美国文学Henry James及其作品赏析PPT文档资料.pptVIP

. Henry James (1843-1916) Contents Life story Literary Career and major works International theme Features of his works Evaluation Comparison with Howells and Twain Life story He was born into a wealthy cultured family of New England. Henry James was one of the few authors in American literary history who did not have to worry about money. He was exposed to the cultural influence of Europe at a very early age. Later he met and developed a life-long friendship with William Dean Howells. For a while he attended the Harvard Law School but read literary works there. He toured England, France and Italy, and met Flaubert and Trugenev who was then staying in Paris. He wanted to be a critic in New York but could not endure the prevailing materialism. He settled down in London in 1876 and spent the rest of his life there. In 1915, he became a naturalized British citizen. James was not married. He once loved his attractive cousin—Minny Temple who died young. Literary career and major works Henry James was a prolific writer, psychological realistic writer, short-story writer, playwright, critic, essayist. He composed novels, travel papers, critical essays, plays, autobiographies and a series of critical prefaces on the art of fiction. His literary career can be divided into three periods; The first period (1865-1882) Major theme: the international theme, that is, the meeting of America and Europe, American innocence in contact and contrast with European decadence, the clashes between two different cultures and the moral and psychological problems. Major works: Daisy Miller 1879 won him international fame. The American 1877 The Europeans 1878 The Portrait of a Lady 1881 The second period (1882-1895): Major themes: experimented with different themes and forms. He wrote his tales of inter-personal relationships, more English, focusing on realistic social life Major works: The Bostonians 1886 (a satire account of female emancipation in Boston), The Princess Casa