Henry James
Get acquainted with the work of one of the most accomplished practitioners of literary realism, Henry James, in this collection of tales. In "Flickerbridge," an American recuperating in the home of an English relative falls in love with the unfamiliar cultural setting; In "Mrs. Medwin," a social mover and shaker uses what some might see as a liability to her advantage.
2) Pandora
5) Glasses
This intriguing tale from American literary master Henry James delves into the age-old issue of whether beauty is a universal value or a matter of subjective perception. A well-born society woman makes sure that she always has a homely female companion by her side so that her own beauty will seem more striking in comparison. However, her plan is derailed when her latest companion is hailed as a beauty by everyone in her social circle.
"You know as well as you sit there that you'd put a pistol-ball into your brain if you had written my books!"
Exemplifying Henry James's famous belief that "Art makes life," The Lesson of the Master is a piercing study of the life that art makes. When the tale's protagonist--a gifted young writer--meets and befriends a famous author he has long idolized, he is both repelled by and attracted to the artist's great secret:
In this masterful tale from Henry James, an American student living in Switzerland serves as the lens through which James explores one of his most frequently revisited themes: the various ways that Americans react to European culture. In this story, the student encounters two different American families and contrasts their diverging views of continental life.
12) Embarrassments
Though American literary master Henry James was an ardent proponent of realistic story elements that readers could relate to, many of his works also deal with the question of perception and how our senses and beliefs can influence the way we see the world. It's a running theme in the four short stories collected in James' Embarrassments.
14) The Real Thing
This perfectly wrought little tale of a painter struggling with his muse brings together a number of the most important themes that renowned American writer Henry James returned to again and again in his work—the difficulty of artistic expression, the meaning of truth, and conflict between socioeconomic classes.
A beautiful American girl, Daisy Miller, is pursued by the sophisticated Winterbourne, who moves in fairly conservative circles. Their courtship is frowned upon by the other Americans they meet in Switzerland and Italy because Daisy is too vivacious and flirtatious and neither belongs to, nor follows the rules of, their society. The novella is a comment on American and European attitudes towards each other and on social and cultural prejudice.
19) Four Meetings
Sometimes, it's not the lingering relationships that stick in our memories, but rather the brief, fleeting encounters. In the brilliant short story Four Meetings, literary master Henry James explores an intense infatuation that ran its entire course in only four meetings.