Synopses & Reviews
Henry James Narrative Technique situates Henry James famous method within an emerging modernist tradition with roots in philosophical debates between rationalism and empiricism. This cogent study considers James works in the context of nineteenth-century thought on consciousness, perception, and cognition. Kristin Boudreau makes the compelling argument that these philosophical discussions influenced James depictions of consciousness and are integral to his narrative technique.
Review
“Well-grounded in scholarship, Henry James Narrative Technique offers a fresh and original perspective on works such as The Bostonians, The Princess Casamassima, and The Wings of the Dove and will inspire scholars to a fresh reading of other of Jamess works. Boudreaus contribution is a nuanced examination of the way characters think in Jamess fiction and of the way James himself perceives and processes perceptions when he becomes a character in his travel essays. She persuasively connects James to the intellectual controversies of his time . . . a fine piece of work and a timely contribution”—Linda Simon, Professor of English, Skidmore College
Synopsis
This study explores Henry James' work by considering them in the context of nineteenth-century thought on consciousness, perception, and cognition.
Synopsis
This study explores Henry James work by considering them in the context of nineteenth-century thought on consciousness, perception, and cognition.
Synopsis
This study explores Henry James work by considering them in the context of nineteenth-century thought on consciousness, perception, and cognition.
About the Author
Kristin Boudreau is Professor of English and Head of the Department of Humanities and Arts at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She is the author of Sympathy in American Literature: American Sentiments from Jefferson to the Jameses and The Spectacle of Death: Populist Literary Responses to American Capital Cases. She is co-editing a critical edition of Henry James “Daisy Miller.” She has published essays on Emerson, James, Hawthorne, Alcott, Morrison, and populist literature in American Literature, Early American Literature, Contemporary Literature, The Henry James Review, ESQ, William James Studies, and other journals.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Thinking of Philosophy * Experiences of Culture, History, and Politics in The Bostonians * Hyacinth Robinsons Demoralization * But Half the Matter: Picturing Thought and Feeling in The Wings of the Dove * Passionate Pilgrimages: James Travel in Italy and the United States