Henry James: The Complete Novels

The Greatest Writers of All Time #35

by Henry James

This book contains the complete novels of Henry James in the chronological order of their original publication.

- Watch and Ward
- Roderick Hudson
- The American
- The Europeans
- Confidence
- Washington Square
- The Portrait of a Lady
- The Bostonians
- The Princess Casamassima
- The Reverberator
- The Tragic Muse
- The Other House
- The Spoils of Poynton
- What Maisie Knew
- The Awkward Age
- The Sacred Fount
- The Wings of the Dove
- The Ambassadors
- The Golden Bowl
- The Outcry
- The Ivory Tower
- The Sense of the Past

Genres: Classics, Fiction

8196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2012

About the author

Henry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."

Reviews

[Brian Markle]

I did not enjoy "The Golden Bowl" most of the time. I did enjoy its lighter moments, especially the conversations between Bob and Fanny Assingham in which he takes the part of her devil's advocate. I found the inner thoughts of major characters, written with too copious details, plodding and of too little interest. "Come on girl! Spit it out"...and..."Spit it out to those who should take heed in what you say!" The heroine Maggie, takes far too long to realize the immoral relationship between her husband. and best friend. She is too much like a butterfly navigating through a garden of beautiful blossoms that hesitates to land on any in case it might choose the improper one. James himself reminds me of the verbose Mr. Mcawber in "David Copperfield, too much to say about too little in too many words. He also reminded me on a less lofty stage, of Foghorn Leghorn of Warner Brothers cartoon fame. Pompous and too theatrical. RIP Henry James

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

poignant stories of love, life and family. my favorites are "The Portrait of a Lady" "The Ivory Tower" and "The Awkward Age"