September 2011 Archives

The Beast in the Jungle

The Beast in the Jungle has to be one of the saddest stories that we've read so far. What's interesting in the way James does this is how he focuses on the different characters. Although the story isn't told in the first person by any of the character's, it can be argued that the story revolves more around John Marcher, and we get much better insight into his character than, say, May Bartram. Even though this is the case, or perhaps because of it, we finally feel more sympathy, sadness and even attention given towards the character's, whom for the story, don't initially feel like they would be as important in this aspect. James seems to do this in a lot of his stories: this practice is basically the same in "Daisy Miller", "The Pupil" and even "The Jolly Corner". It would be a little simplistic to say that the protagonist in these stories is just a jerk and someone who is unappreciative towards those around them. Part of the problem in this is that the protagonist is often suffering too--though perhaps for different reasons. Marcher isn't as neglected as May, but he still feels alienated in a way. Marcher just doesn't seem like he knows how to approach the situations that arise in his life. I believe most of this comes down to his obsession with the "true experience" or whatever he feels is going to happen, along with the worry that this obsession, by definition almost, requires. He's so preoccupied by these thoughts of the experience that when the experience does unfold before his eyes he doesn't even see it.

The Jolly Corner

With this story, I felt like it would have been more "convincing" if we were given more information about Brydon's life spent in Europe. Given his obsession regarding the desire to go back and change his life, or at least know what the alternative could have been (basically the pursuit though impossibility in knowing the unkowable) the reader wants to know what was so unsatisfactory about his "actual" or "real" life. I wonder if James did this to show that it doesn't really matter what our actual experiences are--even if they are the best possible outcomes that could ever happen to us-- we would still probably wonder "what if....?" If this is the case with this story, it shows how misguided this capacity for wonder is. Brydon returns home--things aren't exactly the way he remembered them, the corner house on the Jolly Corner is falling apart. All that Brydon possibly could have achieved had he stayed would have been money. This seems simple enough, yet he literally goes crazy stalking this idea (as well as "himself") in the old abandoned house. I sort of see this as the impossibilty of us, as people, in ever finding resolution or closure in our life--even when we know all the possibilities and their outcomes.

Lacey Kirwan
Notes 9/26/11
The Beast in the Jungle
Why is it that all of Jame's characters seem to focus so solely on small things that in the grand scale of things don't seem to be all that big of a deal to me? This guy is going to forgo marrying the lady because he has a feeling?
The real truth about you pg 251
"I'm your dull woman" ?
"getting used to danger" they make it so serious with nothing but a "feeling' to back it up
"saved her, he meant, from that appearance of variation from the usual human type." Pg 257
"what did everything mean--what, that is, did she mean" pg 261
"that he shouldn't of be sold" what does that mean? Is James alluding to the fact that his writings never sold? Or what?
Why doesn't marcher think that her death could be the life altering thing? It will alter his life very much but that alter still won't be the most immense?
"she was dying, and his life would end." Pg. 269 this has to be the "thing"
The dialogue between 270 and 272 is insane
'not been markedly bereaved" because he had not married her, society was not willing to recognize his loss of her as anything great
He had missed her, but james says that she did live 'in loving him' but he did not live because he did not love her?

I read Jolly Corner first, which I'm glad I did, because after then reading Beast in the Jungle, I feel like Jolly Corner would've been terrible in my eyes - not that I hated it, just I really liked Beast in the Jungle.

JOLLY CORNER
Again, James' main character is an analytical and observant mind (pg 284), I don't think he can quite pull himself out of his writing - not that that's a bad thing, or expected. He writes quite well-developed and individual characters; often clever ones, so no reason to find error.

Some things I wonder why James does, such as put europe in quotes.

I love the interesting and seemingly unconventional way he writes things like page 286, "perhaps that they'd slept the sleep of the just".

James writes so thickly and so densely that it's hard to follow at times. I find myself often lost; separated from his point by jargon or attempts at impressive accuracy of description.

At the same time, sometimes his style is so convoluted that it carries a certain subtlety to it. This allows him to begin to allude tot eh ghost around 289-290. There are lovely phrases of imagery tossed in, like page 290-291, "the old silver-plated knobs o fthe several mahogany doors, which suggested teh pressure of the palms of the dead;..."

Alice is not the overly chatty woman, as James describes her manner of conversational involvement on page 291. She must be the ideal woman, in a man's mind; she can agree, disagree, or encourage, and all in few words. James' way of saying she's well-spoken?

It seems like Brydon doesn't want to scare Alice, by telling her he's noticed some things in the house. Then he just tells her, and it seems like she chooses to be ignorant of it; to remain naive, by just responding that if it was furnished he'd live there. But spencer pushes it further still, saying that ot him it is lived in.

I also realize in reading htis story,I much prefer when James writes actual dialogue , as opposed ot the lengthy paragraphs that I foten lose sight of being an implied bit of conversation.

Spencer doesn't seem to like NEw York. he sees through it and sthinks it affects who people are. In a way, he can't help but wonder what life would've been like had he spent his life in the Jolly Corner.

James shows us Alice cna keep up in her quiet, yet not over-spoken way (pg 294). She teases him a bit, gives him a hard time.

As brydon stalks himself, I can't help but wonder if he isn't just crazy. partially because though James rarely uses straight dialogue, here he does (pg 301) when Brydon's alone.

By 305, I find myself confused: it seemed Brydon believed his other self lurks in this house, but when a door is found shut that he didn't close - he seems spooked. It's funny because it's his pass-time; his entertainment, but he suddenly becomes aware of it all, and yet he stikcs it out this time longer than usual (pg 308).

Again, I have immense trouble following his points here, (bottom of 308), and totally lose sight of his sentiment amidst the hyphens and constant commas. His abstract sentence structure and language do him a disservice here, I feel as opposed to other times when it plays into the subtlety or vague but enjoyable picture-painting. Here I just get lost, and I don't care to try and asses what he intends.

In pages 314-317, I'm captiavted again. Every times James uses real dialogue, I find it easier to follow. The story isn't so dense with descriptive flufff, if I can be so harsh , but finds just the right balance.

HTe middle, wandering through the house was a bit difficult for me to get through. That was maybe the most I'e suffereed at James' long ultra-descriptive paragraphs. Then again, I'm never a huge fan of reading that type of writing; skilled as it is.

I'll add my beast notes later, as it's class time. sorry for the delay. Internet at home on friday!

BEAST IN THE JUNGLE
I'm careful to say it so soon, but it seems (pg 240) that this is some of James' more simple writing; more easy to follow, yet holding the wit that he so often employs. And again, i really love when he pursues dialogue more than beefy, descriptive paragraphs.

By page 243, I'm totally intrigued and curious. It would be just like James to consciously leave us wanting and probably enjoy it so; his cleverness and teasing. Yet then when he gives us more specifics it's still only abstract.

it's funny because he says her absence would be the worst thing to occur; I think May knew that he loved her, even if he didn't himself know it.

"The Beast in the Jungle" is my favorite story thus far. Marcher is the classic case of a self-absorbed egoist. He can't see beyond himself. His secret, which he hides from the world, weighs on him so much that he genuinely believe that because he doesn't share it with others, he's doing the world a favor. He quickly throws marriage and love out of the question. "His conviction, his apprehension, his obsession, in short, was not a condition he could invite a women to share." He misinterprets this as being unselfish. His self-absorption is conveyed right away upon meeting May Bartram. He rattles off the details of their first encounter with confidence but he's completely wrong. In contrast, Bartram remembers ever detail.

I thought the main point of the story was to convey that Marcher needed to look beyond himself to find some truth and happiness in the world. When he finally does, it's too late. Marcher doesn't even realize that he's old until he sees that May is old and instinctively links it to himself. ""If she was old, or almost, John Marcher assuredly was, and yet it was her showing of the lesson, not his own, that brought the truth home to him."

Another interesting element that supports the fact that Marcher needs to look beyond himself is that the story is told in the third person. One might think that a story about a self-absorbed egoist would written in the first person. But james writes at a distance lending more credibility for the reader and hinting that Marcher needs to defy his selfishness.

I kind of struggled through "The Jolly Corner." I found it hard to get any momentum going. However, I did find an intriguing link between Byrdon and Marcher, they're both selfish. Byrdon wanders through his life, self-absorbed, in this harmfully non-contemplative way. It's hard to say whether or not this will continue after his encounter with the ghost. I have a hunch that it's too late for Byrdon to change, just as it was too late for Marcher.

The Beast in the Jungle

-"the charm of it was that even before they had spoken they had practically arranged with each other to stay behind for talk"

"I met you years and years ago in Rome. I remember all about it." - first hint of her love for him

"You know you told me something that I've never forgotten and that again and again has made me think of you since" - why was she so intrigued by this? What does this say about life?

Again, James' dialogue is great

The build up to John's secret is intense

May is happy to be the only person John has told, yet her knowing this and sticking by him tears her down

"isn't that what you describe perhaps but the expectation....of falling in love?"
"Of course what's in store for me may be no more than that."
-"no more than that"? He doesn't hold love very highly

"The thing will appear natural"

"I'll watch with you" that's a really beautiful ending to the moment

It is so sad that May is the only one to know his secret, to understand him, and yet he doesn't let her get close to him

"he continued to attach his eyes to her" love that imagery

"don't know when you needn't" i think she's telling him to just live

The narrator mostly tells the story from Marcher's point of view, as in sections May is his "friend" and he hers, when there is no question that there is more to it than that

The fact that Marcher believes in fate is great, but he believes almost too much

It is as if May knowing Marcher's secret has made it even more of an obsession. It's all they talk about

It's interesting to hear James' outlook on love, for as far as we know he never had it

"like a crouching beast in the jungle" an honorable man would not take a lady on a hunt ha!

Marcher fears he might lose May--why? Love? or because of his obsession?

I love the scene when May knows what the beast is but is too ill to speak of it. It shows how niave Marcher is in not being able to see this, as he still thinks it's some tangible thing he will recognize immediately

Marcher thinks the beast is May's death--but it is rather that he hasn't let himself love her

"The escape would have been to love her; then he would have lived"

The Jolly Corner

-This is such an eloquent ghost story: "a sensation more complex than had ever before found itself consistent with sanity"

-It seems thoughtful: it's interesting to have a ghost story taking place in a childhood home where there would definitely be haunting memories

-Interesting contrast between "jolly corner" and the style of the story

-Very similar to the theme in The Beast in the Jungle: that of the unlived life

-The narration is awesome. Very suspenseful.

-I feel a lot of loneliness from Brydon. He is remembering his past life and wishing for something else

-Again I wonder if this is telling to James' life

-what is the significance of the two lost fingers?

The Beast in the Jungle

I thought this story was interesting. Although (maybe I missed it) but I don't know what the "beast" was. I like the fact that there is so much mystery around it though. I also like the hints about a love story here, "The fact that she 'knew' -knew and yet neither chaffed him nor betrayed him-had in a short time begun to constitute between them a sensible bond."

Something that was very confusing to me was there was references to a third person sometimes (in the first person), for example on page 252, "What we are especially concerned with is the turn it happened to take from her one afternoon when he had come to see her in honour of her birthday." Who is we? Also on page 256, "It was all to have made, none the less, as I have said..." And again on page 278, "He was to live to believe this, I say, thought he was not to live, I may not less definitely mention..." Who is I? That was very confusing to me!

