Henry James

Henry James’ biography

Let's get to know Henry James a little better.

Early Life

Henry James was born in New York City on 15 April 1843. His parents were well-off, privileged, and educated. His mother came from a rich New York family, and his father was a philosopher, lecturer, and academic who had inherited money from his father, a banker. His father provided a varied cultural education for the young Henry.

As a shy, bookish youth, he travelled widely with his family throughout his childhood, spending time in Geneva, Paris, and London. They spent the most time in France, where James learned French. He had a rich, multicultural childhood and was exposed to many European influences.

Adulthood

Henry James' adult life can be split in two parts, his life before fame and his life after fame.

Life before fame

At 19, Henry James enrolled at Harvard Law School but mainly spent his time reading literature, including Nathaniel Hawthorne and Balzac. His first story appeared anonymously two years later in the New York Continental Monthly.

He befriended the American novelist William Dean Howells, and together they helped establish and define the movement of American Realism.

In 1869-70, he spent 14 months travelling around Europe, meeting influential literary figures of the day, including John Ruskin, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, and William Morris. He tried to establish himself as a freelance writer in Paris and Rome, returning to America when these efforts failed.

He was a studious and patient writer and spent ten years writing short stories and journalistic pieces before attempting a full-length novel.

Life after fame

After 1875, he spent almost all of his time in Europe, finding it was more suited to his work and temperament than America, to which he only returned a couple of times during the rest of his life.

His first notable novel was Roderick Hudson, published in 1975. It was the beginning of a long and prolific career. The Portrait Of A Lady (1881) is widely regarded as his first masterpiece.

After a period during which French Realist writers heavily influenced him, James attempted to write for the theatre. His dramatic work was poorly received, which led to him completely changing his approach to develop his prose style.

After his attempt in theatre, his work became more symbolic and abstract, much less definably realist in style, and pointing the way towards the early 20th century modernist novel.

Henry James died on 28th February 1916 in London.

Notable works and quotes from Henry James

Let's discuss some of his famous works and memorable quotes.

Books

We'll look at two novels and briefly mention Henry James' short stories.

The Portrait Of A Lady (1881)

Henry James’ first notably successful novel, The Portrait Of A Lady, is one of his most popular and critically acclaimed works. It was originally published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillan’s Magazine in 1880-81, before being published as a book in 1881. Set in England and Italy, it deals with the life of a passionate American woman named Isabel Archer, who inherits a sizable fortune and falls victim to the schemes of two Americans who intend to steal the money from her. Like many of James’ books, it addresses the tensions between Europe and America's old and new worlds.

The Turn Of The Screw (1898)

The novella The Turn Of The Screw is a ghost story with gothic horror elements.

It tells the tale of a young woman working in her first job as a governess on a remote estate. The estate is being haunted by ghostly apparitions that seem to have dark intentions for the two children that are her responsibility. As the governess attempts to protect them from these sinister, ghoulish figures, we are left unsure whether the ghosts are real or whether she has gone insane. It is a masterpiece and probably the book for which Henry James is best known.

Short stories

During his lifetime, Henry James wrote many short stories. Let's take a look at some of them:

• 'The Liar' (1888)
• 'Brooksmith' (1891)
• 'The Real Thing' (1892)
• 'The Figure in the Carpet' (1896)
• 'Mrs Medwin' (1901)

Henry James: common themes

Some of the recurring themes in Henry's works were: the old world vs the new world, freedom, and secrets.

Old world vs new world

Henry James’ main theme is the contrast between the old, traditional, corrupt, wise world of Europe and America's exuberant, industrious, youthful, new-moneyed world. He was interested in how the past influences the present in these settings. His works frequently feature expatriate American characters in European countries - a natural way to explore this theme.

Freedom

In his works, Henry James explores the freedom or lack thereof of the individual. This freedom is related to independence. In The Portrait of a Lady, the protagonist, Isabel Archer, values her independence as a woman in a man's world. She turns down a marriage proposal from Lord Warburton because she doesn't want to give up her freedom to live her life on her own terms. Lord Warburton himself sees things differently - he assumes that by offering her wealth and stability, he's allowing her to secure freedom. However, Isabel views freedom not as security but as a constant exploration.

Secrets

Most of the characters in Henry James' works are secretive. The stories revolve around the things that they hide. This theme is significant in The Turn of the Screw. The governess's secrets destroy her relationship with the children she looks after. If the governess had shared her secrets, this could have led to a different outcome of the story. Henry James offers a look at the psychology of hiding secrets - he explores our need to conceal what we know.

Henry James: literary movement

Realism was the dominant literary movement of the 1800s, which attempted to portray the real world. Modernism was the dominant movement of the early twentieth century. It was partly a response to technological developments and the horrors of the First World War. Modernism expressed a sense of emptiness and a loss of faith in old ideas and truths. Modernist literature tended towards experimental forms and techniques and stylistic innovations.

Henry James’ earlier works were much more grounded in realism; they attempted to paint every intricate detail of a situation. His later work left out details to create a psychologically complex, subjective style influenced by theatrical storytelling techniques. In creating this new style, he paved the way for the modernist 20th-century novel.

¹ Realism, Oxford English Dictionary: oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/realism