Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos, n." 5 ( 1997), pp. 9 -19
TOWARDS A
CANON
OF
HENRY
]AMES'S
WRITER-HERO TALES
JoSÉ
ANTONIO ÁLVAREZ
AMORÓS
Uni e sidad de
La
Comña
C i icism
on
James's sho ic ion cons an ly e e s, unde one label
o
an
o he
,
o
a g oup
o
s o ies whose common ea u e
is
he
p esence
o
an a is gene ally cas
in
a e y p ominen ole wi hin he na a ed wo ld.
Among
many simila denomina ions,
hese wo ks ha e been called
«S
o ies
o
w i e s
and
a is s» (Ma híessen), «sho e
ic ion [ o ] w i e s and a is s» (McElde y 120),
o
«a is ales» (Wi h-Neshe 118);
ye , when he a is
in
ques ion is speci ically a man
o
le e s, he na a i es in which
he
appea s a e mo e accu a ely e ned «W i c -he o [ ales]» (Chapman
4)
o e en
«li e a y'
ales,» i we eso o he exp ession James
himsel
used
in
his no ebooks.1 Such a
weal h
o
equi alen ph ases, howe e , ends o conceal he un o una e absence
o
any
easoned a emp a es ablishing which
o
James's s o ies can be ac ually conside ed
w i e -he o ales and which
o
hem do no belong o a ca ego y whose limi s
and
composi ion appea o be app ehended by c i ics only in in ui i e as
hi
on. An hologies,
o ins ance, seldom
ha
e iden ical con en s. Ma hiessen 's S o ies
o W i
e s and A is s
includes na a i es le ou by Ke mode
's
« The Figu e in he Ca pe »
and
O he S o ies
and ice e sa. E en James's own selec ion
o
«'li e a y'
ales» o olumes
15
a
nd
16
o
he New Yo k edi ion
o
his na a i e wo ks
seems
lag an ly incomplc c. These
disc epancies could be explained by a combina ion
o
comme cial ac and a is ic
judgemen on he edi o s' pa , bu i is di icul o de e mine he p opo ion in which
hese wo c i e ia weighed wi h Ma hiessen, Ke mode and James himsel as hey made
hei espec i e choices. The same p oblem occu s
in
c i ica! wo ks such as Sa a S.
Chapman's o he wise excellen monog aph on Jam
es's
w i e -he o ales; o my mind
he selec ion
o he
na a i es is somewha incohe en , since she includes «The Abasemen
1.
The Comple e
No ehooks
o
Hen y Jam
es
154; he
nc
e o
h
c
i
ed
in
he
ex
as
CN.
10
José
An
onio Ál a e: Amo
ós
o
he No hmo es» (1900), whi
ch
could no
e e
n coun as a bo de -line case, while
omi ing «
Th
c P i a e Li e» (1892) and «The Vel e Glo e»
(1900
) bo h
o
which
a e
undeniably s o ies
o
li e a y li e.
Co
nside
in
g
hi
s
la
ck
o
p ecision, i seems pe inen
o
asce
ain he ex en
o
which
hi
s g oup
o
na a i e wo ks enjoys so ne kind
o
di e en ial s a us
wi
h
in
James
's
p oduc ion, and
h
en decide on he inclusion
o
exclusion o i
nd
i idual slo ies.
O
cou se,
we
could al
so
pu his p ocess in e ms
o
c ea ing a en a i e
cano
n o James's w i e -
he o ales.
Th
e me hod 1
wi
ll
ollow has no hing o iginal abou i a
nd
combines induc i e
and deduc i e ea u es. Fi s , a gene al ule will ha e o be o mula ed, and hen
h
e
c i c ia de i cd om his ule wi
ll
be applied o James 's sho ic ion in o de o ind
ou
which
o his
wo ks quali y as ales o li e a y li e
and
wlüch
o
hem a e loca ed ou side,
o
on
he pe iphe y o , his canon. To se
up
his ule, 1 p opose
o
d aw on
w
o sou ces:
i s , on he au ho ial s a emen s indica i e
o
James 's in en ions, second, on he sc n iny
o
he s o ies hemsel es
-a
nd pa icula ly
o
hose which h
a e
been ecei ed as
undoub ed
cases-
in
o de o abs ac hei dis inc i e ca
u
es and see i hey ecu in
he
es
o
hi
s p oduc
io
n. This p ocedu e will
ena
ble us o de e mine whe
h
e hcse
w i e -he o na a i
es
a e a spcci ic subse
o
James's sho ic ion and which o h
em
eally belong he e.
The wo main sou ces o James 's opinions abou his own wo ks a e
hi
s no ebooks
and his
p
e ac
es
, which espec i e) y
ca
y obse a ions
made
he o e he ac
and
a e he ac
o
a is ic
c e
a ion
.
In
he no eb
oo
k
en y
o
13 h
Feb ua y,
18
96
, in
w
hi
ch
he
co
ll
ec e
d ma e ial
o
«
Jo
hn
Del
a oy»
(1898),
Jame
s eco ded he
unpleasan
expe
ience
o
ha ing an essay on Alexand e
Dumas
ejec ed by
an
edi o
beca use i was no su icien ly «
pe
sonal»
o
«cha y.»
Bu
he poin
o
his
passage
is
a he
he p ecise
calego iza ion
o his s o y,
which
shows
ha , a he
u n
o
he
cen
u y, i s au ho
was
pe
ec ly
conscio
us
o
wo king
owa ds a pa i-
cula goal:
R.
U.
Johnson 's le e o
me
he o he day, e u ning my li le pape on Dumas as
shocking o hei p ude y, s ikes me as yielding he ge m
o
a lo ely li le i onic,
sa i
i
c ale
--o
he
se
ies
o
sma
ll
hings
on
he li e and expe
i
ences
o
men
o
le
l
e s, he g oup
o he
li le «li e a y» ales. Isn ' he e an exquisi e li le s
ubj
ec
in his
se
n ence abou hei calc
ul
a ion ha
my
a icle on A.D. would ha e been
unobjec ionable h ough being me ely pe sonal? (CN 154)
E en hou
gh
he is
no
explici as o he
p
ope membc s
o
his «g o
up
o
he
li le 'li e a y' ales,» he iden i ies hem
qu
i e accu a ely when he s a es ha hei s
ubj
ec
is
« he li e and expe iences
o
men
o
le e s,»
emp
hasizing, om a o mal poin
o
iew, his
mo
s che
i
shed condi ion
o b e
i y, i.e. ha hey all sh
ou
ld be «small hings.»
This de ini ion is conside ably elabo a ed on in his c i ica!
p
e aces, especia
ll
y in his
p c ace o ol
um
e 15 whe e he s a es ha
Towa ds a Canon
o
Hen y James
's
W i e -He o Tales
11
[ ]hese pieces ha e his in common: ha hey
deal
all wi h li e a y li e, ga he ing
hei mo i e, in each case, om so ne no ed ad en u e, so ne el emba assmen ,
so ne ex eme p edicamen ,
o
he a is
cnamou ed
o
pe ec ion, idden by
his
idea
o
paying o his since i y.2
He e, howe e , pe haps as a consequence
o
wo king
a e he ac and no be o e
i , James o e s in o ma ion abou speci ic ales.
Fa
him,
«The Dea h
o
he
Lion»
(1894), «The Coxon Fund» (1894) and «The Nex
Time»
(1895)-i.e.
wha he e e s
o
as [ ]hese pieces»
in
he abo e
passage-
a e ali w i e -he o na a i es, he lis being
so
sho11
and es ic ed because, in he pa icula p e ace om which I quo e, James
is
ecalling he in i a ion he ecei ed o con ibu e o a li e a y magazine en i led The
Yellow
Book and lays special emphasis on hose na a i es published he ein. A e dealing
a Jeng h wi h
h
e ci cums ances
o
his con ibu ion,
he
also discusses «The Lesson
o
he Mas e » (1888) and «The Figu e
in
he Ca pe » (1896), calling hese i e s o ies
«my homogeneous g oup» (AN 225) in wha I hold
o
be
a e y cla i ying ges u e. This
is
a i m s a ing-poin , anyway, and
i
ecei es suppo om he ac ha James
co
llec ed
mos
o
his ales
o
li
e a y li e in olumes
15
and 16
o
he New
Yo k
edi ion
o
his
selec ed wo ks, wi h he excep ion
o
«The Real Righ Thing» (
1899)
and «The S o y
in
I » (c. 1900)
o
be ound, espec i ely, in olumes 17 and 18, and «The P i a e Li e,»
«John Dela oy,» and «The Vel e Glo e,» which
we e
al oge he d opped om his
edi ion. In olume
16
, howe e , apa om unmis akable ins ances
o
w i e -he o ales,
he e a e se e a! na a i es
-«
The T ee
o
Knowledge» (1900) ami «The Abasemen
o
he No hmo es,» among
o he s-
ha do no seem o quali y
as
such acco ding o
he c i e ia se up below.
