Henry James’ The Golden Bowl, The American Scene, and the New York Edition :: American Scene

Henry James’ The Golden Bowl, The American Scene, and the New York Edition In the letter he wrote to Scribner's in 1905 proposing that he "furnish" each volume of his forthcoming deluxe edition with a preface, Henry James portrayed his novels and stories as disenfranchised beings patiently awaiting a "chance" for their cause to be righted. James would be their advocate and the prefaces the texts with which he would demonstrate his novels' worth (367). In this paper I will argue that the writing of The Golden Bowl and The American Scene were essential precedents and complements to this project of self-vindication. Reading The Golden Bowl through its preface shows that beneath the narratives of familial and marital relations in the novel run stories of a writer's contention with a misapprehending audience--the same struggles out of which James spun creative autobiography and a theory of fiction in the prefaces to the New York Edition. Through his indirect critique of his readership in The Golden Bowl and the fierce challenges he delivered to his compatriots in The American Scene James laid essential groundwork for the lessons in reading and creative production he would later offer in the New York Edition. Paul Armstrong has argued that James's prefaces require the same "doubled reading" his novels require, that while the reader is absorbing James's account of his writing experience and his theory of writing, the reader is also responding to James as a centering consciousness whose "interpretive attitudes . . . are as much on display and as much an object for the reader's scrutiny as the impressions of a Lambert Strether or a Maggie Verver" (128). As comparable centering consciousnesses, James the preface-writer and his heroine Maggie Verver make common assertions. Both figures demonstrate the power of the creative deed. Paralleling James's affirmations about "doing" in the preface to The Golden Bowl is Maggie's discovery in the novel of her own brilliant capacity for action. After the assignation of the Prince with Charlotte in Gloucester, Maggie begins "to doubt of her wonderful little judgement of her wonderful little world" (307). She begins to "put" things both to herself and the people around her. She contrives gestures to effect a change in her "practically unattackable" situation. Henry James’ The Golden Bowl, The American Scene, and the New York Edition :: American Scene Henry James’ The Golden Bowl, The American Scene, and the New York Edition In the letter he wrote to Scribner's in 1905 proposing that he "furnish" each volume of his forthcoming deluxe edition with a preface, Henry James portrayed his novels and stories as disenfranchised beings patiently awaiting a "chance" for their cause to be righted. James would be their advocate and the prefaces the texts with which he would demonstrate his novels' worth (367). In this paper I will argue that the writing of The Golden Bowl and The American Scene were essential precedents and complements to this project of self-vindication. Reading The Golden Bowl through its preface shows that beneath the narratives of familial and marital relations in the novel run stories of a writer's contention with a misapprehending audience--the same struggles out of which James spun creative autobiography and a theory of fiction in the prefaces to the New York Edition. Through his indirect critique of his readership in The Golden Bowl and the fierce challenges he delivered to his compatriots in The American Scene James laid essential groundwork for the lessons in reading and creative production he would later offer in the New York Edition. Paul Armstrong has argued that James's prefaces require the same "doubled reading" his novels require, that while the reader is absorbing James's account of his writing experience and his theory of writing, the reader is also responding to James as a centering consciousness whose "interpretive attitudes . . . are as much on display and as much an object for the reader's scrutiny as the impressions of a Lambert Strether or a Maggie Verver" (128). As comparable centering consciousnesses, James the preface-writer and his heroine Maggie Verver make common assertions. Both figures demonstrate the power of the creative deed. Paralleling James's affirmations about "doing" in the preface to The Golden Bowl is Maggie's discovery in the novel of her own brilliant capacity for action. After the assignation of the Prince with Charlotte in Gloucester, Maggie begins "to doubt of her wonderful little judgement of her wonderful little world" (307). She begins to "put" things both to herself and the people around her. She contrives gestures to effect a change in her "practically unattackable" situation.

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This gets the reader or viewer engaged, being left make predictions. This sense Is achieved with techniques employed by the author or director of a text. Such is the case in Into Thin Air written by Jon Krause and in The Hunger Games directed by Gary Ross Jon Krause constructs the text Into Thin Air to establish a sense of inevitability that a disaster will occur on Mat. Everest. He achieves this with the use of foreshadowing.An example from the text Is when Squeaker's teammates are spending time taking hoots and he says, â€Å"nobody suspected that by the end of the day, every minute would matter†. This informs us that something bad is going to happen in the near future where time is valuable. This importance of time suggests their lives will be put at risk and survival will become a main focus. Foreshadowing leaves the reader to make predictions while giving them the sense that something will definitely happen, be Inevitable. The application of statistics and descriptive lan guage In Into Thin Alarm contributes to the sense of inevitability that a disaster will occur.He informs us of the deaths on Everest â€Å"Everest killed more than 130 people since the British first visited the mountain in 1921† and the dangerous terrain â€Å"towering more than 12,000 feet†¦ Looms as a three-sided pyramid of gleaming ice and dark, striated rock† Texts can be constructed to establish a sense of inevitability of something happening. This gets the reader or viewer engaged, being left make predictions. This sense Is achieved with techniques employed by the author or director of a text. Such Is the case In IntoThin Air written by Jon Krause and in The Hunger Games directed by Gary Ross be inevitable. With techniques employed by the author or director of a text. Such is the case in Into An example from the text is when Squeaker's teammates are spending time taking The application of statistics and descriptive language in Into Thin Air contributes to th e reader or viewer engaged, being left make predictions. This sense is achieved looms as a three-sided pyramid of gleaming ice and dark, striated rock† sense is achieved with techniques employed by the author or director of a text. Such