Enacting History in Henry James: Narrative, Power, and Ethics

by Gert Buelens (Editor)

Overview

The Jamesian mode of writing, it has been claimed, actively works against an understanding of the way truth, history and power circulate in his texts. Enacting History in Henry James argues instead that James' writing promises an experiential type of knowledge, one that is attained by actively participating in the power games and moral dramas that unfold within the text. Reading James thus requires not just an emotional responsiveness, but also an ethical assumption of responsibility for the act of reading. This book places James' work in a fresh theoretical context and throws new light on this most enigmatic of writers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521121453
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/15/2009
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction Gert Buelens; 1. Power relations in the novels of James: the 'liberal' and the 'radical' version Winfried Fluck; 2. Multiple germs, metaphorical systems, and moral fluctuation in The Ambassadors Richard A. Hocks; 3. James and the ethics of control: aspiring architects and their floating creatures Sarah B. Daugherty; 4. James and the shadow of the Roman Empire: manners and the consenting victim Adrian Poole; 5. What Maisie Knew: Henry James's Bildungsroman of the artist as queer moralist Alfred Habegger; 6. The double narrative of 'The Beast in the Jungle': ethical plot, ironical plot and the play of power Michiel W. Heyns; 7. Homoeroticism, identity and agency in James's late tales Hugh Stevens; 8.'A Provision Full of Responsibilities': Senses of the past in Henry James's fourth phase David McWhirter; 9. Possessing the American scene: race and vulgarity, seduction and judgment Gert Buelens; 10. History, narrative, and responsibility: speech acts in 'The Aspern Papers' J. Hillis Miller; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"… preparing lectures for a course on "American Philosophy and Literature", this book provides excellent insights and useful guides for navigating Henry James’s novels."
Jacob L. Goodson, Journal of American Studies of Turkey

From the Publisher