The Jolly Corner

First I thought it was slightly amusing that the name of the story is "The Jolly Corner", when all this spooky stuff happens at this house...it's not so jolly! I did have a hard time reading this story, the descriptions were good, although a bit on the longer side. Like on page 285, there is the longest sentence that I think James's has ever written! It starts with, "He had come..." and goes on and on. On page 287 I like the description of Staverton (I think) "if she were a fair young woman who looked older through trouble, or a fine smooth older one who looked young through successful indifference." There were also ghost like words scattered through the text, like "evil hours," and "fanged."

On page 311 the description was great, "-his planted stillness, his vivid truth, his grizzled bent head and white masking hands, his queer actuality of evening-dress, of dangling double eye-glass, of gleaming silk lappet and white linen, of pearl button and gold watch-guard and polished shoe."

Also at the end he dies but comes back? How? And what does Alice mean by "And now I keep you." That just sounds really creepy to me!

Both of these stories were my favorite assigned readings thus far. I thought they were brilliant, and (except for a little bit of drawn out speech in "Jungle") I really enjoyed reading them. I'm starting to see a lot of themes coming together, and am beginning to recognize symbols in devices in James' stories. For example, I noted a continuation of James's lengthy descriptives and the theme of Americans abroad. I noted that John Marcher, was very much like Dencombe, in that he was always trying to make his own version of his surroundings, instead of grappling with reality. There's also the continuation of the themes of memories and experience. John Marcher's name is a definite literary device, meant to symbolize the fact that every step he takes in the novella, and in his life, are steps towards his death.
I immediately noted the unique quality of May Bartrum's character, and her portrayal within the text. She is a different female character than those I've encountered in previous readings of James. She's wise, almost prophetic. She is not noted for her beauty, but rather for her embodiment of empathy and truth. I noted in the text, that empathy is a quality that Shakespeare regularly bestowed on his female characters. It was a characteristic of their femininity, and it was usually their most heroic quality. I felt this in May's character as well. All in all, her character was the most confusing to me. I couldn't quite grasp her motives, and her purpose. I kept trying to find something to make sense of her, but I found her shrouded in ambiguity. I'm interested to see what some other people in class will have to say about her character.
As far as the "theme" of latent homosexuality within "The Beast in the Jungle," it was nearly impossible for me to not read it through this lense. After reading the preface, I was constantly looking for homosexual allusions. The text supplied more than enough fodder for this argument to be made, but I was frustrated that I couldn't read it through a more objective lens. I believe that the point of the novella was to communicate the tragedy of a life not fully lived (another Jamesian theme), but I'll be interested to hear people's opinions on whether or not they believe the novella is one of repressed sexuality.
Some recurring words I noted, were "afraid," "veil," and "suspense." Henry James seems to like to repeat words when he wants to really drive a point home, so I made sure to look for that.
One last theme from "The Beast in the Jungle," is the understanding of another. James seems to believe that the one saving grace of this life, is to have someone who understands and appreciates you. He, himself, felt all too often that he had no one who truly understood and admired his talents. He laments this often, and many times he laments through his characters. I believe that John Marcher is a prime example of this.
In "The Jolly Corner," Spencer Brydon also frequently looks to the past. He, it could be argued, is even more similar to James because he is a true ex-patriot who yearns to have lived as an American. James once said "If I were to live my life over again, I would be an American. I would steep myself in America; I would know no other land." I found "The Jolly Corner" to be slightly less profound than "The Beast in the Jungle," but no less enjoyable to read. There was something very "Poe-esque" and I enjoyed reading it as an introduction to a ghost story, which we've been talking about in class for a while now.
I found Alice Staverton to be an equally compelling, but less of a mysterious character than May Bartram. She understands Brydon, similarly to the way that May understood John. All in all, I enjoyed "The Beast in the Jungle, more than I enjoyed "The Jolly Corner." But both of these works constitute my favorite readings thus far.

The Beast in the Jungle

So like many others I was very annoyed knowing that so much emphasis was put on this mysterious "beast" and I honestly thought that, being James, he wasn't going to tell us. I guess I thought that John was going to die prematurely and that would be his beast, some kind of disease or something. So I was very bummed when I found out that May was going to die. To me she was much more likeable. Probably because John was stupid and couldn't see what he had, which is incredibly frustrating for me as a reader so I can't imagine how it killed Marcher when he discovered his folly. I think May was so likeable because she was so wise and the troubles that had made her life one of substance and feeling, unlike John's, is because she lived IN her life.

The Jolly Corner

Once again, this story seems typically autobiographical James. An American that has lived out of the country for long periods of time and is wondering what his life may have been had he made different choices. The house that he wanders around in at night is a very interesting concept. I love the descriptions of it. It is strange how he finds an old house that has nothing in it so comforting and homey. The way in which he wanders around it at night makes him seem like some sort of spirit in addition to the one he is looking for. I feel like he fits the stereotypical story of a ghost more than the spirit. He is looking for something, in an old house, in which he only goes at night, he is disturbing the spirit the spirit is not disturbing him (except psychologically). Interesting spin on the classic ghost story from James.
Tali Sinjem

The Beast in the Jungle

Marcher seems a stupid. Why does he try to tell the woman that he remembers her clearly when he gets all his facts wrong and then she corrects him?
So...he thinks something bad will happen to him? A sense of doom or something?
Does anything bad happen to him? Wait, it's James so I am assuming he dies. My prediction right there.
I think it's sorta funny how he just sits around all day waiting for this horrible thing to find him. Why not go out and live life?
Why does May stick around for so long? I know she says she is interested in his fate but how did she even become interested in the first place?
I feel bad for May she sticks around because she is in love with him and hopes he will one day return her love.
I have still yet to find a lot of homoeroticism...
Marcher is an idiot, he so concerned with his horrible fate that he can't go and do anything.
I just noticed they both have names derived from months of the year. I don't have a clue how that is significant but I noticed!
Oh no! May dies! Dang I was wrong
His great tragedy was not realizing his life was in front of him waiting to be lived, how depressing thanks James.

The Jolly Corner

This seems autobiographical again, Spencer is an American who has been in Europe for a long time.
I like how James describes Alice, "...if she were a fair young woman who looked older through trouble, or a fine smooth older one who looked young through successful indifference..." pg 287
There is a lot of Spencer wondering "What if...?"
When Alice and Spencer are wandering the 'jolly corner' they seem to use a lot of words that begin with G, like: great, gaunt, gruesome, grey, glimmering, glare and grave. G for ghost!
Is he...wandering around the abandoned house at night? That is strange.
Why at the hours of 11:30 to 2? I would avoid the place at those hours. This is creepy.
He is pretty much asking for trouble by staying in the house at night.
Why does he feel like he is hunting something? I find that an odd comparison, walking around a creepy house at night and hunting an elephant or tiger or something.
I really wish James would use more proper nouns when Spencer is by himself. I can't tell if the narrator is talking about Spencer or the ghost that is there with him.
Page 311- This is so scary! The ghost finally appears!
Yay! A love story finally ended happily! For once...

The Beast in the Jungle

I went into The Beast in the Jungle with an expectation of a latent (or even blatant) homoerotic theme; and there is one drifting at the edge of perception if you're looking for it. However, I kept wondering if I wasn't merely seeing it because I was looking for it. Homoerotic themes in some of James' other works are absolutely evident, but to me the reading doesn't suggest homoeroticism as a central theme in The Beast in the Jungle.

Pg. 240 - "...just waiting to see if a memory or two more wouldn't again breathe upon them."
"They looked at each other as if with the feeling of an occasion missed... hadn't been so stupidly meager."
"Marcher said to himself that he ought to have rendered her some service--saved her from a capsized boat in the bay...." This doesn't seem to suggest a homoerotic theme to me.
Pg. 241 - "He felt as soon as she spoke that she had been consciously keeping back what she said and hoping to get by without it...." Sets up the next scene as important.
"With another woman, a totally different one, he might have feared..." She is a different type of woman; special, apart from the rest.
Pg. 242 - "It was something about yourself that it was natural one shouldn't forget--that is, if one remembered you at all."
Pg. 244 - "...the sense of being kept for something rare and strange, possibly prodigious and terrible...." It seems strange, but don't we all feel sometimes as though we're destined for something different than everyone else?
Pg. 249 - Sexual language rears its head: intercourse, intercourse, sprung into being, penetrating. Immediately after this the subject is marriage.
Pg. 251 - "...his unhappy perversion...." Perversion? Interesting choice of words, given the time.
Pg. 252 - "What saves us, you know, is that we answer so completely to so usual an appearance...." How are they different? Are they simply sharper and more intelligent than the rest of the population like the prior paragraph suggests?
Pg. 261 - "...any stage of his queer consciousness...."

The Jolly Corner

I came prepared for a very strange story, and was surprised by both the strangeness and the familiarity of the subject. Haven't we all wondered what could have happened at the crossroads if we'd only chosen the other path? However, James' long, intricate paragraphs are somewhat hard to follow and fatiguing to read.

Pg. 284 - "...'for even were it possible to meet in that stand-and-deliver way so silly a demand on so big a subject...." Everything he says comes back to himself in some way; possibly a universal truth, but he's conscious of it.
Pg. 286 - "He had lived his life with his back so turned to such concerns and his face addressed to those of so different an order...." He hasn't had to work, doesn't even have the mind to do it. It's almost a division between the American industrialist and the European aristocrat.
Pg. 288 - "He was to remember these words, while the weeks elapsed, for the small silver ring they had sounded over the queerest and deepest of his own lately most disguised and most muffled vibrations."
Pg. 291 - "'Oh,' he said, "I might have lived here (since I had my opportunity early in life); I might have put in here all these years."
"'Let us therefore have none whatever--not the ghost of one.'"
"'Oh ghosts--of course the place must swarm with them!'"
Pg. 292 - "...the traveller emerging from an Egyptian tomb."
"He found all things come back to the question of what he personally might have been..."
Pg. 294 - "'It comes over me that I had then a strange alter ego deep down somewhere within me..."
Pg. 295 - "'He isn't myself. He's just so totally other person."
Pg. 296 - "...the moments he liked best were those of gathering dusk, of the short autumn twilight...." Me too!
Pg. 298 - Ghostly life
Beast of the forest
Pg. 318 - "'And he isn't--no, he isn't--you!' she murmured as he drew her to his breast."

Justin Kracht

Beast in the Jungle

If I could clean my slate and start this story again from the very beginning, I'd definitely avoid reading the preface. Most of the time reading was spent examining the text for these "homoerotic" clues. Although it was easy for me to see where these critics are coming from, I think it's really tough to say whether this one can be read that way or not. There are certain paragraphs that just seem to shove the homoerotic reading down your throat--especially the scene describing the tiger hunt, with all of the "ejaculation", "queerness", "penetration", "intercourse", and talk of how women wouldn't be allowed to come along--but on the other hand, that reading renders May Bartram curiously flat. It doesn't sit right with me on account of so many of James' characters being so painstakingly written that you could write entire books on all of them. They're so complex. If this homoerotic reading is true, Bartram's attraction doesn't really seem to have any motive behind it.

