The narrator of Henry James’ Daisy Miller contributes to the novella’s realism, as defined by James himself in his essay “The Art of Fiction,” by creating a narrator who acts as an observer to the events described in the story rather than an omniscient narrator who informs the reader of the thoughts of the characters. Rather than focusing on the internal workings of the character’s minds, James focuses on the external details which offers the reader a realistic perspective of the characters and leaves moral judgment to the readers.
James states in “The Art of Fiction” that “the only reason for the existence of the novel is that it does attempt to represent life” (322). The novella begins, after a short description of setting, with “I” (281). The “I” refers to the unnamed character who acts as a first person limited omniscient narrator limited to the point of view of Winterbourne. Though the character narrates the story, the use of “I” rarely resurfaces after the opening. James actively distances the story for the reader in a vague and obscure manner. This narrative device allows for the novella to act as the account of an unnamed observer. Thus, the narrator is not privy to all aspects and inner thoughts of each character and the reader cannot view all the descriptions as all-knowing and finite. In other words, the narrator is not an absolute authority. Rather than James simply telling the reader the meaning of the characters’ actions, the narrator describes them. This narrative device helps in James’ efforts to depict life accurately.
In “The Art of Fiction,” James states that “the air of reality,” which he describes as the “supreme virtue of a novel,” can be defined as “solidity of specification” (327). Specific...
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...ator acts as a witness to the events of the story rather than an omniscient author who informs the reader of the true intentions and thoughts of the characters. In this way, the novella is extremely realistic and shows how James’ technique establishes a novel approach to writing literature. By asking the reader to actively take part in the text, James arguably begins a tradition that would be taken to extreme lengths in the Modernist tradition.
Works Cited
James, Henry. Daisy Miller: A Study. The Heath Anthology of American Literature Volume C Late Nineteenth Century 1865-1910. Ed. Suzanne P. Weir. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. 281-320.
James, Henry. “The Art of Fiction.” The Heath Anthology of American Literature Volume C Late Nineteenth Century 1865-1910. Ed. Suzanne P. Weir. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. 320-334.
Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007. 348-350. Print.
...n American Literature. By Henry Louis. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 387-452. Print.
McEwen, Fred B. “Henry James.” Literary Reference Center. Salem Press, Jan. 2010. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. .
He is the narrator of the book. The story is told from his perspective (I-perspective).
When first starting to read this novel, the readers are immediately introduced to each of the characters: James, his mother, his father, his sister, both of their boy friends, and John, his coworker. It becomes clear that James does not like to socialize, and because of this, he does not easily open up to the people around him. Due to this reason, the book is mainly told through his thoughts. It is apparent that James only...
Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol A. New York: W.
From the beginning the article presents a cold psychological approach to the characters that James' has made live for me in the short novel. The article covers the character's name, gender, a short description of him or her, the role that character plays in the piece and then goes on to list the basic characteristics of him or her. Motivation, methodology, evaluation and purpose are the four characteristics that are used to describe a character.
Levine, Robert S. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th Edition. Volume B. New York: Norton, 2007. 1696. Print.
Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine, eds. The Norton Anthology: American Literature. 8th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2012. Print.
“Common Sense.” The American Tradition in Literature, 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill , 2009. Print
Daisy Miller may be uneducated, as Winterbourne and his aunt describe her, but she is witty." One illustration of her humor takes place at Mrs. Walker"s party when Winterbourne is criticizing her for her relations with Giovanelli." He says they don"t "understand that sort of thing here"not in young married women."Daisy cries, "I thought they understood nothing else!" and goes on to say, "It seems to me more proper in young unmarried than in old married ones."Daisy typically speaks and behaves frankly, almost in a child-like fashion, but this shows, as the narrator describes it, a "startling worldly knowledge" (1587)." Daisy is somewhat rustic but smart." She has a "natural elegance" and a mixture of" "innocence and crudity," and yet, as seen in her response, her character proves to go beyond the boundaries of this character type of the natural beauty (1564 and 1574).
American Literary Realism, 1870-1910. Vol. 8, Issue 1 - "The 'Standard' University of Texas, 1975. http://www.ut Gilman, Charlotte.
The author of the criticism then focuses on how Henry James received the anecdote that he would transform into his novel. Henry James twists the basic story into his own work by way of irony. Dr. Sloper is at the center of James's irony. While Dr. Sloper criticizes Catherine as a simpleton who is "ugly and overdressed" (3) he states, "I expect nothing . . . so that if she gives me a surprise, it will be all clear gain. If she doesn't, it will be no loss" (3). This is ironical because he himself played a part in her creation. Bette Howland states that while Washington Square may lack the 'supersubtle' nuances of Henry James' future novels, it "offers his irony at its most efficient. The novel is a system of ironies a closed system. . . James is always doing two things at once. Except for Catherine, the characters are always describing themselves and each other . . . and everything they say cuts both ways" (5).
Edith Wharton’s Roman Fever shows the perception of women in the 1930s. Women had just gained the right to vote, but in society the role of the woman had not changed much since the late eighteen hundreds. Women were still expected to be proper and remain pure and innocent. Roman Fever portrays these feminine qualities. Roman Fever has many of the same qualities as Henry James’ short story, "Daisy Miller." Both are written about women who ignore the rules that society has placed on them. It seems Edith Wharton was commenting on women who sinned and the consequences that they will face. In the nineteen thirties, women were to be proper and stay away from such dangers.
Belasco, Susan, and Linck Johnson, eds. The Bedford Anthology of American Literature. Vol. 1, 2nd Ed., Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 1190-1203. Print.