Search -
Daisy Miller / The Aspern Papers / The Turn of the Screw / The Beast in the Jungle
Daisy Miller / The Aspern Papers / The Turn of the Screw / The Beast in the Jungle Author:Henry James Jacket Flap: These Four Short novels by Henry James not only represent some of the author's best writing, but also are considered to be masterful examples of the short fiction form. One of Jame's most notable creations, daisy Miller is said to be the first American fiction heroine with spunk. Although it has come to be seen as embodying the spir... more »it of America Daisy Miller was rejected by editors in the United States, who felt the novella was ab attack on American manners. Instead this story of a charming, small-town American girl who travels Europe and defies conventions first appeared in England's Cornhill Magazine in 1878. The Aspern Papers, considered to be James' finest novella was inspired by the true story of a scholar who tried to insinuate himself into the household of Claire Clairmont, half-sister of Mary Shelley and the mother of Lord Byron's daughter. For his version James invented a Byron figure, the late Jeffery Aspern; a mistress, Juliana Bordereau; and a young editor who tries every means possible to obtain the dead poet's "literary remains". Though we don't normally associate James with stories of the supernatural, The Turn of The Screw is one of the scariest tales ever written. Here again James was inspired by a real (or allegedly real) incident-the corrupting of two children by the malign spirits of two deceased servants.James turned the story into something more creating a truly scary tale with a strong psychological undercurrent and a perhaps-unreliable narrator. The Beast in the jungle focuses on sensitive John Marcher, the quintessential Jamesian male character. Expecting a noteworthy fate for himself but unwilling to take action, Marcher comes to the realization that his life is unique-"the man in the world to whom nothing whatever was to happen"« less