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Henry James: Selected Works
James is considered the father of the psychological novel. Ahead of his time, it was not until the 1930s that the American public finally became sufficiently sophisticated to understand and appreciate James's accomplishments and influence. The novels and novellas contained in this collection -Daisy Miller: A Study, The Portrait of a Lady, The Aspern Papers, and The Turn of the Screw are among his finest achievements as well as his most popular.
655 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1898
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About the author
Henry James
4,561 books3,951 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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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 5, 2025
I dunno man, this book just did not work for me at all.
May 28, 2025
Re-reading “The Ambassadors” Is Strether a naive 55year old man who gets duped into believing his prospective son-in-law Chad has a “virtuous” attachment to the French Countess Marie de Vionnet, currently separated from her beast of a husband? Or is he a sensitive, imaginative’ young at heart detective who figures out what is really important in life? Is everyone he meets cleverly deceiving him? Or encouraging him?
Moved on to The Wings of the Dove:
James’s fictions are like detective stories or a very sophisticated game of Clue where the reader has to guess how much a given character knows, or what emotional crimes he or she may have committed. My own reading of the novel persuades me to admire the way that Maggie decides to exile Charlotte and Adam to American City, so that she Maggie can prevent her husband the Prince Amerigo from ever seeing Charlotte again. Maggie in effect sacrifices her father (whom she dearly loves) in order to save her husband (for herself). Maggie would rather never see her father again, than allow Charlotte to steal Amerigo away from her. Maggie’s decision is cruel, but it’s how she chooses to survive. In this “check mate” maneuver, Maggie gets the ultimate revenge on Charlotte. Amerigo, the straying husband, seems to be an easy-going guy, and I feel he’ll forget about Charlotte if he’s separated from her by the Atlantic Ocean. Adam Verver can continue collecting antiquities, but exile in America will be very difficult for his wife Charlotte.
Moved on to The Wings of the Dove:
James’s fictions are like detective stories or a very sophisticated game of Clue where the reader has to guess how much a given character knows, or what emotional crimes he or she may have committed. My own reading of the novel persuades me to admire the way that Maggie decides to exile Charlotte and Adam to American City, so that she Maggie can prevent her husband the Prince Amerigo from ever seeing Charlotte again. Maggie in effect sacrifices her father (whom she dearly loves) in order to save her husband (for herself). Maggie would rather never see her father again, than allow Charlotte to steal Amerigo away from her. Maggie’s decision is cruel, but it’s how she chooses to survive. In this “check mate” maneuver, Maggie gets the ultimate revenge on Charlotte. Amerigo, the straying husband, seems to be an easy-going guy, and I feel he’ll forget about Charlotte if he’s separated from her by the Atlantic Ocean. Adam Verver can continue collecting antiquities, but exile in America will be very difficult for his wife Charlotte.
September 18, 2015
"The Beast in the Jungle" A short story.
Paradise Lost
It is said that this novel is part of Henry James autobiography. It is a love story that never comes to fulfillment during the couple's earthly life.
John Marcher meets May Bartram after a few years passed their first meeting. John is somehow interested in conversing with May, although he presumes an air of independence he nevertheless engages in conversation. In their first encounter 10 years prior they had touched upon a certain secret of the heart but John doesn't remember exactly what was discussed and May assures him that the encounter was more than a discussion, that it was an affair of the heart.
They meet again several times, mostly at May's apartment and John is very much aware that May has a secret that she does not divulge, not because she doesn't want to but because John is not yet ready to hear and accept her emotions. She wants the questions to come from his inner self, which is something that John is not yet willing to examine.
And so we get to understand the title of the book about the beast that is festering in John's psyche.
Paradise Lost
It is said that this novel is part of Henry James autobiography. It is a love story that never comes to fulfillment during the couple's earthly life.
John Marcher meets May Bartram after a few years passed their first meeting. John is somehow interested in conversing with May, although he presumes an air of independence he nevertheless engages in conversation. In their first encounter 10 years prior they had touched upon a certain secret of the heart but John doesn't remember exactly what was discussed and May assures him that the encounter was more than a discussion, that it was an affair of the heart.
They meet again several times, mostly at May's apartment and John is very much aware that May has a secret that she does not divulge, not because she doesn't want to but because John is not yet ready to hear and accept her emotions. She wants the questions to come from his inner self, which is something that John is not yet willing to examine.
And so we get to understand the title of the book about the beast that is festering in John's psyche.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews