Complete stories, 1874-1884

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Publisher
Library of America
Publication Date
1999.
Language
English

Description

In the years when he achieved his greatest success as a novelist, Henry James was also contributing stories prolifically to popular magazines. Stories collected in this Library of America volume (the second of five volumes of James's stories) show James working out, in a more concise fictional laboratory, themes that appear in such novels of the period as The Portrait of a Lady and The Bostonians. They include some of his most famous explorations of the international theme: 'Daisy Miller," the unforgettable portrayal of an innocent, headstrong American girl at odds with European mores, 'An International Episode' and 'Lady Barberina," satirically probing tales of English aristocrats and the American marriage market, and 'the Siege of London," in which an American widow strives to work her way into English society.In 'A Bundle of Letters' and 'the Point of View," James makes a fascinating experimental use of the epistolary form. "Professor Fargo' presents an unusually bleak view of the darker side of American life, while 'the Author of 'Beltraffio'' offers a disturbing portrait of a fin-de-siècle novelist. Throughout, James wittily limns the demands and hidden struggles of social life, and hones his mastery of the unexpected resolution and the brilliantly framed moral portrait.Adventurous in narrative technique, yet marked by precise observation rendered in quicksilver prose, the stories of James's middle period present a breathtaking array of memorable characters and beguiling scenarios.LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation's literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America's best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

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ISBN
9781883011635

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Library Journal Review

The Library of America is starting off 1999 with a bang. This massive collection of stories is actually the third and fourth installments in what eventually will be a five-volume series. Along with standards like "Daisy Miller" and "The Aspern Papers," this edition includes 22 stories that have been long unavailable. Essential for serious literature collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Library Journal Reviews

The Library of America adds two more winners to its ever-growing product line. The Faulkner volume includes The Town (1957), The Mansion (1959), and his last novel, The Reivers: A Reminiscence (1962). The James volume is LOA's fifth and final collection of that author's writings, marking the first time in three decades that his complete canon is in print. This volume gathers 24 of his stories, including "Poor Richard," "A Landscape Painter," and "A Passionate Pilgrim." Both volumes contain notes on the text, a chronology of the author's life, and the other signature extras of the series. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
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