HENRY JAMES (1843 - 1916),Life,a wealthy cultured family,father- an eminent philosopher and reformer,brother-a famous philosopher and psychologist,developed a life-long friendship with Howells, who became his “moral police.“(道德榜样),He settled down in London in 1876.,In the Harvard Law School, he read French novelists and critics.,He toured England, France and Italy, and met Flaubert and Turgenev.,the cultural influence of Europe,In 1915 he became a British citizen.,PERSONAL INFORMATION,Henry James was born in New York in 1843. He belonged to a rich family who could afford the private tutors and governesses that educated him, but he was above all a “devourer of books”.,PERSONAL INFORMATION,He was the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James. At the age of twenty-five he was recognized as the best short story writer in America. He never married.,PERSONAL INFORMATION,For many years he alternated visits to England, France and Italy to stays in the USA. In 1875 he decided that Europe was his ideal home and settled in Paris, where he met Flaubert and Maupassant.,PERSONAL INFORMATION,Then he went to England where the most well-known writers of the period, such as Conrad and Kipling, accepted him as a friend and appreciated his books.,PERSONAL INFORMATION,In 1915 he became British subject. He died in London in 1916 and was buried in Massachusetts. In 1976 his ashes were removed to Poets corner in Westminster Abbey.,The author and his time,He never took part in public affairs or showed much interest in the economic and social changes of the period.,The author and his time,He was deeply interested in the contrast between the old world and the new one, between the European way of life, which he considered fascinating, sophisticated, rich in culture and tradition but corrupting, and the American one which he considered too rigid, Puritan but innocent.,Literary career: three stages,a. 18651882: international theme The American 美国人 Daisy Miller 黛西米勒 The Portrait of a Lady 贵妇画像,b. 18821895: inter-personal relationships and some plays The novels and plays were poorly received but he got a better knowledge of literary techniques.,c. 18951900: novels and tales dealing with childhood and adolescence, then back to international theme The Turn of the Screw螺丝在拧紧 What Maisie Knew 梅西所知道的 The Ambassadors 奉使记 The Wings of the Dove 鸽翼 The Golden Bowl 金碗,Psychological novel,James changed the method of presentation in a novel, shifting the centre of gravity from action to its intellectual and fantastic aspects: external circumstances lose significance before the inward events that take place in a soul.,A new concept of the author,James eliminates the author and gives the reader the illusion of being present at the scene of action. He presents events and the minds of the characters directly, without comments or explanations: Dramatize, only dramatize, is his lesson.,Jamess international theme,are set against a large international background, usually between Europe and America,focus on the confrontation of the two different cultures with two different groups of people representing two different value systems,his fame rests upon his novels with,novels,American personalities of,European personalities of,innocence, enthusiasm, vulgarity, ignorance, unsophistication, freshness, freedom, individuality,American heroes and heroines, who confronted European sophistication, either triumphed over it or were overwhelmed.,over-refinement, degeneration, complexity, high cultivation,contrast with,Jamess literary criticism(文学评论),an indispensable part of his contribution,the artist should write about anything that concerns him, even the ugly and the commonplace,“The Art of Fiction” 小说的艺术,is concerned with form,devoted to human values,Art must be related to life,“The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life“,the aim of the novel is to present life,Jamess literary techniques,1.,“point of view” 视角,Explain the situation and character through one or several minds,readers observe events and people through the consciousness of characters and participate in their experience,method,2.,psychological analysis,the forerunner of “stream-of-consciousness“ novels,the founder of psychological realism,emphasizes the inner awareness and inward movement of characters,Style “stylist”,a. over-elaborate style b. Language: highly-refined, polished, (文雅) insightful, accurate c. Construction: complicated, intricate,are not the liking of the common readers,美国的亨利詹姆斯是真正处于临界点的小说家。他在小说中选一个有洞察力的人物，从他的角度来叙述，以他的意识为“中心意识”，再选几个配角，象许多镜子一般从各个角度反照出叙述者的思想情绪。亨利詹姆斯还提出了他的理论观点，认为小说是一个独立的、有生命的整体，它按照本身的内在规律而发展。他要求小说家充分尊重小说本身的内在规律，不要用主观的因袭程式或空洞的道德说教来破坏这种规律。 因此，他才要求作家退出小说，使小说具有更高的客观性和真实性。正是亨利詹姆斯的理论，为第三代小说的诞生提供了美学上的依据，揭开了二十世纪西方小说发展的序幕。,美国的亨利詹姆斯是真正处于临界点的小说家。他在小说中选一个有洞察力的人物，从他的角度来叙述，以他的意识为“中心意识”，再选几个配角，象许多镜子一般从各个角度反照出叙述者的思想情绪。亨利詹姆斯还提出了他的理论观点，认为小说是一个独立的、有生命的整体，它按照本身的内在规律而发展。他要求小说家充分尊工小说本身的