Henry James and the Father Question

by Andrew Taylor

Overview

The intellectual relationship between Henry James and his father proved to be an influential resource for the novelist. Andrew Taylor examines the nature of both men's engagement with autobiographical strategies, issues of gender reform, and the language of religion. He argues for a reading of Henry James that is informed by an awareness of paternal inheritance. Through the study of a wide range of novels and texts, he demonstrates how James Senior's dialogue with his contemporaries, such as Emerson and Whitman, anticipates James's own theories of fiction and selfhood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521807227
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/28/2002
Series:	Cambridge Studies in American Literature and Culture , #129
Pages:	246
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.67(d)
Lexile:	1650L (what's this?)

About the Author

Andrew Taylor is College Lecturer in English and American Literature at University College Dublin.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Note on brief titles; Introduction: the nature of inheritance; 1. Autobiography and the writing of significance; 2. Reading the 'man without a handle': Emerson and the construction of a partial portrait; 3. 'Under certain circumstances': Jamesian reflections on the fall; 4. Doing 'public justice': New England reform and The Bostonians; 5. Breaking the mould; Conclusion: 'the imminence of a transformation scene'; Notes; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...Henry James and the Father Question is richly informed by a thorough knowledge of the archival record. Indeed, it is a treat to be reminded of so many well-turned phrases and astute observations by the Jameses and those in their circle and a delight to be introduced to new ones." The Henry James Review

"In response to several earlier studies, especially the work of Quentin Anderson and Alfred Habegger's Henry James and the 'Woman Business' ... Taylor takes issue with 'blinkered and dehistoricized' treatments of the relationship between Henry James Senior and Henry James Junior." Choice

From the Publisher