The
second sou ce o be apped is ha
o
he s o ies hemsel es and,
by
ocusing
on bo h hei he na ic and o mal aspec s, one can e ine and ampli y James's own
commen s and make hem se e as a disc imina ing g id o ix a canon. Thema ically,
we
can dis inguish wo le els
o
abs ac ion in analyzing he subjec ma e
o
James's
ales. One
o
hese le e Is is ackled by Tz e an Todo o
in
his celeb a ed essay on his
opic, whe e he makes bold
o
s a e ha ali
o
James 's ales dc elop « he ques o an
absolu e and absen cause» (74), which, in he pa icula ci cums ance
o
his
w
i e -
he o ales, is he li e a y wo k i sel . This absence se s he cha ac e s on a sea ch ha ,
cha ac e is ically enough,
is
ne e ully esol ed ei he o hemsel es
o
o he eadc ,
he pa adigm
o
his inde e mina ion being,
o
cou se, «The Figu e in he Ca pe .»
Todo o 's hema ic educ ion
o
he Jamesian ales is eminiscen
o
he a emp s
a
a
uni e sal «na a i c g amma » he ca ied ou in he la e six ies wi hin hc amewo k
o
li
c a y s uc u alism in o de
o
de ise his G ammai e du Décamé on. The p oblem
2. The
A
o he
No el: C i ica/ P e aces by Hen y
lam
es 220-21; hence o h
ci
ed
in
he
ex
as
AN.
12
José
Amonio Ál a ez
Amo ós
wi h his me hod is ob iously
i
s high le e!
o
abs ac ion which e y nuch hinde s
my
pu posc he e, i.e. o ind ou ways
o
dij e en ia ing Ja nes's w i e -hc o ales om
he
es
o
his ales, no o see
in
wha espec s hey a e alike
o ,
s i
ll less, o p opose a
hcma ic co e capable
o
comp ising hem al
i.
The e ha e been se e al
a Le np s
o na ne he basic hema ic componen s
o
James 's li e a y p oduc ion
a a
mo e speci ic le e! han ha
o
Todo o 's desc ip ion,
and, apa o n he in ema ional heme and hc heme o he pil
g im
in
sea ch
o
socie y,
i is gene ally ag eed ha he heme
o
he a is in con lic
wi h
socie y ea u es in a
la ge p opo ion
o
his wo ks. James 's w i e -he o
a
les a e cha ac e ized p ecisely
by
he p esence
o
he li e a y a is in a p o ninen posi ion, a
ac
which im nedia ely
in okes me ali e a y opics, as well as a po en ial con usi
on
o
ealms be ween he
wo k in hand and he wo k
o
wo ks ha , almos ine i ably, a e alked abou wi h
in
he
ic ional wo ld.
·1 Bu he p esence
o
he lile a y a is in
hese
ales is no jubilan ;
a he , i seems bese
by
di icul ies
-mainly
, hough no exclusi ely, inancial and
o
public
app ecia ion-
ha lead James
o
allude o « he oubled a is ic consciousness»
(AN 221) and o con on he «beau i ul alen s he exe cisc
o
which
ye isn ' luc a i e»
wi h «O he alen s ha lea e any ine app ecia ion mys
i ied
and gaping» being,
n
e e11he
less, «a sou ce
o
as pecunia y p o i » (AN 226).
The
maladjus nen
o
he
Jamesian w i e o he modes
o
p oduc ion
o
a philis ine capi alis socie
y
o ,
in
o he
wo ds, he «powe
o
wea
l h and
h
e
pow
e lessness
o
he
w i e -a is
...
cha ac e is ically impo en be o e success ul ma e ialis s» is doub lessly he cen al
subjec
o
hese w i e -he o ales (Chapman 5).