The Jolly Corner
Wow. James is a very effective when it comes to writing ghost stories. Comparing this to his other writings, I feel that this had a much stronger sense of suspense and urgency. I wrote my sample paper on this one, and I focused primarily on the idea that even though it's presented as a ghost story, it's really much more than that. "The Jolly Corner" seems like a very introspective story in the same vein as "The Middle Years." It's really looking closely at the idea of life long regrets and the horror of dying unsatisfied.

Overall, I am not sure I care for this story. There seems to be this allusion to a large secret, this big haunting that he has to watch out for and then he doesn't seem to completely understand it when he does figure it out. May also dances around the subject. However, this could be something that James' himself sees as a mystery. There aren't any records that James had a family, or even a lover. There are rumors and suspicions, but no proof. James could be telling us what he thinks of love and being in love- its is a mystery, and it is a haunting. If you live with the knowledge that you are in love, and then it doesn't work out, you are haunted by it. If you have the knowledge of love that you have missed, you are haunted by it. James doesn't allow May to outright explain it to Marcher because love CAN'T be outright explained.

(Last time I say this, I promise- THESE LONG PARAGRAPHS!) This story could have been said in less words, so I think it was a bit too long for the ending we were presented with. I was waiting for the haunting to be his great-grandfather whose house he inherited or something like that, not that he was supposed to be in love with May and she knew it, but he did not. I felt let down!

The Beast in the Jungle
I, for the most part liked this story. It was kind of odd to me that Mary stuck around. I understand a little where she is coming from when she explains, "Anything else but interested? Ah, what else does one ever want to be? (pg 253)" Of course, interest will keep a person around. But, the part that I don't get is why she was interested in the first place? Who wants to wait around and watch someone else's life unfold. Marcher obviously did not return her feelings of love. I cannot imagine how awful it would be loving someone, and just waiting around for the returned feelings, but never receiving it. Mary is extremely loyal though, Marcher even understands that. It bugs me that he can see all of these wonderful qualities in Mary, but can never let her in close enough to share a life with her. He is so overwhelmed with what might happen, that he cannot live his life. Mary asks, "I mean because you have to wait so long." and Marcher replies, "For the thing to happen that never does happen? For the beast to jump out? (pg. 253)" Again, he realizes that he is just waiting around for his "fate" to happen, but yet still chooses just to wait!

The Beast in the Jungle

First off I would like to know what he did that was so bad? Maybe I did not read it close enough but I could not find out what he that he considered to be so terrible. Maybe I am missing out on something just like John Marcher was.

John Marcher was so paranoid about the "Beast" jumping out at anytime to take its revenge for what he had done he was missing what was in front of him. "I mean because you have to wait so long... For the thing to happen that never does happen? For the beast to jump out?" (The Beast in The Jungle pg 253). He has this girl who gets him and stays with him even though he never lets her get close enough to actually care and he is missing it.

Then finally at the end he gets it, as she is dying none the less. (Better late than never I guess, but really). "The name on the table smote him as the passage oh his neighbour had done, and what it said to him, full in the face, was that she was what he had missed" (pg 280).

So like many of the other stories we have read this one also ends in death. DidJames also miss out on something like the love of a women in his life? Was he so busy looking for his beast in the jungle that he could not see what was right in front of him?

The Turn of The Screw

Henry James knows how to write a good ghost story

I enjoyed the beginning of the story how ti did not just jump straight into the the story, it was with a group of people around a fire in the traditional ghost story manner.

One thing I noticed at the end of the story, when the governess was addressing MIles, as to why he was kicked out of school it was because he said something to the boys he liked "No- only to a few. Those I liked" (pg 233). This screamed to me with that theme that has been present in so many of his stories, homoerotic-ness. This got me thinking, seeing how the ghost of Peter Quint seemed to be very fond of MIles, could something have been going on with the two of them? Maybe the same thing with Miss Jessel?

The character of Mrs. Grose confused me a little bit. There were times in the story where I felt that she was on the same page as the governess, but there were other times where it seemed that she was on the side with the kids and the ghosts, maybe secretly disliking the governess.

I also noticed that the family is described as beautiful and handsome, but the house and surrounding area of Bly is considered ugly by the governess. Why is that?

Once again, someone dies as the end, just once, just once I would like to have a happy ending and not one where someone dies in the last two sentences. Really James!?

THE FIGURE IN THE CARPET
Pg 580, I love that he refers to them as "little demons of subtlety". James, as an author himself, is showing an appreciation for the mind of the critic, as he critics it as well. And again later in the same dialogue between Vereker and the narrator, Vereker says "Your guessing that, is a proof that you're as clever as I say!"; again praising the wit of the narrator/reviewer.

Again, in the type of story where James is writing about an author I can't help but wonder if James thinks of this as a direct connection to himself. Does he imply that there is some thing he has underwritten in every piece of work, that is so bright and bold, and yet so graceful and tactful that no one will likely ever notice?

I like the reference and play on "deep down" Gwendolen's novel's name, on page 588.

I also oddly like the crassness with which he refers to the death of Mrs. Erme on page 598, "more radically than waiting for the old lady to swallow the dose." So desensitized and so calloused - and yet, that's what makes you laugh about it. He does so again when Corvick dies, the narrator says he was his best friend, but that the first thing he wrote Gwendolyn a letter about was whether or not Corvick had finished his revealing article before his death. By 604, I've realized that the narrator is obsessed with the figure in the carpet! To the point even of saying He'd ask Vereker's widow, had he had the chance.

I have no clue even in the slightest what the figure in the carpet is or even could be. I think it's too vague, but maybe I'm just like the others and missing what is blatant and obvious.

(sorry, this is clearly a bit late. still don't have internet at home)

The Private Life

Pg 67 - "being resigned even to American comedy." HAHA, I found this line particularly funny!

The subtle ghost story hints are very unique, here and there are words sprinkled into the text, "apparition," "floating," "ghost of a laugh."

I really liked this story with the underlying hints of the mysterious and maybe ghost activity going on. At the end you are left with the question of what really happened but I think that adds to the mysterious factor he's got going on.

Lesson of the Master

This was really hard for me to read, the long paragraphs that sort of rambled on were tough to keep going in this story. I know this is James like, but it still made it hard to read.

I was irritated at the end of the story when Paul was so in love with Fancourt but St. George marries her. Not really sure why that was the case but I guess it works. Maybe something to do with the fact that Paul still has time to write and therefore shouldn't get married and he should just keep writing? I don't know.

Sorry my notes are short today!

Amanda Millsap

The Lesson of the Master

I very much enjoyed this story by James. I think this is due to the characters, because the ending really did make me mad. I really liked Marian Fancourt. Her character was much more likeable than say Daisy Miller. Unlike Daisy Marian wears her emotions on her sleeve and does not bother with silly games. I also love her for her passion of the arts "she feels the arts and wants to feel them more". I thought it was interesting how James played with the color red in this story. "But the fourth figure was not a gentleman, the one in the crimson dress which made so vivid a spot, told so as a "bit of colour" amid the fresh, rich green."Marian has "magnificent red hair". St. George comments that she "emits a rosy glow over life", the room in which she holds court is painted red, ect.
I feel as though this story is somewhat of an explanation why James was never really associated with any women and never chose to marry. Maybe he thought that "nature dedicated him to intellectual, not to personal passion."

The Private Life

I did not really appreciate this story especially after reading "The Lesson of the Master". The one thing that I really did enjoy about this piece was the way in which James described the individual characters.
Mellifont-
"it would always occur to one quickly that it was right, in any connection to put Lord Mellifont first. He WAS first--extraordinarily first."
"It was not possible for him to be taken--he only took.
Mrs. Mellifont-
"the extreme blackness of almost everything that made up her person
"her paleness seemed slightly grey, and her glossy black hair metallic, like the
brooches and bands with which it was inveterately adorned."
"she was in perpetual mourning, and wore numberless ornaments of jet and onyx"
"she was gentle and unaffected and limited, and also rather submissively sad."
Adney-
"but Adney was more than graceful--he was exquisite, he was inspired.
Vawdrey-
" his reputation was a kind of gilded obelisk, as if he had been buried beneath it; the body of legend and reminiscence of which he was to be the subject had crystallized in advance"
"he pervaded, he coloured it, he embellished it, and without him it would scarcely have had vocabulary"

The Privet Life
The Privet Life seems to be an interesting commentary on social life- the way James describes the others in the "social party" gives them each a notch to fill- the social one, the host, the flirt, the literary one, ect.

I defiantly found this easier to read for some reason. I must be getting use to James!

What do they all "do"? (58) "I think all of us,even the ladies, "did" something, though we pretend we didn't when it was mentioned. Something socially unacceptable? Or something that was acceptable, but only if it remained unsaid?

The absence of Lord Mellifont and Mrs. Adney is commented on almost immediately by the narrator. This sets the stage almost, for how he is the observer in this story. Much like Dencombe, who wanted to observe more.

Vawdrey is described as "an actor with the right cue" and that even his embarrassments seem rehearsed. The narrator seems to say this in a admiring, or offhand way- something that doesn't truly concern him, but I think it makes Vawdrey sound extremely fake. When you can't even allow yourself to be taking by surprise by an accident, then you are either extremely prepared, or extremely fake and constantly acting.

Mrs Adney is such a flirt! I mean really, it's almost like Daisy Miller again.

The answers to the mysteries of Lord Millefont and Mr. Vawdrey don't seem to appease the narrator. In fact, he is almost more agitated by them Perhaps because they are still perplexing? Millefont literally disappears when there is no one to entertain...

The Lessons of the Master
This layout was difficult for me to get through. The long paragraphs are driving me slightly crazy. I lose track of who the protagonist is talking about sometimes.

This too has some themes of the misunderstood writer who is not selling well, and his trusty admirer.

It also has some tragic love themes!

Sorry about notes on this one, I struggled with it.

So far, "The Lesson of the Master" has been my favorite story we have read for class. It reminds me of the skeletal structure of some Jamesian soap opera but with eloquent descriptions of the artist and great dialogue amongst the characters. Not to mention the comical name of Fancourt.

It is beautiful, frustrating, and creative as only James can do it that Fancourt would marry St. George. It is like a groupie marrying a rockstar. There isn't any good that can come out of the relationship except for sickening amounts of praise for St. George. It sounded to me however that George had fallen off so to speak. Bu there is an interesting clash between his late wife and Fancourt. Fancourt would want him to look out the windows but his wife wanted him to only view the sky.

What I question is did St. George really "save" Overt or did he just convince him under false pretenses to woo Fancourt.

There is some very interesting Dialogue on what women are to the romantics and it comes across as shocking because James never seems to speak this way about women. "How can they take part? They themselves are the sacrifice. They're the idol and the altar and the flame." That is quite a pedestal that James puts women on. He usually just describes them as handsome or what they're wearing or as old but looking young or young but looking old. But a "flame" is an intense image.

Just a goofy though, was Fancourt to India what Daisy Miller is to Europe."The Private Life" is an interesting concept to me but I feel I should have read that first because I was so blown away by "The Lesson of the Master" that it held my expectations at a high level.

James' personal battles really show up in these stories. He is striving for "perfection" but he also wants to live. He's having an identity crisis. Is he real only on the surface or is he genuine and "smart."

