usually an American, who suddenly finds exposed to cultural richness of Europe. 1983, p. 670
b. The middle years, extending to about 1895. The time when he wrote
three long social novels, a sequence of tales of artist and stories on the theme of missed experiences, travel books, literary criticisms, and
portraitures. In the Bostonians 1886, James presented one of his most delightful heroines, Verena Tarrant, whose femininity, simplicity, and
good nature are contrasted with the novel’s bad heroine, Olive Chancellor, an aggressive and somewhat masculine social reformer.
James had consciously set out to write a very American tale and the result was a mature, balanced study of an eccentric reform movement,
the psychology of middle class values, and certain sexual antagonism. The novel reflects James’ reading of the French naturalist. The Prince of
Casamassima 1886, The Tragic Muse 1890, The Spoils of Poynton 1897, and What Maise Knew 1897 are James’ novels written in this
period.
c. Late work, complex phase. It was the time when he returned to the
international theme with a deeper penetration into its moral and psychological implications and when he wrote tales of the supernatural
like The Turn of The Screw or psychological ghost story like The Jolly Corner. In this period, his novels explored the baneful influence of evilly
disposed minds over young and adolescent ones. These represented his
most complex style. The Wings of The Dove 1902, The Ambassadors 1903, and The Golden Bowl 1904 form a trio in which the contrast of
manners was handled respectively in terms of tragedy, realism, comedy, and philosophical resolution. In the first novel, Milly Theme, dying of an
illness, was victimized by an English couple scheming to deceive her and inherited her wealth. Milly was betrayed by her best friend and by the
man they both loved. In the second, Lambert Strether was sent to Paris to save a young man from an immoral liaison with a Frenchwoman. He was
set out for Paris by his friend, Mrs. Newsome, to persuade her son Chad to return to his business interests in United States. He found the
situation that he did not expect. He failed as an ambassador, but learned so much about the rich, complex, and aesthetic world of Paris.
C. America in 1900s