I
is
no su p ising, howe e , ha his
cen al subjec , being abou w i e s and hei p edicamen s, s
hould
be deeply oo ed
in
a pa icula s age
o
James
's
li e.
The au obiog aphical impo
o
hese ales
is
no uni e sally accep ed. The e a e
c
i ics such as B ooke
K.
Ho a h who belie es ha
no
aspec
o
James
's
li e bo e any
likcness o ha
o his
ic ional w i e s -Ambi
en
,
S . Geo ge, Sal am, Pa aday, Limbe ,
Ye eke , e c
.-
and, al hough «James's li e and p í a
e
con cssions .
..
amply a es
o
pe iods
o
ailu e, sel -doub , and us a ion
...
James is unlike his ic i e colleagues,
a
nd
he p esu np ions unde lying hei ailu e a e no his.»4
No
p oo , howe e ,
is
adduced
o
suppo his claim, and,
in
i s absence, I would a he
um
o a c ucial agmen
co
n ained in James's p e ace o ol
ume
15
o he
New
Yo k
edi ion,
in
which hediscusses
he o igin
o
he données
o
he w i e -he o ales composed o The Yellow Book:
...
whe eas any anecdo
e
abou li e pu e and simple, as
i
we e, p oceeds almos!
as a ma le
o
cou se om so ne good
jog
o
ond ancy's elbow, so ne pencill
ed
3. Fo a discussion
o
he me ali e a y issue
in
«
The
Au ho
o
Be/ a io»
(1884),
see
Law ence R. Scheh ,
«'
The Au ho
o
Bel a io' as Theo y.»
4. Ho a h 106.
O he
c i ics do no
sha e
Ho a h 's assump ions and suppo he
au obiog aphical weigh
o
James 's w i e -he o ales; see, o ins ance, Vaid 62 and Wegelin 639-40.
Towa ds a Canon
o
Hen y Jamcs's W i e -He o Tales 13
no e on somebody clse 's case, so he ma e ial
o
any pic u e
o
pe sonal s a es
so speci ically complica ed as hose
o
my
hapless
iends
in
he p esen olume
will ha e been d awn p eponde an ly ji-om
lze
dep hs
o
he designe 's own mind.
( AN 221, my i alics)
Two di e en aspec s
o
he
c ea i e p ocess
a e
ouched upon he e. On
he
o
ne
hand, James h ows in o elie he ole
o
ancy in he disco e y
o
a sui able «anecdo c
abou li e pu e and simple»; on hc o he , he
d aws
a en ion o he ac ha
he
«Co nplica ion»
o
pic u ing adequa ely hc pligh
o
his
ic
ional w i e s cqui cs
his
d awing on « he dep hs
o
he designe 's own mind,»
ha
is, so ne suppo o n pe so-
nal expe icnce ha ancy alone seems incapable
o
p o iding. This is qui e a weigh y
s a emen in se ling he ques ion
o
au obiog aphy,
bu ,
in addi ion o his, James is no
a ali eluc an o ell
us
in
his no ebooks which cha ac e akes his own pa
in
a spcci ic
na a i e and wha ai s
o
his pe sonali y a e a ibu ed o his cha ac e .
When
commen ing on he ini ial plan o «The Figu e
in
hc Ca pel,» he w i es:
The young man, he 2d [sic] young man (my iend), does oo
-a
nd
i
is
his
o men , his wony, his s udy
o
he p e y books, ha l pe haps mainly cp escn .
I ha e gi en hem
up
- he game isn
'
wo h
he
candle. l 's ali
abad
joke
anda
mys i ica ion: ha 's he g ound I ake
..
.
Say
I ake he g ound
o
ou he o's
madness,
o
me
e pe sis en pleasan y amoun ing almos o madness
-a
nd ha
i
is
he who ake[s] he side
o
he ou igh beau y and sani y
o
he wo k
...
I'm
no , I don' ca e, I cling o my ulga explana ion
...
(CN 137-38)
Passages
o
his kind do no p o e,
o
cou se, he exis ence
o
au obiog aphy in
James's w i e -he o ales, since he i s pe son p onoun migh well
be
a me e de ice
used by he au ho o adop he cha ac
e
pe spec i e momen a ily and check i his
de elopmcn
o
he s o y's ini ial idea is consis en!. Bu , aken in combina ion wi h
James's s a emen abou he ole played by « he dep hs
o he
designe 's mind» in he
concep ion
o
he données o hese ales and wi h so ne conc e e ac s om his li e a
he end
o
he nine een h ccn u y, he au obiog ap
hi
ca
l hypo hesis gains conside able
s cng h.