The Lesson of the Master

I enjoyed reading this story, even though at sometime it was long and drawn out. The first thing that I noticed when reading this story is how the author keeps describing Miss Fancourt as handsome. For me that word is more commonly used to describe males, not females. Could this be linking back to James's repeated themes of homoerotic-ness as seen in his previous novels? Or is this just how he describes them because he seems to focus more on the descriptions of me, as we discussed in class.

The title of this story to me was also a bit of a challenge. Is Mr. St. George the master? IS he trying to teach the Paul a lesson by marrying Miss Fancourt, even though Paul clearly had feelings for her. Could this also be a part of James's life that has spilled over into his writing like some of his other stories?

The Private Life

Page 67: "I dont think I really know when I do things" This sentence just made me laugh when they are talking to him about when he had time to write the third act of the play.

Why is Vawdrey acting like he has no clue how his works of art get written? Page 68: "If there is anything, you'll find it on my table."

I think people are truly themselves when the lights are off and they are in the dark of their room. No one is judging them or having to pretend to be something they are not. That is why it could be called the private life. He does his best writing when he his himself in private.

I think each person in real life has two sides. Each person had a side of themselves that they are when they are in public, but when they are alone they become someone else. That could be what James is going for in this story. Each person is two sided.

I wish the ending would have wrapped itself up a little better, but that is what makes James, James.

Zane Halstead

-interesting that it starts out with servant and master

"Look at me well, take my lesson to heart -- for it is a lesson. Let that good come of it at least that you shudder from your pitiful impression, and that this may help to keep you straight in the future. Don't become in your old age what I have in mine -- the depressing, the deplorable illustration of the worship of false gods."

"What do you mean by your old age?" the young man asked.

"It has made me old. But I like your youth."

-reminds me of The Picture of Dorian Grey

-interesting to write about an author as an author

-why is the master named Henry?

-i love the dialogue in this story

-Paul OVERT--he is overt? Wears his emotions on his sleeve possibly?

-gives me the sense that it's hard to be an artist, maybe what James was thinking

The Private Life

-another story about an author

-many walks: like Daisy Miller

-"The Private Life" what does it mean?

-seems weird that he would just go to someone's room to get something without permission

-the bedroom scene is CREEPY

-I wonder what it is saying: that he is in the dark, that he doesn't talk, that he is alone

-you can't help but wonder when James is writing about authors what he's saying about himself

-who is the narrator?

-Is The Private Life the places in which the other half of our self is? Such as sitting in the dark room, writing?

-once again there is an obsession building between two characters

-James' character work is very interesting. He gives them depth but there is always a fascination between one to the other. A story doesn't go without that

-everyone disappears

The Lesson of the Master
The word 'distinguished' is used twice in the first page. Maybe it is foreshadowing class being a crucial part of this book?
Fancourt. (James laughing his head off somewhere in a far away place)
"How the name that had set his heart beating faster", homoerotic-ness
I like Mrs. St. George, "She looked as...stayed at home." That passage made me giggle because I totally understand what James means.
Is Mrs. St. George like Daisy? "Paul Overt suspecter...it reassured him"549
Reference back to Decombe "One perfect work of art" 550
Very focused on the description of men and not on women
Homoeroticism: "How delicious to bring you together!"558, "shafts of softness" 560
Once he meets St. George he is called Paul, not Overt.
Why does St. George spend so much time with Miss Fancourt?
What was the book the wife burned?
Poor Paul, St. George decided to marry Miss Fancourt even though he loved her. What a jerk. Is that his lesson?

Private Life
I absolutely love the description of Mrs. Adney! It is so funny and strange, I can picture exactly what she looks like
Maybe the writer forgot what he wrote...? Or has a bad memory like me?
Who was the shadowy figure? Why didn't the narrator...I don't know ask who it was?
This is a strange story. Why is Lord Mellifont only around when the public is around? He can't possibly be the writer, right?
So he disappears into the mountains, and no one is that concerned when he shows up later.
Lady Mellifont figured it out? Is that why she protected him?
Why can't James just say "All right so here is what happened" I hate having questions at the end of a book.

-Caitlin Schneider

The Lesson of the Master

I enjoyed The Lesson of the Master, and the theme of having to choose between intellectual love and personal love is one that (like the themes of so many of James' other pieces) is at once obvious and yet fresh. The ending left me wondering whether I should see St. George as a hero, a well-intentioned artist too weak to follow his own advice, or merely a fraud. I have no doubt this is exactly as James intended.

Pg. 549 - St. George as a "misguided novelist"
Pg. 549 - Lady Jane again? She still has bad manners.
Pg. 550 - The time it takes to produce one good piece of work. James was very prolific, does he believe that? Or did he simply dedicate all of his time to writing?
Pg. 555 - The young/old paradox again
Pg. 570 - "'She doesn't keep remembering that she must be proud....'"
Pg. 577 - "She doesn't care for perfection...."
Pg. 585 - "You go to see your grandmother..." (out of obligation, like you read my books)
Pg. 589 - "'Well, you can't do it without sacrifices.'"

Private Life

The introduction was exquisite; I always have the feeling, after reading a descriptive passage of James', that it's the only way it could have been written, and the only imagery that could have been used. The whole idea of Private Life is confusing for me; I'm still floundering for an explanation of what was going on and why. The whole ordeal seems almost like a short play itself.

Pg. 65 - "The canker in the rose, the ache behind the smile."
Pg. 69. - "'You're a searcher of hearts - that frivolous thing an observer.'"

Justin Kracht

Lesson of the Master

I found this story, while long, to be pretty engaging. It was interesting to note the way the characters spoke of art and being an artist, particularly Henry St. George. The way he talked about marriage ruining an artist, and how the artist must live for the passion - he marries and has children at his own peril.

At the end, I felt confused by St. George. He marries Fancourt, knowing that Overt was in love with her. While he told Overt it was to "save him" that didn't seem true. It made me look back to all the aspects of St. George's life that his older wife had seemed to control - designing his work room, burning the book. Was St. George ever really in charge? Had his wife controlled his career?

I also noticed garden imagery come up a few times in the story - when Mrs. St. George talks about the park and the flowers and the wall surrounding them. Then later writing is described as "producing flowers". Then we learn of St. George's windowless work room - his own wall surrounding the flowers.

Private Life

I enjoyed this story. The idea of exploring who we are when we're alone and who we are with others is fascinating. Vawdrey and Lord Mellifont seem to be very similar, and yet their differences are highlighted throughout the story. Vawdrey his two distinct personas, while Mellifont seems to always be blending into a scene, leaving him an incomplete person. He has a "costume for every function and a moral for every costume".

I thought it was also interesting that all these characters were artists of sorts. It led me to wonder if James is talking about himself in this story. Which character might he identify with? The role of women in both in this story and in Lesson are interesting - the women's jobs seem to be discovering the truth in the male artist. Adney is obsessed with the true genius Vawdrey, and she reminded me a little of Fancourt in "Lesson" and how nothing "is as fine as (Fancourt) supposes it". What do these roles say about the women in James' work?

Private Life
If any of the stories for this week should be considered "frustrating," this is the one that--to utilize a cliche--takes the cake. Really, I could not make heads or tails of this one. Although I currently lack the knowledge to expand on anything brought forth in this story, there are a few intriguing things that I sincerely hope are given some clarity come Thursday's discussion. Firstly, what's with the opposing lifestyles of Vawdrey and Mellifont? Secondly, what on earth is the significance of Mrs. Adney never receiving her "big roll."

Interesting thematic element: The idea of having a double life is painfully apparent in both Vawdrey and Mellifont, but there's even more of that idea present when examining Mellifont's interest in Adney and Adney's interest in Mellifont and Vawdrey.

The Middle Years
This story was a much easier read than previous James stories. I think that his style is much more focused, and this allows the reader to more easily distinguish what he was trying to achieve in writing his story. I think that Oates' criticism of James was spot-on when she likened this story to the writings of Hawthorne and Melville. This story is obviously a "romance" of sorts, and it's easy to deduce that he's using this story to allude to the relationship shared between a writer and his audience. Dencombe is frightened that his work will be of little significance, but Doctor Hugh--who just so happens to have a miraculously fitting occupation--is eager to prove him otherwise. One can surely trace this to James' concerns about being successful. When you're entire life revolves art that doesn't sell, it's probably pretty easy to feel disillusioned by all of it.

The Lesson of the Master
Although this story didn't necessarily stand out to me as much as the other readings did (the characters just didn't strike me), I think it's safe to say that one can draw out a theme connecting most of the tales for this week. It appears that in these stories--with special attention to this one and The Figure in the Carpet--there's this omnipresent sense of the unresolved. St. George vows to never write again, the figure in the carpet is never explained, Adney never receives her big roll, and the protagonist of the Middle Years spends the majority of his life considering his work incomplete. This idea of inadequacy and incompleteness seems to coat a lot of James' writing.

The Figure in the Carpet
Before I descend into the most shameful depths of self-betrayal, let me state that I have no clue what, plot-wise, this story is getting at. Honestly, I have no clue what the alleged "figure in the carpet" is supposed to be, and I could REALLY care less. Honestly, I'll more than likely never purchase another collection or a novel by Henry James once I'm done with this class.

However, this story is brilliant. James really pushes the boundaries of what literature can be in this story. Once I had concluded reading "The Figure in the Carpet", I felt that James had thrust forth his hands from the very pages of my book and shook me by the collar. He had put me in the same boat as the narrator and Drayton Deane.

Upon first reading, I was absolutely baffled and felt this overwhelming antipathy toward James. It seemed impossible to deconstruct any sort of thematic element from the story. The plot was thin. Death was so conspicuous that I just about rolled my eyes whenever anyone died.

After a cup of coffee and a trip to the bathroom, I realized that I had been completely duped. I was a sucker. The figure in the carpet intrigued me, yet I, as the reader, was doomed to an eternal cliffhanger. I had suffered the same fate as the protagonist. This is a story that needn't be analyzed to its core. "The Figure in the Carpet" can stand alone as a really interesting parallel between literature and reality; an interesting study of the boundaries and magnitude of one's writing.

The Middle Years is my favorite HJ story we've read so far. The tone is eerily reflective and contemplative in a way that's unsatisfying, because there's really no resolution. I thought the saddest scene in the story was when, after leaving with the countess, Dr. Hugh returns to see Dencombe. Admittedly, it was a crime of opportunity, but I found it astonishing that an aged author would resort to such a youthful trick to hear his work praised. I think it really solidifies his dissatisfaction with his life.

As you may have noticed, I'm writing longer sentences with multiple commas in these notes. James' prose must be rubbing off on me.

One line that I found particularly intriguing and/or beautiful: "He sat and stared at the sea, which appeared all surface and twinkle, far shallower than the spirit of man. It was the abyss of human illusion that was the real, tideless deep."

I found Dr. Hugh to be a somewhat ambiguous character. I can't tell if his dedication to Dencombe is out of respect or awe or even pity. Is he simply a star-struck literary fiend? Or does he pick up on Dencombe's desperate helplessness, and out of respect for his literature, stick around loyally? I mean, he did give up a fortune. I'd like to hear some other opinions about this.

