美国文学史之henryjames课件.ppt

Lecture Eleven Henry James (1843-1916) Henry James’ life Wealthy cultured family in New York (1843) Unusual upbringing. Harvard Law School (1862). Settle down in London (1876) A naturalized British citizen (1915). Order of Merit (1916) The International Theme “The international theme” refers to the moral and psychological complications when the American innocence encountered the European sophistication The typical Americans in James: fresh, enthusiastic, eager to learn, and basically “good” , disregard of the conventions, stand for morality The Europeans in James : highly cultivated, elegant in manners, but sophisticated. stand for manners Three Periods of James’ literary Career(1) Early period (1865-1882): “international theme” (American innocence in face of European sophistication) major works: The American (1877), Daisy Miller (1878), The Europeans (1878), The Portrait of a Lady (1881) Middle period (1865-1895): experiments with different themes and forms (subtle studies of inter-personal relationship) major works: The Bostonians (1886), The Private Life (1893), The Death of a Lion (1894) Late Period (1895-1916): a revival of the theme of innocence in a corrupted world and “the international theme”. major works: 1895-1990: The Turn of the Screw (1898), What Maisie Knew (1897), etc. 1900-1904: The Ambassadors (1903), The Wings of the Dove (1902), and The Golden Bowl (1904), etc. 1904-1916: The American Scene (1907), etc. Henry James and Realism An strong advocate of realism: The Art of Fiction 1)“Art without life is a poor affair”; “the only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life”, etc. 2) “It is art that makes life” Psychological approach to his subject matter: forerunner of the 20th-century “stream-of –consciousness” novels and the founder of psychological realism (“historian of fine consciences”) Features of James’ successful novels “the international theme”: American innocence Vs. European sophistication His n