Acco ding o Leon Edel, in o abou 1889 James «was se iously e-examining
his p o essional and inancia! ca een> ([363]). In
he
p e ious i e yea s he had wo ked
a a an ic pace, bu had ob ained no p opo ional success in e ms
o
oyal ies. James,
like o he no elis s such as James Joyce, u ned o he d ama ic ca ee as a possibili y
o
lea ing behind his in e e a e inancia! di icul ies. A
h
e end
o
he eigh ies, James
enjoyed a ema kable epu a ion as a no elis , essayis and e iewe among c i ics and
he
enligh ened eading public, bu his income was compa a i ely low, because he was
no a ali popula . His i s a emp
o
make a d ama ic epu a ion a himsel was he
adap a ion
o
his no el The
Ame ican
(
18
77) a
h
e s age. Wi h he esul ing pl
ay,
he

14
José
An onio Ál a ez
Amo
ós
achie ed a mode a e success in Sou hpo n
ea
Li e pool on 3
d
Janua y, 1889. Bu ,
o
his ho o ,
he
was soon o
ea
lize «how a p o incial su
ccess
is con ined o
he
p o inces.»
~
A e
s uggling o ou yea
s
agains a public
who
did no enjoy
his
in e
ll
ec ual sub
l
e ies, James su c ed a g ea disappoin men
ha
b ough
hi
s d ama ic
ca ee
oan
end, when his play Cuy Dom ille was booed and
hissed
by an unapp ecia i e
London audience
on
5 h Janua y, 1895.
I
is
no di icul o ealize ha «James 's discou agemen
migh
ha e con ibu ed
o
his b oade sy npa hies wi h he pligh
o
his w i e colleagues» (Chapman 21),
and
his in e p e a ion scems e en mo e plausible
i
we
conside
he
publica ion da e
o
his
w i e -he o na a i es concemed wi h he depic ion
o
he
ca
e u
l and conscien ious
a is
in
con lic wi h he lowb ow public. His h ee ales publis
hed
in The Yellow
Book
-«The
Dea h
o
he Lion
,»
«The Coxon Fund,» and «The
Nex
Time»-
<leal
wi h
di e en modula ions
o
his heme, da ing, as we al eady know, om his hea ical
yea s. Ap
a e
om hese, one could also poin ou «G e ille
Fane»
(1892) and «
The
Middle Yea s» ( 1893), as well as he la e «John Dela oy» a
nd
«B oken Wings» (1900).
The heme
o
he i
so
la ion
o
he li e a y a is om he gene al public ea u es
in
ali his
ales, bu i is pa icula ly no iceable
in
hose jus men ioned.
F om a o mal pe spec i e, he e a e wo c i e ia ha
can
con ibu e o se ing
limi s o James 's ales
o
li e a y li e: i s , he physical dimensions
o
he wo ks; second,
wha Seymou Cha man
ca
lls he s uc u e
o
na a i e ansmission, i.e. he p esence
o
in e na] na a o s and/o ocalize s who, in one way o ano he , condi ion he meaning-
making p ocess. The i s
o
hese c i e ia ob iously disquali ies he no els (e.g. The
Ambassado s
o
The Sac ed Foun
)
a
nd
he no ellas (e.g.
The
Aspe n Pape s) as
membe s
o
his class. Bu his
is
no an
o iose dis inc ion, since
we
e y well know he
impo ance James a ached o he size
o
a na a i e wo k
in
co espondence wi h he
kind
o
heme i con ained. In he p e ace o «The Au ho
o
Bel a io,» he discusses -
wi h e e ence o he o ganic g ow h
o
he li e a y wo k-
he
p oblems
o
a is ic
comp ession encoun e ed by w i e s when edi o s
se
s ingen wo d limi s unde he
p essu e
o
p oduc ion cos s. In he cou se
o
his discussion, he es ablishes a dicho
omy
be ween he concep s
o
anecdo al heme and dei•elopmen al heme (AN 232-35) and,
wi h hei aid, he e iews so ne
o his
wo ks, analyzing he co espondence be ween
he
ki
nd
o
heme he adop s and he esul ing leng h.