Another question I'd like to pose is in regards to the reliability of the narrator. In "The Real Thing" and in "Brooksmith" our narrator is part of the story unfolding, thus rendering him inherently unreliable. However, in "The Middle Years" our narrator is third person omniscient. Does this lend him an ample amount of credibility. I noticed that the narrator is very sympathetic towards Dencombe and shows him a fair amount of pity. Several times he is referred to as "poor Dencombe," starting with the opening line.

It took me a little while but I feel like I'm starting to get into Mr. James. I really enjoyed these last two stories. It could just be me, or it could be his writing, but I feel like it's not so much improved, but gotten swifter and easier to swallow.

I was surprised at the number of similarities between "The Middle Years" and "The Figure in the Carpet." They both dealt with very similar themes. I noted that "The Middle Years" began in a pastoral and idealic scene, and James gave us some strong characterizations through his descriptives of some of the characters. I was struck by a tone of melancholia, in the narrator's voice. I took that as an omen, pointing to a tragic ending.
I felt that both stories were riddled with vaguity. For example, on page 109, it says "His career was over, no doubt, but it was over, after all with that." What is "that?" This lack of clear meaning bothered me, but I could also appreciate that it was a necessary nuance of the story. And, I suppose, it's something I'll have to get used to when reading James' work.
"The Middle Years" was also marked by profound insights. Because of this, I enjoyed reading it more than the previous stories we've covered in this course. I feel like James was clinically depressed when he wrote this story. And I don't mean that to be condescending or sarcastic. His narrative voice reveals an understanding that most people only achieve in their darkest moments. Depressive states can bring remarkable clarity, and I think this story reveals that. We also see the recurring male character who is trying to make sense of the world. Perhaps a characterization of James himself? And we see very specific characters around him, that speak to an idea or a facet of life. The Countess, manifests (in my opinion) James' anxieties about women. The elusive woman seems to have been a constant character in our readings thus far.
I also noted that were points where James' opinions purely saturate the text. For example, on page 126, "'You're a great success!' said Doctor Hugh, putting into his young voice the ring of a marriage-bell." I underlined this line, because it seemed to me that James had a cynical view of marriage. This line shows how an author's own biases can permeate a text, to where their ideas read like an unshakeable fact.

Both stories dealt with novelists, critics, and obtaining advanced copies of a work. Also, the novels in both stories had almost identical titles. I can't believe that this was by accident, but I can't think of why James would employ this device. "The Figure in the Carpet" starts off with false pretenses exchanged between characters, and the narrator is marked by a distinctly cynical/sarcastic voice. He seems to condescend the characters he's relating. Gwendolen is the first young woman, in the stories we've read, who isn't very pretty. I found this interesting. James seemed to rescue her from negative characterization, by imbuing her with intellect and talent. Interesting; I'm not sure how I feel about that.
The theme of literary interpretation and James' rich descriptives are with us in this work as well. It was a lot longer and complex. I felt it was a much more difficult read than "The Middle Years." It, too, was riddled with vaguity but I think we're meant to leave the work with enduring questions. I was tired when I read "The Figure in the Carpet," so some clearer messages would have been very much appreciated. But, it was foolish of me to have expected this from Henry James.

An amazing quote in "The Middle Years" is, "He sat and stared at the sea, which appeared all surface and twinkle, far shallower than the spirit of man. It was the abyss of human illusion that was the real tideless deep." I think James is touching on his feelings of writing and that as readers we need to look past the text and look deeper into "the ocean." A call for analysis

"We work in the dark- we do what we can- we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is he madness of art." This is one of the most stunning sentences I have ever read about writing. James is almost writing a memoir or a hint on his craft and how he feels about it by weaving it into the story

"the Figure in the Carpet" is a great story to show the craziness of a critic of ones work and someone who thinks he knows everything about their work be driven over the edge trying to find the meaning the author has set out to create. It reminds me of Bob Dylan saying he knows nothing about what his poetry is about but people thinking they know what he is saying in his prose.

I love the part when the Narrator mentions the cryptic writing of shakespeare and how we will never know if he meant it to be cryptic.

The Middle Years

I loved this little passage:
"The infinite of life had gone, and what was left of the dose was a small glass engraved like a thermometer by the apothecary. He sat and stared at the sea, which appeared all surface and twinkle, far shallower than the spirit of man. It was the abyss of human illusion that was the real, the tideless deep" 107

It's almost so completely overwhelming, James is being very (melo)dramatic. What's great about it is that as the story goes on, there's all this irony happening--like the book he doesn't recognize as his own, or how Dr. Hugh doesn't know he's talking to the author--all the while inadvertently giving him all this praise about the work.

Perhaps more than the others, this story definitely feels like it could be the most autobiographical. Dencombe sort of pokes fun at the Dr. and his profession, saying something along the lines that he was easily hynotizable, which allowed Dencombe to control him in a way. I was wondering if this was sort of a joke about his brother, the famous William James, and whether he was once again being ironic or something like that; because at the time it was very obvious that William had all the control, power, talent for success etc. the Henry just didn't have.

This story has one of the same themes as "The Figure In The Carpet"-- namely the issue that none of the people reading the works by these two writers actually understand something that is very core to the work. In "The Middle Years" the Dr. thinks he can get at this by more fully understanding the author; in "The Figure In The Carpet" George Corvick believes the answer can only be found in seclusion--not directly looking to the work or the author.

matt siemsen

The Middle Years

Right off the bat with this story I can sense a theme that was in the previous story the pupil. James's fascination with the male leads of his novels starting to have feelings for each other is clearly present in this story as well when it is stated that "I choose to accept, whatever they might be, the consequences of my infatuation" This is where the Author is talking about Doctor Hugh.

Another thing that I noticed in this story as well as others is Illness. Did James write this and The Pupil in a time where he was sick because the Author in the story was sick with something we cannot see, the same going for Morgan in the previous story?

There is also the sense of each character teaching each other something, The Doctor is helping the Author and vice versa. It seems like another theme from the Pupil. Who is really helping who?

"He sat and starred at the sea, which appeared all surface and twinkle, far shallower than the spirit of man. It was the abyss of human illusion that was real, the tideless deep."

The Figure in the Carpet

This story was not exactly the easiest thing to understand in my opinion. If I took anything that I read correctly from this story it was that the people reading these stories are missing some of the key points. Then trying to find the key points is like trying to find a figure in the carpet, which is why the story is named so, or so i am assuming.

These two readings have a few things in common, one being they are both about authors and someone trying to interpret their works. The Middle Years, the doctor is trying to figure out the book by talking to the author and the figure in the carpet, ia trying to figure out the meaning on ones one. I am not sure if I understood the story very well so my notes are limited on this story.

The Figure in the Carpet

Pg 575 - "with her longest arm."

Pg 577 - "I rather avoided him after dinner, for I confess he struck me as cruelly, conceited, and the revelation was a pain."

Pg 582 - "'...is then generally a sort of buried treasure?'"

Pg 599 - "I pass rapidly over the question of this unmitigated tragedy, of what the loss of my best friend meant to me..."

Pg 607 - "He had turned at last very red; I daresay he had begun by thinking I had lost my wits."

This story was interesting with an author who wants to know what another author's secret is, to the point of basically ignoring the fact that his best friend is dead. He's so caught up in finding out what this secret is he lets it consume his life. Although honestly the whole story seems to be rambling on and on.

The Middle Years

Pg 107 - "...he was better, of course, but better, after all, than what?"

Pg 110 - "he glanced at the volume, bound in the same shade of the same colour, lying on the lap of the original occupant of the bench."

Pg 116 - "This morning, in 'The Middle Years,' his pencil had pricked a dozen lights."

Pg 123 - "When his physician arrived Dencombe learned that he was feverish and that this was very wrong: he was to cultivate calmness and try, if possible, not to think."

I really enjoyed this story, although it ended in death (as do most of HJ's stories). I found it particularly interesting how there was the young doctor and the old man (Dencombe) yet a book "The Middle Years" connected them. The other thing I found interesting was that the Dr. was being paid a lot by the countess to stay with her and help her out, yet he turns his back on her over intellectual stimulation.

The Middle Years

"The infinite of life had gone, and what was left of the dose was a small glass engraved like a thermometer by the apothecary. He sat and stared at the sea, which appeared all surface and twinkle, far shallower than the spirit of man. It was the abyss of human illusion that was the real, the tideless deep."
This quote placed at the beginning of the story perfectly describes the main character's state of mind. The feeling of becoming obsolete is engulfing him. "He had done all that he should ever do, and yet he had not done what he wanted." James seems to be saying through this character that one must do what he wants to accomplish on his first chance, because as we see by the end of the story a first chance is the only one to be had. Communicate by the following quote:
"A second chance-that's the delusion. There never was to be but one. We work in the dark- we do what we can- we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art."

I think James also says something about the unique relationship between author and reader through the interactions of Dencombe and Doctor Hugh. They both literally give each other something (medical attention, intellectual stimulation/conversation) much like reader/author relationship of millions that have never interacted with each other.

The Figure in the Carpet

I am not quite sure I understand this story, but I have a feeling that I am not the only one...I guess the meaning I got out of it was this obsession to understand another person's thoughts is not reasonable and is like 'trying to find a figure in the carpet', which is what Verker thinks the job of a literary critic should be, but what most fail to grasp. Of course this "figure in the carpet" business is obviously a metaphor for the deeper meaning/context of the work. It is strange to me that Henry James wrote about this subject considering he is putting his thoughts on paper and expecting, or perhaps not expecting, readers to decipher them. I kind of see this story as a challenge to is readers that he thought would be clever to kind of screw with them. He also seems to be making a comment on what literary criticsm is and what he desires it to be.

