Henry James

Though humanities scholars may feel neglected as universities promote science and technology, studies of Henry James continue to flourish. His status as an international author has been enhanced by the formation of the European Society of Jamesian Studies, which joins the US-based Henry James Society in sponsoring well-attended conferences resulting in anthologies that highlight a range of critical approaches. Monographs on single authors are less common than they used to be, but an excellent book by Daniel Hannah illustrates how a familiar topic—James and impressionism—can be revitalized by a creative synthesis of close reading and historical research. “Art lives upon discussion . . . , upon the exchange of views and the comparison of standpoints,” wrote James in “The Art of Fiction,” and his endorsement of multiple perspectives has secured his position in today’s classrooms. Key texts of the moment are The Ambassadors and “The Beast in the Jungle,” which have elicited readings raising larger issues of interpretive validity concerning ambiguous representations of men who resist marriage. Brief biographies by Hazel Hutchison and J. C. Hallman, as well as some inviting paperback editions, are designed to make James more accessible to students and general readers.