The Europeans : A Sketch - Softcover

James, Henry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140020705 ISBN 13: 9780140020700

Publisher: Penguin Books, 1975

Synopsis

Eugenia, an American expatriate brought up in Europe, arrives in rural New England with her charming brother Felix, hoping to find a wealthy second husband after the collapse of her marriage to a German prince. Their exotic, sophisticated airs cause quite a stir with their affluent, God-fearing American cousins, the Wentworths and provoke the disapproval of their father, suspicious of foreign influences. The arrival of the frivolous, handsome Felix is especially enchanting to Gertrude Wentworth, who is struggling against her sombre puritan upbringing. One of Henry James's most optimistic novels, The Europeans (1878) is a subtle and gently ironic examination of manners and morals, deftly portraying the impact of Old World experience on New World innocence.

About this title

About the Author

Henry James (15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916) was an American-born British writer. He is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. 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 a number of novels showing Americans encountering Europe and Europeans. His method of writing from a character's point of view allowed him to explore issues related to consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators brought a new depth to narrative fiction. James contributed significantly to literary criticism, particularly in his insistence that writers be allowed the greatest possible freedom in presenting their view of the world. James claimed that a text must first and foremost be realistic and contain a representation of life that is recognisable to its readers. Good novels, to James, show life in action and are, most importantly, interesting. In addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel, biography, autobiography, and criticism, and wrote plays. James alternated between America and Europe for the first twenty years of his life; eventually he settled in England, becoming a British subject in 1915, one year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916.

From AudioFile

Eugenia, an expatriated American whose marriage to a German prince has come undone, and her charming brother, Felix, are visiting relatives in the countryside near Boston. Their intent is to arrange a wealthy second marriage for Eugenia. O'Malley gives Henry James's classic a smooth, well-paced reading. develop their personalities and express their emotions. Most import-antly, all the satire of James's nineteenth-century study of the contrast in manners and morals between the wealthy of Europe and those of America comes across in O'Malley's performance. C.R.A. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 1975
• ISBN 10: 0140020705
• ISBN 13: 9780140020700
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176