Lacey Kirwan
The Private Life, The Lesson of the Master
9/19/11
The Private Life
Peculiar beginning, why are all of these extraordinary people together?
Lady Mellifont's correction of the names is interesting
The description of Lady Mellifont is fun, she reminded me of my mother, with the way she dresses that is not the way she acts, I got this picture of this a victorianesque goth woman
So these people all have something to do with the theatre?
"She seemed, as one listened, to pass laughing, with loosened hair, across the scene." Beautiful imagery
All of these people are fairytales with flaws that only add to their charmingness
Vawdrey; charming man with anecdotes to spare, can see a story a mile away, but only with second rate ideas
Lady Mellifont; nervous, sad, always waiting for her husband to return and always in fear that he won't
Lord Mellifont; The Host, too much art than what any occasion ever called for
Vincent Adney: composer to his wife's acting, always for her, elegant man
Blanche Adney: 40 year old actress with charm oozing from her eyes still in search of that unicorn of an acting part, the perfect role
What is the narrator? Only an observer? The lines on page 69 between him and Mrs. Adney is she insulting him, that he is not good enough to write a play for her? -hes a novelist (the birthday book)?
When the narrator asks Mrs. Adney whether or not Lord Mellifont made love to her on a glacier you would have thought that in those times he would have gotten slapped for asking something like that.
The exchange between Mrs. Adney and the narrator is like 2 children playing word games and schemeing good naturedly, but what is really going on between them?
Is this a ghost story of Vawdrey, before when he speaks of when he wrote the play and everyone corrects him that he was indeed doing something else at the time he says he was writing, then he is a writer with 2 selves, a ghost that writes when his body is in fact doing something else?
Looked more like him than their friend does himself- cool
Lord Mellifont isn't whole, it makes sense that his wife would then always be fearing that he wouldn't come back.
"what blank face such a mask had to cover"
Vawdrey is too much opulence to be just one person, while Lord Mellifont is too little imperfection to be a whole person
I feel bad for Vincent, his wife doesn't seem to give a damn that he devotes his whole life to her, all of his music is for her, and here she has fallen in love with the ghost of Vawdrey.
The part still wasn't the great part? How so? And why doesn't he just write her a play and see if she won't take it???
The Lesson of the Master- Part 1
I don't understand this Henry St. George, why is he hanging around the young girl so much, and why isn't his wife more bothered by this?
Overt seems very childish in his perception of what the author should look like, he seems naïve to think that there is a certain way that the author is to look, not in the fact that he generalizes what authors look like, but in the fact that he is surprised and a little disappointed when they do not fall into his generalizations.
Oh, no, she is speaking of society (daisy don't come into this story)
Marian seems like she has been manipulated in a way by Henry St. George, I think its kind of twisted
I don't know how to read what the men are saying about Marian, whether they are truly admiring her intellect, or just dramatizing a beautiful girl for their own wish fulfillment.
"(she required a closed carriage)" what does that mean exactly?
I don't know if we are supposed to find humor on page 574 at the top with the exchange between Marian and Overt but I do.
Why does Henry stop seeing the young girl, to give Overt more room to court her? Does he wait purposefully until Overt leaves her that Sunday to then go and see her and tell her that he won't see her anymore?
"I've made none. I've had everything. In other words, I've missed everything."
"How can they take part? They themselves are the sacrifice. They're the idol and the alter and the flame."
Henry speaks of 'the great thing' reminds me of the figure in the carpet
Henry sees Overt on the correct path to writing a masterpiece or even a collection of masterpieces because he has no money, no wife, no children, no 'carriage', he can devote everything to it, but if he should want all that then yes, it would be a very good idea to study Henry and imitate him because he knows how to write for money very well but he himself feels that in that is his greatest failure.
Overt is worried about not being able to take a wife and still achieve the masterpiece, he has fallen in love with Marian and he doesn't like the idea of not having her
"I shall be the making of you" Overt should deck him, how can he honestly be saying these things to him and think that he has any right to
Is James incapable of imagining a happy ending?

The Middle Years

Why does the author not understand that he has fans? Really rabid ones if they are willing to go up to complete strangers and compliment them on their book choice.
Is this another sort of representation of how James feels? His books aren't popular so he writes about and author who supposedly has the same problem
Is Dencombe sick with something? What is it, because there is never a firm diagnosis
Doctor Hugh must be in love with the author. He brings every conversation back to the book 'But the young man was too inflamed to be shrewd and repeatedly caught up the book to exclaim: "Did you notice this?" or "Weren't you immensely struck with that?"'
The countess's description is weird, 'Ignorant and passionate, she had nevertheless moment in which she was almost irresistible.' Does this mean Doctor Hugh is attracted to her?
I like how the narrator describes himself as old, and the doctor as young. The middle of that is the Middle Years (James laughter)
Miss Vernham is a really rude person, telling Dencombe that he needs to leave because Doctor Hugh is spending too much time with him. Why can't the countess leave? Or why can't she just talk to Hugh?
Oh dear, does the Doctor have a crush on Dencombe? 'I chose to accept , whatever they might be, the consequences of my infatuation'
'"Frustration's only life," said Doctor Hugh. "Yes it's what passes." Poor Dencombe...' That is beautiful

The Figure in the Carpet

Why is the author praised and then put down again? These stories seems to deal with the actually author Henry James instead of imaginary authors
There is a puzzle in a book? Is that what is happening here? How strange
The puzzle might be a hint to critics to actually look deep into James' novels and short stories. You can't always tell how deep they are until you sit down and look at them closely.
Really? He won't tell her before they are married (and then he dies how brilliant)
The narrator thinks that the secret is only for husbands and wives. Why would it apply so exclusively to them?
I think it is funny that the narrator worships the author a lot. After he has to figure out his great secret though, he comes to hate all his works and him.
How sad! The two people who knew the secret died, is that maybe what killed them? Kind of like curiosity killed the cat?

aging is a major theme in this short story. Dencombe is worried about running out of time. He looks back on his book, "the middle years" and realizes his brilliance, but thinks he has not produced enough of it. For Dencombe, Doctor Hugh becomes a means of prolonging his life, and enabling him to continue writing where left off with "the middle years". I started out thinking of Dencomb as a washed up old parasite in relation to Dr. Hugh. But once ms. Vernham tells Dencomb of the harm he is doing by taking Dr. Hugh away from the countess, my view of Dencomb changed drastically. James is very good at describing and defining his characters through even the most brief dialogue between them.

Another major theme i noticed is that of the relationship between experience and the production of art. Dencomb complains that his art has "been hindered and retarded by experience", but later in the story realizes that he must have more experiences, and intense ones at that, if he is to keep living and writing. Dencomb's situation poses this question: If art is about life, to what degree do we sacrifice our life for our art?

Pg 109, James paints brilliantly with words, which is almost what He seems to say Dencombe can do and did in his novel. It's like an abstract painting though, in that you don't necessarily get anything concrete out if it; it's just pleasing, the way the words dance together.

It's interesting to read as if it weren't some character, but in fact James writing about himself and his process, in third-person, which essentially it is.

It's funny that he notes in the middle of page 112, how much pleasure it brings to observe. It seems he writes most of his male protagonists to be extraordinarily observant, maybe after his own self; or perception of his own self.

The more I read, (page 115) the more I wonder if He'd had this exact encounter himself, or how much was conceived.

On 117, Dencombe concedes ever-so effortlessly to having Dr Hugh help him. It's funny that James writes it as a concession, when we know that's what Dencombe's ego wants; someone to praise him endlessly.

Lacey Kirwan
Notes 9/16/11
The Figure in the Carpet, The Middle Years
The Figure in the Carpet
"if the author was only me" kind of funny that this guy is desperate for attention but not really whats the right way to go about getting it but then again when he does get attention it isn't enough, what he really wants is flattery
Strange situation in this story, all in all
"that you wrote the little notice" that's kind of low
It seems that this writer has a high standing but then again not such a high standing, the narrator keeps flipping back and forth on the writers real importance
When the writer danes to explain himself to the narrator, the narrator again flips back to what an honor this is that this extrodinary writer wishes to speak to me.
You miss it, everyone misses it. This is just annoying, if everyone misses it then perhaps it just isn't there?
"failure" the writer realizes, or seemingly admits, to realizing that this might in fact be his fault, everyone's missing it that is
"have I got to tell you then, after all of these years and labors" hes arrogant
The writer thinks people miss the whole point for whatever it is that he is writing.
"if it should dawn on you at all" insulting
The writer thinks extremely highly of himself and seems to be certain that he has succeded in whatever it was he hoped to do regardless that no one else sees it that way.
"The way I've carried it is the thing in life I think a bit well of myself for."
I get the feeling that James' himself may be the writer in this work, or at least he is very much made in the image of who James' would like to be and how he would like to be seen by the world.
Up to page 583 I have not liked this writer at all due in a large part to the fact that I haven't been certain as to how the narrator felt about him, I find that to be critical sometimes, and most certainly in the beginning of reading a piece to be very important. Later on in the reading you can formulate your opinions of the characters, and the narrator himself but in the beginning of a piece that guidance is key to help you get on the right track to interpreting a character. Now that here on page 583 that the narrator has stated that he likes this writer it changes the way I read the character from now on and even my interpretation of him up to this point. Now I see his comments before as more in an older gentlemens good natured humor, instead of piggish and snobbish.
The narrator running the verecker was kind of pathetic
Corvick had thrown up his commission to come home and speculate on what some other great author meant? A little preposterous
This painfully overdramatized and drawn out.
Propose marriage to know the secret? Really?
Wow that ending really isn't good.
The Middle Years
"He sat and stared at the sea, which appeared all surface and twinkle, far shallower than the spirit of man." I like this line I think that if this were of a poem we could spend an entire class period picking apart this line and going deeper into is wording and meaning.
The performer's, I like the way Dencombe thinks
"He had done all that he should ever do, and yet he had not done what he wanted." Very sad and poignant
"But I don't get on with silly women" in this story James' treats women as subordinate and stupid while in the last story one was almost equal to men, and even didn't view her husband as worthy of the knowledge of the figure in the carpet, but in Brooksmith they were below men again, in The Pupil they weren't really discussed, in Daisy Miller they seemed equal enough, what I am wondering is how James' viewed women himself and what if anything that he says in his stories regarding women is how he feels about them or is it just him coordinating his stories with the general views of the times?
How old is Decombe exactly?
The young doctor will get disinherited if he doesn't spend every waking moment with the countess? A little ridiculous and what is it to this girl? Does she hope the doctor will then marry her once the countess is dead??
"first and only chance" speaking of life as a chance is really poetic and touching
I think that both of these stories, The Middle Years and The Figure in the Carpet, are sort of wishful thinking by James' of what he would people to think of his work, sort of playing out grand scenarios of how people would devote their lives to the reading and examining of his work as the character's do of Verecker's in The Figure in the Carpet, and that they praise him endlessly while still not discovering his true intention, and give up his inheritance just to be with author as the doctor does in The Middle Years.

I read The Middle Years first this week and started to feel as if I was finally getting a feel for James' style and voice; I appreciated the other pieces that we have read, but I enjoyed The Middle Years. Contrast that with The Figure in the Carpet, which is the pinnacle (of what we've read so far) of James' ability to write ambiguous and infuriating fiction. If I couldn't imagine James laughing his head off before, I certainly can now.

The Middle Years

pg. 107 - "The infinite of life had gone, and what was left of the dose was a small glass engraved like a thermometer by the apothecary." Metaphor of life as a substance being measured out, given in a certain quantity.

pg. 108 - "What, moreover, was the use of being an approved novelist if one couldn't establish a relation between such figures..." Observation, it's importance to the novelist and author.

pg. 108 - "While the romance of life stood neglected at his side he lost himself in that of the circulating library." How is he using the life he has? Choosing literature, or choosing life.

pg. 109 - "It was a single volume; he preferred single volumes..." What he seems to want is a second volume for his life, however.

pg. 109 - "It was the child of time... to confess itself brutally beaten."

pg. 112 - "Equally innocent and infinite... of analysing life." Observation, analysis, the doctor's glasses, etc.

pg. 115 - "...a 'type'...." Daisy Miller

pg. 117 "'You've done a tremendous lot for me.'" What has he done? How have his books helped the young doctor?

pg. 119 - "'I only should have had more time. I want another go.'" Volume two?

The Figure in the Carpet

pg. 576 - "I mentioned... if the author was 'only me' the thing didn't seem quite as remarkable." Lady Jane is a respecter of persons. Also establishes the importance of the connection of the author to his work.

pg. 577 - "'Not a bit'...'Nobody does.'" Nobody sees it? What could it be?

pg. 583 - "There wasn't... a line of writing in the house." A fan indeed.

pg. 584 - "'It isn't for the vulgar!'" Who is it for? Who is vulgar?

pg. 587 - "He called it letters, he called it life--it was all one thing." Life and literature as being one and the same; how does this relate to the figure in the carpet?

pg. 590 - "I had liked the man still better than I like the books." Again, the books as part of the man.

pg. 592 - "Her passion visibly preyed on her...." WHAT IS THIS THING!?

pg. 608 - "I feel it to be almost my revenge." Henry James, you are a cruel old man. A genius, perhaps, but a cruel old man nonetheless.

