The Literature Book

187

See also: The Turn of the Screw 203 ■ Lolita 260–61

DEPICTING REAL LIFE

World values are most starkly

played out. Isabel is an intelligent,

imaginative woman, who reflects

the optimism and individualism

of the US. Traveling to England and

then to Europe, Isabel, despite her

independent spirit, also desires to

conform to the social proprieties

she encounters abroad. Her charm

and sincerity make her attractive to

suitors, but she believes marriage

will curtail her freedom. To secure

her independence, her cousin Ralph

Touchett persuades his father to

bequeath a large inheritance to

Isabel, so that she will never have

to marry for money. Ironically, her

fortune renders her vulnerable to

the seductions of sinister Gilbert

Osmond, as Old World cunning

ensnares New World innocence.

James continued these themes

in his later works, including The

Ambassadors and The Wings

of a Dove, and inspired several

authors, such as Edith Wharton,

to focus on similar concerns. ■

Culturally barren, coarse,

vulgar, and unrefined.

A young, independent

outlook based on belief in

“Life, liberty, and the

pursuit of happiness.”

Meritocratic values rooted

in optimism, dynamism,

and individual ambition.

Culturally rich,

refined, elegant,

and sophisticated.

Older, complex societies,

rigid with tradition, and

tainted by despotism

and decadence.

Restrictive values,

world weariness

and cynicism, fear of

loss of privilege.

USA Europe

Henry James New York-born Henry James

(1843–1916), the son of wealthy

intellectual Henry James Sr., spent

his childhood traveling across

Europe. After returning to the US

to attend Harvard University, he

decided he wanted to be a writer,

and published his short stories

and reviews in periodicals.

From 1875 James settled in

Europe, eventually moving to

London. His nomadic childhood

and life abroad as an adult

allowed him to critique both

American and European society.

He was a prolific writer, producing

short stories, plays, essays, travel

sketches, and reviews as well

as novels, and was nicknamed

“The Master” by his friend

Edith Wharton. In his writing,

he remained very much an

American, with his greatest

characters being from his birth

nation. In 1915 he became a

British citizen.

Other key works

1879 Daisy Miller

1886 The Bostonians

1902 The Wings of a Dove

1903 The Ambassadors

1904 The Golden Bowl

Early transatlantic literature typically

contrasted American vulgarity and enthusiasm

with European sophistication and cynicism.

Europe remained compelling and attractive

to Americans, in both real life and fiction.

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