Embarrassments

by Henry James

Henry James (1843-1916), was an American-born author and literary critic of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is primarily known for novels, novellas and short stories based on themes of consciousness and morality. He significantly contributed to the criticism of fiction, particularly in his insistence that writers be allowed the greatest freedom possible in presenting their view of the world. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and possibly unreliable narrators in his own novels and tales brought a new depth and interest to narrative fiction. He is one of the major figures of trans-Atlantic literature. His works include The American (1877), Daisy Miller (1878), Confidence (1879), A Bundle of Letters (1879), The Author of Beltraffio (1884), The Bostonians (1886), The Aspern Papers (1888), The Awkward Age (1899), and The Ambassadors (1903).

Genres: Short Stories

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1896

About the author

Henry 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."

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of novellas and stories, each dealing with a certain type of embarrassment.

The Figure in the Carpet: (4 stars) A frustrated literary critic is obsessed with knowing an author's writing secret. It seems like everyone else knows it but him - or do they?
Glasses: (3 stars) A beautiful woman sacrifices her eyesight for a chance at marriage.
The Next Time: (4 stars) A story about writing and how quality does not ensure popularity, and vice versa.
The Way It Came: (3 1/2 stars) A man and a woman with much in common - including a mutual friend - never seem to be able to meet each other. After many years, they finally do. But did this meeting take place before one of them had died, or after?

[Cecily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read and reviewed one of the stories, The Friends of the Friends aka The Way it Came, HERE.

[laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading these as a collection about embarrassment made them each hit harder for me. My first Henry James, and I think my favourite was The Figure in the Carpet for the type of subtle shame, behaviour, and bromance that was in it. My brain struggled with The Next Time, but I enjoyed Glasses and The Way it Came equally for their romantic woes, and acknowledge the problematicities. Also glasses are not hideous. Anyways all four touch on the subtle and deep embarrassment that comes when love, smarts, and pride are shaken, which made my heart feel feelings and my mind think thoughts.

[Bill Borre]

The Way It Came is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror