Henry James
Henry James's Books(25)
In the Cage
Modern A young girl working in a Mayfair post office is privy to the brief yet substantial messages telegraphed by wealthy,fashionable people to their similar friends. As she reads, she develops her own particular intimacy with various scandals, amours, and intrigues. Her mind captive in the cage of her workplace, and with only the prospect of a rather dull marriage to look forward to, she surrenders to her powerful imagination, her chosen entertainment being the sporadic visits of the dashing Captain Everard, and the 'extravagance,selfishness, immorality, and crimes' of the idle rich. The Outcry
Modern The Outcry , Henry James's final novel, is an effervescent comedy of money and manners. Breckenridge Bender, a very rich American with a distinct resemblance to J.P. Morgan, arrives in England with the purpose of acquiring some very great art; he is directed to Dedborough, the estate of the debt-ridden Lord Theign. But plutocrat and aristocrat come into unexpected conflict when a young connoisseur, out to establish his own reputation, declares a prize painting from the lord's collection to be in fact an even rarer, and pricier, work than had been thought.
A popular success in its own day, but long unavailable since and now almost unknown, The Outcry is one of the most surprising and amusing of James's works. Here he explores questions of privilege and initiative, repute and honor, high art and base calculation, revisiting some of his favorite themes with a deft and winning touch.