The Awkward Age is a complex and daring novel by Henry James, first published in serialized form between 1898 and 1899, and then in book form in 1900. It is set in late Victorian London and centers around the transition from youth to adulthood in a society full of moral ambiguity, social gamesmanship, and whispered improprieties.
At the heart of the novel is Nanda Brookenham, a perceptive and emotionally intelligent young woman caught between her mother's worldly, morally lax circle and the more principled, yet hesitant, men around her—particularly Mr. Longdon, an older gentleman who sees in her the echo of a lost ideal, and Vanderbank, a charming civil servant who represents a more modern, elusive form of love and ambition.
The novel's most distinctive feature is its unconventional narrative style: James writes almost entirely through dialogue, with very little traditional narration. This forces the reader to piece together motives, events, and relationships from what characters say (or don't say), mimicking the gossip-ridden, indirect communication of polite society.
Themes of social transition, lost innocence, the role of women, generational conflict, and moral disintegration dominate the novel. The "awkward age" refers not just to adolescence, but to a broader cultural and societal liminality, as James examines the decay of Victorian values in a rapidly modernizing world.
Though considered challenging due to its density and subtlety, The Awkward Age is often praised as one of James's most ambitious and formally innovative works—a precursor to the modernist novel.
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At the heart of the novel is Nanda Brookenham, a perceptive and emotionally intelligent young woman caught between her mother's worldly, morally lax circle and the more principled, yet hesitant, men around her—particularly Mr. Longdon, an older gentleman who sees in her the echo of a lost ideal, and Vanderbank, a charming civil servant who represents a more modern, elusive form of love and ambition.
The novel's most distinctive feature is its unconventional narrative style: James writes almost entirely through dialogue, with very little traditional narration. This forces the reader to piece together motives, events, and relationships from what characters say (or don't say), mimicking the gossip-ridden, indirect communication of polite society.
Themes of social transition, lost innocence, the role of women, generational conflict, and moral disintegration dominate the novel. The "awkward age" refers not just to adolescence, but to a broader cultural and societal liminality, as James examines the decay of Victorian values in a rapidly modernizing world.
Though considered challenging due to its density and subtlety, The Awkward Age is often praised as one of James's most ambitious and formally innovative works—a precursor to the modernist novel.
The Awkward Age
The Awkward Age is a complex and daring novel by Henry James, first published in serialized form between 1898 and 1899, and then in book form in 1900. It is set in late Victorian London and centers around the transition from youth to adulthood in a society full of moral ambiguity, social gamesmanship, and whispered improprieties.
At the heart of the novel is Nanda Brookenham, a perceptive and emotionally intelligent young woman caught between her mother's worldly, morally lax circle and the more principled, yet hesitant, men around her—particularly Mr. Longdon, an older gentleman who sees in her the echo of a lost ideal, and Vanderbank, a charming civil servant who represents a more modern, elusive form of love and ambition.
The novel's most distinctive feature is its unconventional narrative style: James writes almost entirely through dialogue, with very little traditional narration. This forces the reader to piece together motives, events, and relationships from what characters say (or don't say), mimicking the gossip-ridden, indirect communication of polite society.
Themes of social transition, lost innocence, the role of women, generational conflict, and moral disintegration dominate the novel. The "awkward age" refers not just to adolescence, but to a broader cultural and societal liminality, as James examines the decay of Victorian values in a rapidly modernizing world.
Though considered challenging due to its density and subtlety, The Awkward Age is often praised as one of James's most ambitious and formally innovative works—a precursor to the modernist novel.
At the heart of the novel is Nanda Brookenham, a perceptive and emotionally intelligent young woman caught between her mother's worldly, morally lax circle and the more principled, yet hesitant, men around her—particularly Mr. Longdon, an older gentleman who sees in her the echo of a lost ideal, and Vanderbank, a charming civil servant who represents a more modern, elusive form of love and ambition.
The novel's most distinctive feature is its unconventional narrative style: James writes almost entirely through dialogue, with very little traditional narration. This forces the reader to piece together motives, events, and relationships from what characters say (or don't say), mimicking the gossip-ridden, indirect communication of polite society.
Themes of social transition, lost innocence, the role of women, generational conflict, and moral disintegration dominate the novel. The "awkward age" refers not just to adolescence, but to a broader cultural and societal liminality, as James examines the decay of Victorian values in a rapidly modernizing world.
Though considered challenging due to its density and subtlety, The Awkward Age is often praised as one of James's most ambitious and formally innovative works—a precursor to the modernist novel.
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The Awkward Age
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940184354866 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Henry James |
| Publication date: | 04/18/2025 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 550 KB |
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