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La Bête dans la jungle: suivi de L'Autel des morts
« Pâle comme cire, avec sur le visage des marques et des signes aussi nombreux et fins que s’ils avaient e´te´ grave´s par une aiguille, elle e´tait l’image même d’un sphinx serein et raffine´. » Henry James sonde l’équivoque de l’attrait entre un homme et une femme, qui ne peut s’accomplir que dans la mort ou par le culte des disparus que l’on va bientôt rejoindre. Inspirations pour Marguerite Duras ( La Maladie de la mort ), François Truffaut ( La Chambre verte ) ou encore Bertrand Bonello et Patric Chiha qui ont adapté La Bête dans la jungle au cinéma, ces nouvelles continuent de hanter le monde contemporain. Henry James (1843-1916) est reconnu comme le grand précurseur du roman moderne. L’Autel des morts (1895) et La Bête dans la jungle (1903) sont parmi ses écrits les plus célèbres, ayant frappé la génération des auteurs du Nouveau Roman. « La connaissance de l’histoire, vous la posséderez comme les héros de Henry James, quand elle sera terminée. » Marguerite Duras, Emily L. (1987)
144 pages, Pocket Book
Published May 18, 2023
4 people want to read
About the author
Henry James
4,689 books4,001 followersHenry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
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January 22, 2026
John a un pressentiment étrange : il sent que quelque chose d’inévitable et de terrible va lui arriver. Il partage ce sentiment à Mary, jeune femme de vingt ans qu’il rencontre à Pompéi…
Au sens premier du terme, La Bête dans la Jungle est une nouvelle d’anticipation : anticipation d’une chose terrible, mais non définie. Le protagoniste va donc vivre dans cette attente, au point d’en être obnubilé et passer à côté de sa vie : ce n’est qu’une fois sur la tombe de Mary qu’il comprend : ce qui devait arriver n’est pas arrivé, ou plutôt il ne s’en est pas rendu compte ; Mary l’aimait. La Bête tapie dans la jungle, ce n’était que l’amour qui surgit des fougères sans que l’on ne s’en rende compte.
Au sens premier du terme, La Bête dans la Jungle est une nouvelle d’anticipation : anticipation d’une chose terrible, mais non définie. Le protagoniste va donc vivre dans cette attente, au point d’en être obnubilé et passer à côté de sa vie : ce n’est qu’une fois sur la tombe de Mary qu’il comprend : ce qui devait arriver n’est pas arrivé, ou plutôt il ne s’en est pas rendu compte ; Mary l’aimait. La Bête tapie dans la jungle, ce n’était que l’amour qui surgit des fougères sans que l’on ne s’en rende compte.
Displaying 1 of 1 review