Henry James' Narrative Technique

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. Introduction Thinking of Philosophy

   • Kristin Boudreau

   Pages 1-30

3. Experiences of Culture, History, and Politics in The Bostonians

   • Kristin Boudreau

   Pages 31-61

4. Hyacinth Robinson’s Demoralization

   • Kristin Boudreau

   Pages 63-102

5. But Half the Matter: Picturing Thought and Feeling in The Wings of the Dove

   • Kristin Boudreau

   Pages 103-138

6. Passionate Pilgrimages: James’ Travel in Italy and the United States

   • Kristin Boudreau

   Pages 139-179

7. Back Matter

   Pages 181-204

   PDF

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.

• British and Irish Literature

"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 James s works. Boudreau s contribution is a nuanced examination of the way characters think in James s 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

KRISTIN BOUDREAU is Professor of English and Head of the Department of Humanities and Arts at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, UK.

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