The Princess Casamassima, Vol. 1 of 3: A Novel (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Henry James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1330009681 ISBN 13: 9781330009680

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Excerpt from The Princess Casamassima, Vol. 1 of 3: A Novel

The simplest account of the origin of "The Princess Casa-massima" is, I think, that this fiction proceeded quite directly, during the first year of a long residence in London, from the habit and the interest of walking the streets. I walked a great deal - for exercise, for amusement, for acquisition, and above all I always walked home at the evening's end, when the evening had been spent elsewhere, as happened more often than not; and as to do this was to receive many impressions, so the impressions worked and sought an issue, so the book after a time was born. It is a fact that, as I look back, the attentive exploration of London, the assault directly made by the great city upon an imagination quick to react, fully explains a large part of it. There is a minor element that refers itself to another source, of which I shall presently speak; but the prime idea was unmistakeably the ripe round fruit of perambulation. One walked of course with one's eyes greatly open, and I hasten to declare that such a practice, carried on for a long time and over a considerable space, positively provokes, all round, a mystic solicitation, the urgent appeal, on the part of everything, to be interpreted and, so far as may be, reproduced. "Subjects" and situations, character and history, the tragedy and comedy of life, are things of which the common air, in such conditions, seems pungently to taste; and to a mind curious, before the human scene, of meanings and revelations the great grey Babylon easily becomes, on its face, a garden bristling with an immense illustrative flora. Possible stories, presentable figures, rise from the thick jungle as the observer moves, fluttering up like startled game, and before he knows it indeed he has fairly to guard himself against the brush of importunate wings.

About this title

About the Author:

Henry James was an American author, essayist, and critic known for his contributions to both literary criticism and the realist movement, which focused on presenting everyday life as it actually was. In creating realistic portrayals of life and society, James often included elements of social and political commentary in his works, notably his depiction of the feminist movement in The Bostonians, and the exploration of culture clash between America and Europe in Daisy Miller. James s best known works also include The Portrait of a Lady, The Ambassadors, and the novella The Turn of the Screw. American by birth, James spent much of his time in England and eventually moved to London. He became a British subject just before his death in 1916.

About this edition

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1330009681
• ISBN 13: 9781330009680
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 359