tutorials, critical commentaries, and study guides
This is a series of tutorials and guidance notes on the complete tales of Henry James. He gave the stories the name ‘tales’ because hardly any of them are now what would be considered traditional short stories. Indeed, several of them are now regularly regarded as novellas. There are over one hundred tales in the complete collection. The series is shown here in alphabetical order.
A Bundle of Letters — (1879)
A Day of Days — (1866)
A Landscape Painter — (1866)
A Light Man — (1869)
A London Life — (1888)
A Most Extraordinary Case — (1868)
A New England Winter — (1884)
A Passionate Pilgrim — (1871)
A Problem — (1868)
A Round of Visits — (1910)
A Tragedy of Error — (1864)
Adina — (1874)
An International Episode — (1874)
At Isella — (1871)
Benvolio — (1875)
Broken Wings — (1900)
Brooksmith — (1891)
Collaboration — (1892)
Covering End — (1895)
Crapy Cornelia — (1909)
Crawford’s Consistency — (1876)
Daisy Miller — (1878)
De Grey: A Romance — (1868)
Eugene Pickering — (1874)
Europe — (1899)
Flickerbridge — (1902)
Fordham Castle — (1904)
Four Meetings — (1877)
Gabrielle de Bergerac — (1869)
Georgina’s Reasons — (1884)
Glasses — (1896)
Greville Fane — (1892)
Guest’s Confession — (1872)
In the Cage — (1898)
Jersey Villas — (1892)
John Delavoy — (1898)
Julia Bride — (1908)
Lady Barbarina — (1884)
Longstaff’s Marriage — (1878)
Lord Beaupre — (1892)
Louisa Pallant — (1888)
Madame de Mauves — (1874)
Master Eustace — (1871)
Maud-Evelyn — (1900)
Miss Gunton of Poughkeepsie — (1900)
Mora Montravers — (1909)
Mrs Medwin — (1901)
Mrs Temperly — (1887)
My Friend Bingham — (1867)
Nona Vincent — (1892)
Osborne’s Revenge — (1868)
Owen Wingrave — (1892)
Pandora — (1884)
Paste — (1899)
Poor Richard — (1867)
Professor Fargo — (1874)
Sir Edmund Orme — (1891)
The Abasement of the Northmores — (1900)
The Altar of the Dead — (1895)
The Aspern Papers — (1888)
The Author of Beltraffio — (1884)
The Beast in the Jungle — (1903)
The Beldonald Holbein — (1901)
The Bench of Desolation — (1909)
The Birthplace — (1903)
The Chaperon — (1891)
The Coxon Fund — (1894)
The Death of the Lion — (1894)
The Diary of a Man of Fifty — (1879)
The Figure in the Carpet — (1896)
The Friends of the Friends — (1896)
The Ghostly Rental — (1876)
The Given Case — (1899)
The Great Condition — (1899)
The Great Good Place — (1900)
The Impressions of a Cousin — (1883)
The Jolly Corner — (1908)
The Last of the Valerii — (1874)
The Lesson of the Master — (1888)
The Liar — (1888)
The Madonna of the Future — (1873)
The Marriages — (1891)
The Middle Years — (1893)
The Next Time — (1895)
The Papers — (1903)
The Patagonia — (1888)
The Path of Duty — (1884)
The Pension Beaurepas — (1879)
The Point of View — (1882)
The Private Life — (1892)
The Pupil — (1891)
The Real Right Thing — (1899)
The Real Thing — (1892)
The Romance of Certain Old Clothes — (1868)
The Siege of London — (1883)
The Solution — (1889)
The Special Type — (1900)
The Story in It — (1902)
The Story of a Masterpiece — (1868)
The Story of a Year — (1865)
The Sweetheart of M. Briseux — (1873)
The Third Person — (1900)
The Tone of Time — (1900)
The Tree of Knowledge — (1900)
The Turn of the Screw — (1898)
The Two Faces — (1900)
The Velvet Glove — (1909)
The Visits — (1892)
The Wheel of Time — (1892)
Theodolinde — (1878)
Travelling Companions — (1870)
Two Countries — (1888)
Other works by Henry James
Washington Square (1880) is a superb early short novel, It’s the tale of a young girl whose future happiness is being controlled by her strict authoritarian (but rather witty) father. She is rather reserved, but has a handsome young suitor. However, her father disapproves of him, seeing him as an opportunist and a fortune hunter. There is a battle of wills – all conducted within the confines of their elegant New York town house. Who wins out in the end? You will probably be surprised by the outcome. This is a masterpiece of social commentary, offering a sensitive picture of a young woman’s life.
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The Aspern Papers (1888) is a psychological drama set in Venice which centres on the tussle for control of a great writer’s correspondence. An elderly lady, ex-lover of the writer, seeks a husband for her daughter. But the potential purchaser of the papers is a dedicated bachelor. Money is also at stake – but of course not discussed overtly. There is a refined battle of wills between them. Who will win in the end? As usual, James keeps the reader guessing. The novella is a masterpiece of subtle narration, with an ironic twist in its outcome. This collection of stories also includes three of his accomplished long short stories – The Private Life, The Middle Years, and The Death of the Lion.
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The Spoils of Poynton (1896) is a short novel which centres on the contents of a country house, and the question of who is the most desirable person to inherit it via marriage. The owner Mrs Gereth is being forced to leave her home to make way for her son and his greedy and uncultured fiancee. Mrs Gereth develops a subtle plan to take as many of the house’s priceless furnishings with her as possible. But things do not go quite according to plan. There are some very witty social ironies, and a contest of wills which matches nouveau-riche greed against high principles. There’s also a spectacular finale in which nobody wins out.
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© Roy Johnson 2013
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