Showing results by author "Henry James" in All Categories

The Beast in the Jungle is the tale of a man's habitual obsession with himself and his fate.It is is considered one of James' finest short narratives. The story deals with four universal themes: loneliness, fate, love and death. The saga of John Marcher and his peculiar destiny has inspired many readers who have speculated on the worth and meaning of human life.

Henry James's novel, dramatised by Rachel Joyce. Young and beautiful, Isabel Archer thinks that she is in control of her fate. Little does she know, however, that others behind the scenes are pulling the strings. The beautiful and free-spirited Isabel Archer is now a very rich woman. Two men have declared their love for her but she does not want to be married. Resolved to enjoy her fortune, she begins her travels. Starring Anna Maxwell Martin, Haydn Gwynne, Robert Bathurst, Gayle Hunnicutt and full cast. Pianist Duncan Walsh Atkins. Directed by Tracey Neale.

James' admiration for one of America's greatest authors is contagious. Hawthorne's life, novels, and short stories are all touched upon with reverence - yet James gently takes him to task when the need arises!

Daisy Miller is one of James' most haunting characters. In this reading, Mullen brings her to life in all her innocent playfulness and melancholic yearning.

Una historia de fantasmas en la que una institutriz es contratada por un apuesto caballero para que cuide de sus sobrinos. Pero descubre que los niños parecen poseídos por una pareja de amantes ya fallecidos: la antigua niñera y un empleado de la casa. Más que el hecho de que sepamos si realmente existen esos fantasmas, la novela es un estudio del impacto psicológico que sufre la niñera a través de una narración que no busca esclarecer la verdad si no que juega a poner en duda cualquier interpretación.

Embark on a journey of artistic passion and personal sacrifices in "The Lesson of the Master" by Henry James. This audiobook takes you into the world of a young writer torn between his admiration for a literary master and his own creative aspirations. James' insightful narrative explores the complexities of mentorship, ambition, and the pursuit of excellence. Through nuanced characters and profound introspection, the story delves into the clash between inspiration and reality.

Daisy Miller is a novella by Henry James that first appeared in Cornhill Magazine in June–July 1878, and in book form the following year. It portrays the courtship of the beautiful American girl Daisy Miller by Winterbourne, a sophisticated compatriot of hers. His pursuit of her is hampered by her own flirtatiousness, which is frowned upon by the other expatriates when they meet in Switzerland and Italy.

Daisy Miller is the story of a beautiful, unconventional American girl who becomes the fascination of Frederick Winterbourne, a sophisticated compatriot. His pursuit of her is hampered by her flirtatiousness and flagrant disregard for the customs and behavior of the other expatriates when they meet in Switzerland and Italy.

Loss in any form seems to burden us with more weight than anything that can possibly be gained or learnt from. The loss of a person, a loved one, is often overwhelming. Lives so interwoven that the severing or loss of one life leaves the other weakened, unable to function for some time. Recovery comes in a myriad of forms but is usually debilitating, slow and, in the end, we are not as whole as we once were.It is a subject that authors return to again and again.

In The Aspern Papers, a cold and ruthless literary biographer travels to Venice on the trail of personal letters belonging to the deceased American poet Jeffrey Aspern. His journey takes him to a dilapidated, rambling house belonging to an elderly woman named Juliana Bordereau and her lonely niece, Miss Tina. Just how far will he go to get what he wants? Will morality confront his personal ambition and literary curiosity?

The Pupil is an excellent tale from James' middle period. Pemberton, a young American with an Oxford education and but little money, takes a job tutoring Morgan Moreen, the 12-year old son of an American couple living in Europe in a style above their income. The family of the pupil is both comic and unfortunate, and the child himself is vividly drawn. The pupil's parents waffle about paying Pemberton the salary to which they'd agreed in their view, he should be satisfied by his life with them, and by the joy of tutoring young Morgan?

"The Awkward Age" reveals a general treatment of decadence and corruption in English 'turn of the century' life. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Brookenham host an effete, rather corrupt social circle. Their children are worthless Harold and sweet but knowledgeable Nanda (age 18). Vanderbank, a young civil servant with little money, admires both Mrs. Brookenham (nicknamed "Mrs. Brook") and Nanda. Mrs. Brook seems to want an affair with "Van" but he appears more interested in Nanda. Mr. Longdon promises him a dowry if he marries Nanda.

The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James that first appeared in serial format in Collier's Weekly magazine (January 27 - April 16, 1898). Classified as both gothic fiction and a ghost story, the novella focuses on a young governess sent to a remote country house to take charge of two orphans. Unsettled by a dark foreboding of menace within the house, she soon comes to believe that something malevolent is stalking the children in her care. But is the threat to her young charges really a ghostly presence or something else entirely?

Henry James was born 15th April 1843, in New York City. A prolific author he was able to easily move across genres to create vivid and totally real worlds and situations and to offer sophisticated observations of human relations as well as realistic social criticism. The Great Good Place is a formidable short story with a sharp view of a writer who really needs to find peace but unexpectedly finds himself in paradise. Or does he?

The Portrait of a Lady tells the compelling and ultimately tragic tale of a beautiful young American woman's encounter with European sophistication. Set principally in England and Italy, we follow Isabel Archer's fortunes as a variety of admirers vie for her hand. Her choices will be crucial, and she is not wanting for advice, whether from the generous-spirited Ralph Touchett or the charming but rootless Madame Merle....

A country governess is hired to raise two orphaned children in a lonely estate in Essex. But mystery surrounds the house, the grounds, and the children. Haunting questions arise, and Henry James pens one of the most famous ghost stories.

In "The Jolly Corner", a man returns to the house where he once lived, hoping to revisit the past. But now someone (or something) lurks there, leading him towards a frightening discovery. In "The Pupil", a young tutor befriends an ailing student and tries to protect him from the destructive whimsies of his family.

Kate and Merton need money. Milly needs love. How far will they go to get what they want? Kate Croy is in love with Merton Densher; a poor writer. Her rich aunt Maud disapproves. Maud has offered Kate a wealthy existence but if Kate chooses to marry Merton she risks losing it all. When American Heiress Milly Theale steps into her London society, Kate sees a way out. Milly confides in Kate that she believes herself to be gravely ill and Kate begins to see a way for her and Merton to have a future. When Merton returns to London, Kate sets out to bring her lover and her friend together.

This group of 19th-century American poets was the first to rival their British counterparts in popularity. Gathered around their New England roots, they were also known as the Schoolroom or Household poets and comprised of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf Whittier, James Russell Lowell and Olivier Wendell Holmes, Sr. Occasionally Ralph Waldo Emerson was included, although his poetic philosophy differed in some key aspects.

The story of aging George Stransom, who is obsessed with observing the anniversary of his fiancée Mary Antrim's death, a fact that leads him to expand his commemorative pantheon to include all the other departed friends who live on in his memory. As in life, if we live long enough, the departed outnumber the living. When Stransom becomes the last of the living, who will light a candle for him?