The Middle Years is the story of a writer coming to his end, wishing that he had more time to cultivate his masterpiece, when he is befriended by a young enthusiast.

The story feels more like a ghost story. I don't know if this is a transition in to that period of stories, but over and over, there are references to superstitions. The narrator describes "strange silent subjects float" "remind him of some figure (he couldn't name it)" "rose before him like spectres with pitiless eyes" "still haunted" and even says directly "Doctor Hugh was an apparition."

All of these things are not to be taken literally, but the word choice piles up to give this story an eerie feeling, not just of death, but life after death.

That concept of life after death is present in the text as well. Hugh says specifically "You will live. You shall live." and this I took to mean his writing will continue to live on post death. The spirit of the written word lives on like a spectre, past the mortal.

Another interesting link was the idea of depth or submersion. Initially, this is described on 109, speaking about living into the story, drawn down, as by a siren's hand in the dim underworld..." Later in the story, the idea is brought forth when talking about pearls and the sinking of a great ship on pg 125. Again on 126, "the sense of cold submersion left him - he seemed to float without an effort."

This was a very interesting story.

The Middle Years

It was interesting how age played into this story- Dencombe was often describing himself as old or aged and, in contrast, described Doctor Hugh as young or juvenile. Between them there was the book The Middle Years. Because they are often discussing the book and trying to pull importance/interpretation out of the novel, it seems as though James may be making a statement about the big middle chunk of our lives, about the importance lying in our own Middle Years.

I really enjoyed how this story dealt with being an artist. When Dencombe says "Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task" it seems very fitting for the story and applicable to all artists. It is also interesting that Dencombe seems to possess a doubt about everything he's created, and wishes very much for a second chance to rewrite everything, while Dr. Hugh was so willing to give up his inheritance to stay with Dencombe. The Dr. doesn't seem to possess any doubt at all. I wonder if James means for this to be another implication of age - if he's trying to say that only in age to we gain the wisdom to doubt and wish for another chance.

I was confused about Dencombe's illness. I couldn't tell what sort of sickness he had, and why the treatment would have placed him somewhere that seemed like a resort.

I enjoyed the passage where he began to re-read his own writing, but I couldn't quite tell if it was coming from a place of ego or a place of forgetfulness. Had his illness caused him to forget what he'd written or was he just worried about doing it right?

Figure in the Carpet
One of the first things I noticed, probably because I had just read The Middle Years, was that the name of the publication that he was writing a review for was called The Middle. James seems to, at least in these two stories, want to draw attention to the seemingly mundane "middle" of our lives. Especially in this story, he quickly brushes over a couple of deaths, focusing instead on the living who are left behind, still in the middle of their lives, trying to piece together the mystery.

There definitely appears to be a "why are we here" sort of element working in this story. The General Intention of Vereker has the potential to be a symbol for our life's purpose, which would make sense - the story ends and only the dead "knew" what Verekers General Intention. We only know what our purpose/meaning was when it's over. We get to spend the majority of our lives trying to figure it out.

I thought the passage on page 595 where Corovick is talking about Vereker's writing was interesting. He describes the search for the Intention as intoxicating, and it almost seems as though it's driving him mad. This intense desire to discover the purpose adds to the idea that the General Intention is serving as a symbol for a larger meaning that we're all searching for.

The Middle Years
-Something I noticed about this story was the reluctance of the writer to admit that his book was a success. He only saw his life as a failure, and he didn't see his work as a finished, published success. He attempted to revise it when it was first published. He then picks up an admirer who is attempting to convince him that he is a success and he is a great writer. I think that this can allude to James', and most other writers, feelings toward their work. Is it truly what they were trying to convey? Was it truly their best work? Or could it have been better? The author who believes that it could always be better is the author who will keep writing.
-Why do we never get a name for his illness? His symptoms are odd. I don't recognize the symptoms together...
-I can relate to Doctor Hugh, though hopefully the field I enter will be the field of work I love. I would love to meet the author and find out how they truly felt about their books and if my inferences were correct.
-Hugh even leaves the countess, someone who would pay him a great fortune to care for her, for his idol. He also seemed to think that Dencombe needed him more.
-The long paragraphs are making me impatient....
-I do not like Miss Vernham. Her description makes me think of Aunt Petunia of Harry Potter.... sort of too skinny and sharp- looking.

The Figure In The Carpet
-James does seem to be drawing heavily from his own experiences with these two stories about novelists.
-Why does he give some narrators a name and 3rd person view and then others 1st person view and no name? Seems..... fickle. Like he's still trying to decide what he likes best?
- I think we can all identify with the narrator. We all want to know what the author's "great trick" is!
-However, his meeting with the author seems to drive the narrator into a different kind of frenzy. He doesn't want to discover the trick for himself, he wants to discover it to prove himself to his idol.
-In the end, the idol's golden sheen dulls to a dirty bronze. The narrator comes to hate his methods and his secrecy.
-It's so tragic that his friend died! But then again, the secrets of an author should not be found out. It keeps people reading.

BROOKSMITH
The narrator here seems still enthralled, still ever impressed with the social smoothness that occurred in Offord's salon, with the help of Brooksmith. He describes it for a bit, making it seem like a magical club that everyone wanted to be a part of, and everyone was, but never too many people, and it seems it was quite special if ever you went. He certainly was impressed upon by the mastery of hosting that happened at this salon. After a while, he reveals that in fact Brooksmith was the matermind. He then goes on to explain how Brooksmith himself is. The very nature of him, so learned and yet he'd never hold it over anyone.

Then it seems the narrator goes from seeing Brooksmith as this miracle-worker to a sort of nosey worker. A person of lower social status who did his job so well, so as to hear all the gossip or chatter that would go on in Offord's salon. He even mentions a time, - the only time he saw Brookdmith angry was when he was being distracted from eavesdropping on a good story.

In the beginning of this story, I thought it was about Mr. Offord, after all he is referred to as "the late". By page 71 I began to realize that the narrator is in fact enthralled with Brooksmith and his talents. He seems so fond of Brooksmith, that maybe he wanted more than just a friendship. Possible I'm just carrying over the implications from The Pupil, also.

Towards the end, our narrator speaks more of Brooksmith, as if their relationship were more important to him than that of the late Mr. Offord. He makes Brooksmith and his relationship to be one of a friendship, or more. Also, he is so concerned with where Brooksmith will go with his 'talent' now that Offord has died. In the very end, he even says he would go to events, just at the chance of seeing him, though Brooksmith snubbed him at the one event.

THE REAL THING
This story was sort of interesting to me, sort of boring. In the end, I'm not quite sure the point. Some of the language to me seemed to almost imply something dirty about what the Monarchs were doing. And maybe it was dirty to them, considering their apparent former lifestyle. In that sense then, their name seems to be a sort of implication of their grace and stature, and how much this sort of "gig" if you will, was a step down for them and their dignity. Towards the end, their dignity seemed not to matter as they tried to earn the title of another position - any other position with the photographer, to no avail.

This was easier for me to read, at the same time as I said, I sort of was not sure I really liked it in the end.

Mr. Offord is a very intriguing character to me, symbolically. He's a recluse. Confined to his home and only in the company of his salon attendees and the coveted Brooksmith. He's quite blocked off from the rest of world. Just as the stream of consciousness shared with "esoteric respect" between attendees and, especially, between the narrator and Brooksmith, is barricaded from the rest of the world. The charisma between Brooksmith and the narrator is undoubtedly a reflection of their both having known Mr. Offord. The narrator reads into exactly what Brooksmith is trying to communicate at but a glance of his eyes. And he knows in the proceeding pages that the no one else in the world can possibly understand or appreciate Brooksmith.

I see Mr. Offord's character as a symbol of this intangible sort of consciousness, a sort of perfection, that is completely lost on the vast majority of the world. Those that are exposed to the consciousness/knowledge/perfection are forever changed. And when it's taken away from them, they crumble, as Brooksmith does.

I also find Brooksmith's stature and menial servant occupation intriguing. His height is described as a disadvantage, not only occupationally but even in the real world. Yet Mr. Offord is completely forgiving of this "fault." And his job as a servant, when positioned on the societaly totem pole, is quite low and menial. Yet despite his social status and his stature, Brooksmith is regarded by the narrator with an almost indebted sort of awe and respect for him. He is undoubtedly integral in the aforemention consciousness/knowledge/perfection. And just him being there, despite his disadvantages, adds a whole new perspective on how to attain the consciousness of the salon.

My apologies for tardiness. These were just a few brief notes. I hope to get in the swing of this bloggin' thing and flush ideas out more as the semester rolls on.

Sorry this is late.

Brooksmith

I can't help feeling sorry for Brooksmith through this story. He had such a great thing going for him with Mr. Offord and after that he wasn't able to find the same satisfaction with any other 'employers'. Also Brooksmith was the one who kept the household and the salon together, the mere 8 pounds that Mr. Offord left wasn't enough.

I really liked this line "I often noticed that if an anecdote or a quotation, much more a lively discussion, was going forward, he would, if busy with the fire or the curtains, the lamp or the tea, find a pretext for remaining in the room till the point should be reached." It helped to define Brooksmith as educated and interested in the conversation that happened within the salon, and also perhaps to make sure there were no unneeded outbursts.

I didn't quite understand what the fascination with Brooksmith was; he was (after all) just a butler. The narrator seemed quite intrigued with him and was worried about him after Mr. Offord's death. I found this just plain weird. I would imagine that the only time you would become attached to a butler is if they lived with you, and even then wouldn't the butler just be someone you employed?

The Real Thing

"Perhaps they wished to be done together - in which case they ought to have brought a third person to break the news." What an odd statement!

Pg 84 "For a woman of her age her waist was surprisingly small; her elbow moreover had the orthodox crook." Weird.

It's interested at the beginning the woman and the man were so convinced that they were the real thing and that they were just want the painter needed they didn't have to change anything about themselves. When in fact the painter was looking for someone who wasn't so structured and ridged. At the end the woman and the man realized that being the real thing wasn't all it was cut out to be. The 'unreal' look was better suited in this case.

What I found really interesting is that the painter felt sorry for him so he started to paint them, then in the middle of the book he was actually defending their portraits because they were the 'real things', then at the end (after the visit of his friend) he wanted the unreal because it was better.

The Pupil

I'm so utterly confused by this story. I assumed, by the title, that there would be a teacher and a student however it's not really clearly defined who is the teacher and who is the pupil. In the traditional sense Pemberton is the teacher and Morgan is the student, however several times during this story I'm confused as to who is actually the teacher.

Also the story ends rather abruptly. Morgan is finally granted his wish to go and live with Pemberton and then dies? And throughout the story the parents and siblings have little do with do Morgan yet at the end his parents are clearly distraught that their son just died. This is confusing to me too.

