The Constant Listener: Henry James and Theodora Bosanquet-An Imagined Memoir
In 1907, in a quiet English village, Theodora Bosanquet answered Henry James’s call for someone to transcribe his edits and additions to his formidable body of work. The aging James had agreed to revise his novels and tales into the twenty-four-volume New York Edition. Enter Bosanquet, a budding writer who would record the dictated revisions and the prefaces that would become a lynchpin of his legacy.

Embracing the role of amanuensis and creative counterpoint cautiously at first, Bosanquet kept a daily diary over the nine years that she worked with James, as their extraordinary partnership evolved. Bosanquet became the first audience for James’s compositions and his closest literary associate—and their relationship ultimately resulted in James’s famed “deathbed dictations.” At the same time, the homosexuality of each was an unspoken but important influence on their mutual support and companionship.

Susan Herron Sibbet’s posthumous novel gifts us with the voice of a young woman writer drawn into the intimate circle of an aging master, and is a moving addition to previous literary treatments of James and Bosanquet, even as it hews closer to fact than other works do. The Constant Listener is itself the work of an accomplished poet, and will speak to fans of James, historical fiction, and themes of art, love, sexuality, and identity.

1143781190
The Constant Listener: Henry James and Theodora Bosanquet-An Imagined Memoir
In 1907, in a quiet English village, Theodora Bosanquet answered Henry James’s call for someone to transcribe his edits and additions to his formidable body of work. The aging James had agreed to revise his novels and tales into the twenty-four-volume New York Edition. Enter Bosanquet, a budding writer who would record the dictated revisions and the prefaces that would become a lynchpin of his legacy.

Embracing the role of amanuensis and creative counterpoint cautiously at first, Bosanquet kept a daily diary over the nine years that she worked with James, as their extraordinary partnership evolved. Bosanquet became the first audience for James’s compositions and his closest literary associate—and their relationship ultimately resulted in James’s famed “deathbed dictations.” At the same time, the homosexuality of each was an unspoken but important influence on their mutual support and companionship.

Susan Herron Sibbet’s posthumous novel gifts us with the voice of a young woman writer drawn into the intimate circle of an aging master, and is a moving addition to previous literary treatments of James and Bosanquet, even as it hews closer to fact than other works do. The Constant Listener is itself the work of an accomplished poet, and will speak to fans of James, historical fiction, and themes of art, love, sexuality, and identity.

26.95 In Stock
The Constant Listener: Henry James and Theodora Bosanquet-An Imagined Memoir

The Constant Listener: Henry James and Theodora Bosanquet-An Imagined Memoir

The Constant Listener: Henry James and Theodora Bosanquet-An Imagined Memoir
Add to Wishlist
The Constant Listener: Henry James and Theodora Bosanquet-An Imagined Memoir

The Constant Listener: Henry James and Theodora Bosanquet-An Imagined Memoir

Overview

In 1907, in a quiet English village, Theodora Bosanquet answered Henry James’s call for someone to transcribe his edits and additions to his formidable body of work. The aging James had agreed to revise his novels and tales into the twenty-four-volume New York Edition. Enter Bosanquet, a budding writer who would record the dictated revisions and the prefaces that would become a lynchpin of his legacy.

Embracing the role of amanuensis and creative counterpoint cautiously at first, Bosanquet kept a daily diary over the nine years that she worked with James, as their extraordinary partnership evolved. Bosanquet became the first audience for James’s compositions and his closest literary associate—and their relationship ultimately resulted in James’s famed “deathbed dictations.” At the same time, the homosexuality of each was an unspoken but important influence on their mutual support and companionship.

Susan Herron Sibbet’s posthumous novel gifts us with the voice of a young woman writer drawn into the intimate circle of an aging master, and is a moving addition to previous literary treatments of James and Bosanquet, even as it hews closer to fact than other works do. The Constant Listener is itself the work of an accomplished poet, and will speak to fans of James, historical fiction, and themes of art, love, sexuality, and identity.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780804011839
Publisher: Ohio University Press
Publication date: 10/11/2017
Edition description: 1
Pages: 320
Product dimensions: 5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Susan Herron Sibbet (1942–2013) was active in California Poets in the Schools for twenty-five years and a cofounder of Sixteen Rivers Press. Sibbet published five poetry collections, including Burnt Toast and Other Recipes, No Easy Light, and the posthumous Great Blue.

Table of Contents

1 "The Tragic Muse" 1

2 "In the Cage" 15

3 "What Maisie Knew" 29

4 "The Awkward Age" 37

5 "The Spoils of Poynton" 50

6 "The Story in It" 60

7 "The Real Thing" 67

8 "The Ambassadors" 74

9 "The Saloon" 84

10 "The Lesson of the Master" 92

11 "The Bostonians" 100

12 "The Reverberator" 112

13 "The Private Life" 121

14 "The High Bid" 132

15 "The Outcry" 147

16 "A Round of Visits" 162

17 "English Hours" 170

18 "A Small Boy and Others" 178

19 "The Ivory Tower" 187

20 "The Sense of the Past" 201

21 "The Altar of the Dead" 212

22 "The Death of the Lion" 219

23 "Henry James at Work" 230

24 "The Wings of the Dove" 246

25 "The Aspern Papers" 259

26 "The Beast in the Jungle" 269

Afterword

An Amanuensis for an Amanuensis for an Amanuensis

The Story behind This Book 278

Acknowledgments 283

Notes 285

From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of

Related Subjects

Fiction
Fiction Subjects
Literary Styles & Movements - Fiction
Fiction - Other
Fiction
Fiction Subjects
Literary Styles & Movements - Fiction
Fiction - Other

Customer Reviews