Henry James was born in New York city in 1843 and died of pneumonia in 1916 in England; he became a British citizen one year before his death. His father was a wealthy intellectual connected to R. W. Emerson, D. Thoreau and N. Hawthorne who, in turn, inspired his son. Henry James had a rich education, as a child he travelled to Europe with his family and learned foreign languages during a three-year tour. In his 20s he decided to become a writer so he travelled to Europe by himself, published book reviews and stories and finally moved to London in 1869. In fact he spent the majority of his life in Europe and never married.
His works include a great variety of genres such as fiction, non fiction, plays and short stories, he was a very prolific writer; he explored the themes of feminism, personal freedom, morality using techniques of interior monologue and point of view. His literary style changed from realism to modernism progressively, he was greatly influenced by French writers. His last works may be compared to impressionist painting. Among his most famous works are The Portrait Of A Lady, The Ambassadors, What Maisie Knew, The Wings Of The Dove, The Golden Bowl, etc.
Henry James was famous for observing life from a window and he was valued for his psychological and moral realism in the depiction of his characters, however he was criticized in his portrait of English characters who sounded unreal to typically British writers. James was considered American even in his writing. Moreover he was lauded for his command of English language and his playful humour.
His range of characters either belonged to the Old World, that is Europe, or the New World that is America. The Old World is a synonym for beauty and corruption whereas the New World represents openness, bravery and self-assertion. He compared both worlds and opposed personalities and cultures. He influenced many writers by his remarkable works.
Wealthy : riche
A play : une pièce de théâtre
Depiction : description, portrait
To laud : faire l’éloge
Playful : enjoué, léger
Self-assertion : affirmation de soi