Fo
ins an
ce
, when dealing wi h
«G e ille Fane,» he explains ha « he subjec
...
is
'de elopmen al' enough, while
he
o n
has o make he anecdo ic concession» (AN 234). Ne e heless, ins ead
o
ueing
his inadequacy, he is sa is ied wi h i and inds easons o boas abo
u
he pe ec hannony
o
he inished p oduc .6
ln
his case, his sou ce
o
p ide lies in he ac ha «G e ille
5.
Le e
o
his b o he William, q d. in Edel 367.
6.
In spi e
o
his o ganicis p o es a ions, Jam
es
was
a mechanis by his me hod
o
composi ion. Ins ead
o
abho ing any ci cums ance ha could p e en he ull g ow h
o
a
Towa ds a Canon
o
Hen y James's W í e -He o Tales 15
Fane» is a ela i ely sho ale, in which he manages o squeeze, by a consis en
o esho ening
o
he
subjec , he biog aphy
o
a pleasan popula no elis and
he
child en 's unbelie able callousness owa ds he .
Mo e impo an han he me e physical dimensions
o hese
wo ks is he sub le y
o
hei na a i e s uc u c. The s anda d w i e -he o ale is endowed wi h a i s -pe son
ma ginal na a o -wi ness placed on he edge
o
he ep esen ed wo ld and enjoying
a ious deg ees
o
plo signi icance acco ding o di e en c i ica! opinions. Fo Yaid,
hese na a o s «a e p ima ily a ia ions
o
a na a i e me hod, no ully de elop
ed
cha ac e s in hei own igh »
(61
),
whe eas o Macnaugh on hey a e c ucial elemen s
o
he ic ional wo ld
an
d bea decisi ely on i s ep esen a ion. Ful illing he
double
ole
o
speake s and obse e s, hey con ibu e o he gene a ion
o
a Bakh inian su plus
o
seeing
h
a
ela i izes eali y by b idging he gap be ween he inne sel and he
ou e
wo ld (C aige 19-20, 30), which causes mos
o
James 's w í e -he o na a i es
o
exhibi
a al e ing, insecu e one.7
In
consonance wi h he «li e a y» se ing
o
hese ales,
he
ole
o
he ma ginal na a o is embodied by w i e s
o
c i ics and, al hough his ac
should acco d hem inc eased powe s
o
disc imina ion and pe cep ion, hey a e usually
gullible and un eliable.
The o egoing discussion
o
hema ic and o mal c i e ia leads me
o
o mula
e
a
ule whose applica ion will yield a se
o
ales in
h
e o m
o
a s uc u ed canon, i.e.
wi h wo ks placed a i s co e, on i s pe iphe y and, inally, ou side he canon, hough
pe haps closely ela ed
o
i by o mal o hema ic aspec s. The i s c i e ion o
be
applied will be he p esence
in
he ale
o
a li e a y a is in con lic wi h socie y due
o
he gene al misunde s anding
o
his a is y
o
o he inancia! di icul ies ha a ise
om such misunde s anding. This is ob iously a hema ic c i e ion and one which can
be de i ed om au ho ial s a emen s (signally AN 220-21)
o
au ho ial expe ienc
es
ou side he
e
alm
o
ic ion. Technical in na u e, he second c i e ion lies in he p esence
o
wha I ha e called a i s -pe son ma ginal na a o -wi ness, i.e. a na a o whose
pa icipa ion
in
he de elopmen
o
he plo
is
gene ally es ic ed o he ole
o
obse e
o ansi i e cen e, wi h he possibili y
o
his mind becoming g adually he objec
o
he na a
i
on ( o he concep
o
ans i i e cen e see
Al
a ez Amo ós, «James, Lubbock,
a
nd
Beyond» 50-51
).
