Daisy Miller ;: Washington Square ; The portrait of a lady ; The Bostonians ; The Aspen papers - Softcover

James, Henry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1559029838 ISBN 13: 9781559029834

Publisher: Chancellor, 2001

Synopsis

"Daisy Miller" is a fascinating portrait of a young woman from Schenectady, New York, who, traveling in Europe, runs afoul of the socially pretentious American expatriate community in Rome. First published in 1878, the novella brought American novelist Henry James(1843-1916), then living in London, his first international success. Like many of James's early works, it portrays a venturesome American girl in the treacherous waters of European society - a theme that would culminate in his 1881 masterpiece, "The Portrait of a Lady." On the surface, "Daisy Miller" unfolds a simple story of a young American girl's willful yet innocent flirtation with a young Italian, and its unfortunate consequences. But throughout the narrative, James contrasts American customs and values with European manners and morals in a tale rich in psychological and social insight. A vivid portrayal of Americans abroad and a telling encounter between the values of the Old and New Worlds, "Daisy Miller" is an ideal introduction to the work of one of America's greatest writers of fiction.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Originally published in "The Cornhill Magazine in 1878 and in book form in 1879, "Daisy Miller brought Henry James his first widespread commercial and critical success. The young Daisy Miller, an American on holiday with her mother on the shores of Switzerland's Lac Leman, is one of James's most vivid and tragic characters. Daisy's friendship with an American gentleman, Mr. Winterbourne, and her subsequent infatuation with a passionate but impoverished Italian bring to life the great Jamesian themes of Americans abroad, innocence versus experience, and the grip of fate. As Elizabeth Hardwick writes in her Introduction, Daisy Miller "lives on, a figure out of literature who has entered history as a name, a vision."

From the Back Cover

“The critical faculty hesitates before the magnitude of Mr. Henry James’s work.”—Joseph Conrad

About this edition

• Publisher: Chancellor
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1559029838
• ISBN 13: 9781559029834
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 893