Railway), I amended this declaration in the light of the sense that my friends would probably after all not enjoy a monopoly of Mr. Saltram. I won't pretend to have taken his vast measure on that first occasion, but I think I had achieved a glimpse of what the privilege of his acquaintance might mean for many persons in the way of charges accepted. He had been a great experience, and it was this, perhaps, that had put me into the frame of foreseeing how we should all, sooner or later, have the honor of dealing with him as a whole. Whatever impression I then received of the amount of this total, I had a full enough vision of the patience of the Mullvilles. He was staying with them all the winter Adelaide dropped it in a tone which drew the sting from the temporary. These excellent people might indeed have been content to give the circle of hospitality a diameter of six months; but if they didn't say that he was staying for the summer as well, it was only because this was more than they ventured to hope. I remember that at dinner that evening he wore slippers, new and predominantly purple, of some queer carpet-stuff; but the Mulvilles were still in the stage of supposing that he might be snatched from them by higher bidders. At a later time they grew, poor dears, to fear no snatching; but theirs was a fidelity which needed no help from competition to make them proud. Wonderful indeed as, when all was said, you inevitably pronounced Frank Saltram, it was not to be overlooked that the Kent Mulvilles were in their way still more...
Terminations Henry James 9781230209586 Books
Some time ago I started reading the complete stories edition of Henry James in the Library of America. It has been a great experience so far, and I am not yet through with it. The 4 stories assembled here are from the 4th of 5 volumes in the chronological order. They were written in the 1890s and they share a theme, the status of the writer or the intellectual in society. James had moved to England permanently by now, and he had failed to become a stage writer. His output of prose in stories, novels, and non-fiction was enormous. His success was flagging.My prejudice about James had made me expect a slow, obscure, humorless, prudish bore. This came from previous encounters, like a failure to appreciate The Ambassadors 20 years ago. I found myself wrong in several aspects. The prudery is still there, or shall we say, the absence of sexuality in any outspoken form. Humorless he is for sure not, though he did not produce any knee-slapping jokes. Slow is not a proper word for his narrative style; actually I find some of his texts too fast in the sense that developments must be found out from half sentences and allusions. Obscure he could be when he wanted, but he was not always so.
The 4 stories assembled here are not representative of what made me stick to my `James project'. They are a bit of a struggle.
'The Death of the Lion' is an ironic piece about the 'literary world', but, alas, not very funny, much overcrowded with 'literary' personnel. Too hectic, too complex. Had the master lost his light hand for humorous narration?
'The Coxon Fund' is a portrait of a wind bag and society parasite, told by a man with an unconquerable inability of simple expression. The situation is made even more complicated by the odd behavior of a formerly rich, now ruined young American woman. Like the previous story: overloaded, overstaffed, overcomplicated. Funny bits and pieces drowned in too much of everything. On the other hand, we can also read this as a story about a young woman who is disgusted with her fiancé's greed. This seems to me typical for James' stories of this period, good elements drowned in too much unnecessary action.
'The Middle Years' is about a sick writer and his reminiscences. What he considers his swan song is taken as his master piece by others. What he considers his last might well be his middle period. We don't know our fate, period. This is the best story in this volume.
'The Altar of the Dead' returns to a slower pace and pleases me more in this respect. The man who has built the altar is burdened with a morbid loyalty to the past and forgets about living now. His time is measured by death anniversaries. He meets a soul mate, a woman who devotes her days to mourning. The two meet again and again over years, and they make very slow progress at getting to know more of each other. Very British. It takes them years to find out that they share a piece of somebody's past. The story is a bit of a hoax insofar as it contains a mystery which is never solved.
Product details
|
Tags : Terminations [Henry James] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1895 edition. Excerpt: ... THE COXON FUND They've got lrim for life ! I said to myself that evening on my way back to the station ; but later,Henry James,Terminations,TheClassics.us,1230209581
People also read other books :
- Pointed Roofs Classic Reprint Dorothy Miller Richardson 9781440051432 Books
- Hate Story Nicole Williams 9781940448145 Books
- Recipes from the Southern Heart Volume 1 edition by Marjorie Kramer Cookbooks Food Wine eBooks
- The Erroneous Talibani 9780533162161 Richard Asner Books
- 92 Easy Ways to Save Money Simple Practical Tips for Saving Money Getting Out of Debt Fixing Your Credit and Living Financially Free SP Vernon 9781449963743 Books
Terminations Henry James 9781230209586 Books Reviews
Some time ago I started reading the complete stories edition of Henry James in the Library of America. It has been a great experience so far, and I am not yet through with it. The 4 stories assembled here are from the 4th of 5 volumes in the chronological order. They were written in the 1890s and they share a theme, the status of the writer or the intellectual in society. James had moved to England permanently by now, and he had failed to become a stage writer. His output of prose in stories, novels, and non-fiction was enormous. His success was flagging.
My prejudice about James had made me expect a slow, obscure, humorless, prudish bore. This came from previous encounters, like a failure to appreciate The Ambassadors 20 years ago. I found myself wrong in several aspects. The prudery is still there, or shall we say, the absence of sexuality in any outspoken form. Humorless he is for sure not, though he did not produce any knee-slapping jokes. Slow is not a proper word for his narrative style; actually I find some of his texts too fast in the sense that developments must be found out from half sentences and allusions. Obscure he could be when he wanted, but he was not always so.
The 4 stories assembled here are not representative of what made me stick to my `James project'. They are a bit of a struggle.
'The Death of the Lion' is an ironic piece about the 'literary world', but, alas, not very funny, much overcrowded with 'literary' personnel. Too hectic, too complex. Had the master lost his light hand for humorous narration?
'The Coxon Fund' is a portrait of a wind bag and society parasite, told by a man with an unconquerable inability of simple expression. The situation is made even more complicated by the odd behavior of a formerly rich, now ruined young American woman. Like the previous story overloaded, overstaffed, overcomplicated. Funny bits and pieces drowned in too much of everything. On the other hand, we can also read this as a story about a young woman who is disgusted with her fiancé's greed. This seems to me typical for James' stories of this period, good elements drowned in too much unnecessary action.
'The Middle Years' is about a sick writer and his reminiscences. What he considers his swan song is taken as his master piece by others. What he considers his last might well be his middle period. We don't know our fate, period. This is the best story in this volume.
'The Altar of the Dead' returns to a slower pace and pleases me more in this respect. The man who has built the altar is burdened with a morbid loyalty to the past and forgets about living now. His time is measured by death anniversaries. He meets a soul mate, a woman who devotes her days to mourning. The two meet again and again over years, and they make very slow progress at getting to know more of each other. Very British. It takes them years to find out that they share a piece of somebody's past. The story is a bit of a hoax insofar as it contains a mystery which is never solved.
0 Response to "[RZJ]⋙ PDF Terminations Henry James 9781230209586 Books"
Post a Comment