O he mina
c
i e ia a e, o ins ance, he ole
o
au obiog aphy in
de elopmen al heme, he che ishes he imposi ion
o
obs acles ha may allow him o show
o his
mas e y: «
Th
e me i
o
he hing is in he ea , once mo e,
o
he ans
us
ion; he ecep acle
(o
o m) being so exiguous, he b e i y imposed so g ea . I unde ook he b e i y, so o en unde aken
on a like scale be o e, and again a i ed a i by he innume able epea ed chemical educ ions and
condensa ions ha end o make
o
h
e e y sho s o
y,
as I isk again no ing, one
o
he cos lies ,
e en i , like he ha d, shining sonne , one
o
he mos indes uc ible, o ms
o
composi ion
in
gene al use» (AN 239-40).
Fo
a ul! discussion
o
his ques ion, see
my
essay «Hen y James's
'O ganic
Fo m'
and Classical Rhe o ic.»
7.
«G e ille Fane» is an ob ious
ex
cep ion o his ule.
18 José
Am
onio Á/ '{/ e: A
mo ós
on he o malis ic heme
o
«The Dea h
o he
Lion» and «John Dela oy,» acco ding
o
which wha eally ma c s
is
an au ho 's wo k and no hc pu ely human side o his
pe sonali y.
The
ou een ales named and discussed abo e onn,
in
my
iew, he canon
o
Hen y James 's w i e -he o na a i es; ye , one could also men ion o he s o ies si ua ed
ou side his canon bu dea ly ela ed o i . «The Abasemen o he No1 hmo es» p esen s
wo
habi ual le e -w i e s, John No hmo e and Wa en Hope. Bu none o hem appca s
asan
au ho o ic ional wo ks, and he e e ence o he ac ha No hmo e «had madc
li e a u e» ( «The Abasemen
o
he No hmo cs» Comple e Tales
11:
111) jus akes
on
i onic o e ones when ead in he con ex
o
he es
o
his achie emen s: «He
had
made poli ics, he had made li e a u e, he had made land, he had
made
abad
manne and
a g ea many mis akes, he had made a gaun , oolish wi e, wo ex a agan sons and
ou awkwa d daugh e s -he had made e c y hing
...
» («The Abasemen
o
lhe
No hmo es» Comple e Tales
11:
111
). Besides, he wo d «li e a u e» seems
o
be used
he e in he adi ional sense
o
«w i en wo ks»
o
wha e e ype, and his
is
con i med
by No hmo e 's
desc ip ion- om
his wi e
's
pe spec i e-
as
a genius «in economics,
in he highc poli ics,
in
philosophic his o y» ( «The Abasemen
o
he No hmo es»
Comple e Tales 11:116). Fu he e idence ha his is
no a
w i e -he o ale lies in i s
adical depa u e om he s ipula ed condi ions, such
as
he p esence
o
a li e a y a is
in
con lic wi h socie y and
o
a i s -pe son na a o -wi ness:
on
he one hand, i is
di icul
o
e e o Nonhmo e and Hope as li e a y a is s,
Je
alone o see hem
in
any
kind
o
con lic wi h socie y; on he o he , he ale is ela ed by
an
au ho i a i e hi d-
pc son na a o lea ing no oom o unce ain y
o
ela i ism.
«The
S o y in l ,» o i s
pa ,
is
a cu ious case, since
il
could be depic ed as a ale
o
li e a y li e, bu no as a
w i e -he o ale. Hi he o, bo h exp essions ha e been conside ed synonymous, o all
s o ies
o
li e a y li e u n ound he igu e
o
a g ea w i e who plays he mo e
o
less
clea ole
o
he o o p o agonis . Bu in his ale cha ac e s simply pose as ama eu
c i ics and discuss F cnch no els
in
compa ison wi h Anglo-Ame ican ones wi hou he
leas e e ence
o
any pa icula au ho loca ed
in
he ic ional wo ld. O he Jamesian
s o ies deal wi h non-li e a y a is s such
as
sculp o s ( «The T ce
o
Knowledge»)
o
pain e s ( «T
he
Real Thing» [1892] and «The Tone
o
Time» [ 1903]). Fo his eason,
hey ha e no been analyscd he c, bu i should be no ed ha many
o
hem -«The
Real Thing» being a case in poin -display, and elabo a c on, he same hemes as hose
ea
ed
by James in he s o ies p esen ed and examined
in
his essay.
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A C i ique
o
hc Anglo-Ame ican Concep ion
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Na a i e Poin
o
View
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oll'a ds a
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1i 11en y
lames's
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o/es
19
Á.LYAREZ
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,
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RA S.
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OUR.
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1
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ew
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