272 Pages
by
Routledge
272 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
The 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... Read more
Contents: A certain illusion; ’Who are you ” What are you?’: gender and illusion in The Portrait of a Lady; ’A walking advertisement’: illusion, sincerity, and publicity in The Bostonians; Illusion and the critique of realism: The Princess Casamassima; ’Hooked to a catharine wheel’: passion and illusion in The Tragic Muse; Illusion and the cult of personality in The Aspern Papers, The Figure in the Carpet and The Velvet Glove; Beyond any book: illusion and the desire to continue in The Wings of the Dove; Nothing but you: illusion and absorption in The Golden Bowl; Conclusion; Bibliography, Index.
Biography
Denis Flannery
'...a first-rate close reading not only of James's fiction but also of the strategies explored by that fiction...' Journal of American Studies 'This analysis provides a close reading of its chosen texts, at the same time as situating each text within a wider field of contextual ciriticism. This is an illuminating book that contains useful explanatory notes and a detailed bibliography.' The Year's Work in English Studies
