Henry James: A Certain IllusionThe success of a work of art, to my mind, may be measured by the degree to which it produces a certain illusion; that makes it appear to us that we have lived another life, that we have had a miraculous enlargement of experience. Henry James A concept of 'illusion' was fundamental to the theory and practice of literary representation in Henry James. This book offers readings of James' fictional and critical texts that are informed by the certainty of illusion, and links James' mode of illusion with a number of concerns that have marked novel criticism in both the recent and not-so-recent past: gender, publicity, realism, aesthetics and passion, cults of authorial personality, the narrative construction of the future, and absorption. Flannery addresses each of these concerns through close engagement with particular texts: The Portrait of a Lady, The Tragic Muse, The Wings of the Dove, and some other less familiar texts. Although cognizant of debates that have raged around James as he is read both by 'radical' and 'traditional' critics, this book's primary focus is on the specific nuances of James' texts and the interpretive challenges and pleasures they offer. |
From inside the book
Page 222
... Openings , p . 248 . 15 The relationship between seeing and thinking is discussed by Sharon Cameron in Thinking in Henry James , more particularly in relation to The Wings of the Dove , pp . 122-68 . 16 On the conflict between Isabel ...
... Openings , p . 248 . 15 The relationship between seeing and thinking is discussed by Sharon Cameron in Thinking in Henry James , more particularly in relation to The Wings of the Dove , pp . 122-68 . 16 On the conflict between Isabel ...
Page 237
... Openings : Narrative Beginnings from the Epic to the Novel ( Oxford University Press , 1992 ) . Perosa , Sergio , Henry James and the Experimental Novel ( Charlottesville : University Press of Virginia , 1978 ) . Porte , Joel , ( ed ...
... Openings : Narrative Beginnings from the Epic to the Novel ( Oxford University Press , 1992 ) . Perosa , Sergio , Henry James and the Experimental Novel ( Charlottesville : University Press of Virginia , 1978 ) . Porte , Joel , ( ed ...
Contents
A Certain Illusion | 1 |
Illusion and the Cult of Personality | 134 |
Illusion and the Desire to Continue | 167 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
absorption achieved aesthetic American aspects Aspern attention Bostonians Carpet central characters claims combination concerned construction continuation critical described desire discussion earlier Edition effect emphasis equation essay evident example experience fiction figure finds Firstly Furthermore future gender given gives Golden Bowl Henry James historical Hyacinth illusion illusionist imagination impact importance instance intensely interest Isabel James's James's novel kind Lady later literary lives London Madame marked marriage means Merle metaphor Milly Milly's Miriam narrative narrator nature novel object Olive Osmond painting particularly passage passion performative political Portrait position possible Preface present Princess Casamassima produced question reader reading realism reality references relation relationship representation represents response secret seen sense sexual social status story success suggest takes thing Tragic Muse treatment turn Verena visual Wings writing York
References to this book
Cognitive Stylistics: Language and Cognition in Text Analysis Elena Semino,Jonathan Culpeper No preview available - 2002 |