And I don't understand where these people are getting the money to move from place to place all the time. My first thought was that maybe they have to move so much because they aren't paying at all and eventually they are getting kicked out...but I'm not sure. I don't like the parents by the end of the story, they are too weirdly detached from everything.

Four Meetings

This story started off somewhat dismal, with the telling of the woman's death. Each chapter was a new meeting. I got the feeling that the guy cared for Ms. Spenser but didn't care quite enough to really do anything about it. Ms. Spenser was dreaming of Europe for so long and she got one day there and then ended up with "something of that dear old Europe," meaning the Countess. It's sad how excited Ms. Spenser had been to see Europe and then to have everything crash down due to her cousin and further to have the Countess (who is from Europe) come and live with her which further crushed her thoughts of Europe.

Brooksmith
-The first thing that jumped out to me with this story was the power of Brooksmith. He "allowed" visitors to come up to the saloon and while Offord is sick and dying, Brooksmith decides whether or not the narrator can visit with him. The narrator doesn't even ask but rather goes with whatever Brooksmith feels like doing that day.

-Mr. Offord seems to be liked by everyone though his description is minimal in comparison to Brooksmith

-LOVE the metaphor of the drawing room being Brooksmith's garden. He tends to everything within it and that really makes sense for how interested he is in all conversations.

-The narrator seems arrogant. The way he talks annoys me, but maybe that's the point for the men in the saloon are all intellects talking talking talking

-Brooksmith is also called the artist of the saloon, it's as if he sets the mood though he's not part of the conversations

-so, many, commas

-"[Brooksmith] thinks me rather mad...now he likes the place, he likes the company" this shows to me that it is unusual during this time period for someone to have people milling in and out of their house constantly

-Brooksmith must love listening to everything. I think that's why it's so hard for him in the end. He has no passion anymore.

-He was the moderator--love the ideas that gives

-There's Byron again

-Where do these men find the time to be at Offord's house all the time?

-Why does the narrator feel as if he has a responsibility to Brooksmith?

-The ending confused me. I didn't know what to take from it.

The Real Thing
-The title must have multiple meanings

-I already like this narrator much better than the one in Brooksmith

-It is obvious he is an artist by the way he describes the Monarch's

-"Perhaps they wished to be done together--in which case they ought to have brought a third person to break the news." love the humor in this piece

-It is so interesting how quiet they are in the beginning compared to that they boast their opinions and are pretty disrespectful to the artist nearing the middle

-"it was very kind of [Claude Rivet], thought I could reflect that, as he only painted landscape, this was not a sacrifice."
-while the Monarch's are talking it is obvious the artist isn't paying attention: (he painted views of course, but sometimes put in figures--perhaps I remembered)

-Symbolism in the couples last name? Monarch is a butterfly, starts as a caterpillar then completely transforms to a different being: it seems opposite to what their life was for they were butterflies before then lost all their money. I'd like to read more into this.

-"For a woman her age her waist was small; her elbow moreover had the orthodox crook": strange way to describe her. I'm not sure she is pretty. I think saying she's "the real thing" means she's common and nothing fantastic

-Up until pg. 86 I was not sure the artist liked the couple--his description is hesitant and humorous. But then he obviously says "I liked them" which I enjoy because most literature doesn't make clear statements like that. You have to read into everything which isn't bad, it's just refreshing to hear what the narrator is thinking

-James uses his experience in Europe a lot in his stories, lots of french, lots of society. You can definitely sense him in each story with those italicized words

-The couple is very in sync. They exchange many glances that are telling to each other and can pretty much read each others minds. They are always in it together. It's nice to see a couple that way and keep the drama of the story outside of their relationship. It makes it more complex for it's pretty easy to put the drama in a romantic relationship

-I counted how many times "the real thing" was repeated: over 10 what is the significance?

-I like how the narrator takes the time to describe Miss Churm before the Monarch's make their judgement. It shows she is an important model to him at this point in the story and cause for comparison

-"Well now, here's a lady!" Major Monarch reminds me of a salesman often

-"She was the real thing, but always the same thing". The excitement of this new idea is wearing off quickly

"It was amusing to do his wife's back hair (it was so mathematically neat)"

-"the real thing" 4 times on pg. 94! The artist seems to be annoyed

-It's nice to see Jame's humor in this narrator. I like it a lot

-I'm interested in these side models: what is there relevance to the story?

-Around part IV I started to feel like the Monarch's and the artist were in a relationship. The suspicious and jealousy. It's becoming less about the artist and more about them

-"When I drew the Monarchs I couldn't, somehow, get away from them"

-"He came back with a fresh eye, but the same old black velvet blouse" :)

-He feels bad for them: "they counted on me so intensely". Does he like to be needed?

-SOCIETY

-"They had accepted their failure, but they couldn't accept their fate"

When they first meet, they seem not to be flirting, but they are hitting it off; getting along well. She seems a bit fascinated with him, even within her mild manners. For a while into their discussion of travel and the portfolios, he doesn't mention her name. He mostly refers to her as her, until just before she sort of opens up more with her overflowing feelings about potential travel to Europe. Again, he mentions her name towards the end of the first meeting's description. They have a bit of a witty exchange playing off things one another has said before they abruptly part ways.

Their next meeting, it seems is so happenstance that they are instantly more comfortable with one another, as she even says in what seems a joking manner that she doesn't mind telling him about her money situation even though maybe normally that would be nosey of him to ask. He does seem a bit nosey, though as well, as he makes assumptions about Caroline's cousin; that he'd run off with her money.

Our narrator seems to think himself very perceptive. He likes to try to judge a situation, or even person as we read he does with Caroline's cousin, quickly. He thinks he can figure one out with hast. The more we read on, we realize he is right about her cousin, to an extent.

Yet, the narrator is pushy in his reactions to Miss Spencer, but she doesn't completely mind. Caroline almost lets him become so involved with her so quickly, being so timid as she is and him being so outspoken.

It's a very interesting sort of story, in that the beginning leaves us wondering, but through the middle we forget the wondering. It's easy to become enthralled with the story and the narrator's perceptions and observations. In the end, I had to read back at the beginning to see where he left me unsure of his meaning for all this. He speaks so involved the whole time, aside from the introduction paragraph and the end, in which he is very detached.

THE PUPIL

It seems to take Pemberton a bit to begin to notice, maybe specifically how bizarre the Moreens are. He notes how he's never encountered something like them, in his time at Oxford, which isn't all that shocking, but also in his time at Yale when he considered himself to be going against the grain. He seems to say they are quite out of the box of conformity. At the same time, the following description of them doesn't make them sound all that strange aside from living off of macaroni and coffee, and their self-invented language.

There's interesting foreshadowing when James mentions that the sisters wanted to make Morgan independent, though they supposedly adored him so. Citing their feelings that they were not good enough for him. It's quite outright, actually when He says they want to "shirk" responsibility of Morgan, and again expounds the blend of wanting to rid themselves of him and a "genuine" adoration for him.

Pemberton, as most of James' main characters thus far seems to be very observant. He's constantly analyzing things, trying to figure them out. Maybe this is just a part of literature and a part of life, to process, but it seems James often has a protagonist who is quite contemplative and perceptive.

It's also interesting that the family has this sort of flight-around mentality, and they also are quick to detach from Morgan; to let him go. In the end, they so simply let go of him, Mrs. Moreen saying they'd already been through the worst. They attempt to make it appear as though it's difficult for them, but Pemberton sees through it right away. He senses what's happening the minute they see the packed bags and trunks, and he too thinks about putting on a false air, but he can't bring himself to do it.

The ending is so abrupt! And yet seems fitting given that Pemberton was put in this terrible position, the parents had already given him up so easily in hopes of dumping responsibility on Pemberton, and apparently poor Morgan was maybe too torn between his feelings of sadness at his parents and his love for Pemberton. The last line to me implies that his father moved on, fairly quickly, and I find it interesting that it says nothing in the very finale about how Pemberton moves on. There is one quick line about the father, and in a way with this implication of a romantic relationship between Pemberton and Morgan contrasted with how quickly his father forgets about him, almost implies how Pemberton must carry on feeling sad for the boy. Or maybe that's just how I like to imagine it, that at least one man; one parent-figure goes on missing Morgan for as long as a loved person deserves.

There are many reoccurring aspects, themes, and archetypes present in James' writings. So far I've picked up on a recipe consisting of a hopeless narrator/protagonist character, a clever child--seen in both Randolph and Morgan, an obsession with social class, and an assiduous veil of sickness and death.

Four Meetings
Out of all of the readings for this week, this one was probably the toughest for me to analyze. If anything, I mostly was aware of the similarities to Daisy Miller. Like Daisy Miller, it's divided into four different chapters, but I had difficulty deducing anything of significance. Four Meetings and Daisy Miller also have a lot in common in regards to geography and winter. The castle at Chillon is discussed again, and Caroline's place of residence--Wintergrim--has a name with some pretty negative undertones.

Caroline Spencer is a character so enamored with Europe, that when she finally gets a feeling for it through the Countess, it isn't anything that she hoped it would be. I think that James was disillusioned with a lot of aspects of European living, and I think Four Meetings focuses on that "stiff" and stuck-up type featured so prominently in Daisy Miller.

The Pupil
While reading, Morgan stood out to me as a character who--in a way--transcended social class. He provided a sharp contrast to the rest of his family. They were essentially vagabonds who did all they could to appear wealthy, well-versed and intellectual. I think that's why they both worshiped and feared him. However, without the Moreens, Morgan doesn't really seem like a diamond in the rough. The Moreens are "men of the world." They're the commoner; the everyday man or woman. Morgan is above that. I think that this story is partly written this way to make apparent the idea that no one is special unless they're compared to someone less special. In this way, the human race is saturated in codependency. Everything thrives off of one another.

The Real Thing
Though I feel that there are definitely allusions to James' experience with publishing (at one point in the story Hawley states that publishers and editors are the "biggest asses of them all), I think this story primarily deals with superficiality in any sort of artistic endeavor; the dignity one loses to sell a product. This can be seen on the final page, when the protagonist explains that "if my servants were my models, my models might be my servants." The models are there just to sell a product. The Monarchs are incapable of this, and that makes them "realer" than people like Miss Churm.

Brooksmith
This story does a solid job encompassing a lot of the general ideas brought forth in this week's readings. After reaching the last page of this story, there was a pretty strong taste of Four Meetings and The Pupil in my mouth.

At it's core, I interpreted Brooksmith as a story that revolves around dependence and social class. Brooksmith himself is a character who, though highly revered and respected by his acquaintances at Arcadia, fails to ever again reach the peak of living that he had enjoyed with Mr. Offord.

Similarly to Four Meetings, I see his discontent with living being a direct correlation of his experience with "high society." Everything he does is in comparison to Arcadia. After Arcadia there appears to be no intellectual depth or real gratification. There's also thematic overlap when one brings The Pupil to the table. In The Pupil, I interpreted Morgan's death as a symbolization of oneness between those of differing opinions and lifestyles. This idea of oneness can be seen in this story as well, but with the upper class and lower class being the focus of this moral. Brooksmith can't survive without Mr. Offord after being acquainted with him for so long. How can he survive without "culture"? This is a rhetorical question that Henry James poses in this story.

I am still getting used to taking notes while I read so I am sorry if these are horrible notes. I have just never done this before and I am sure it will take me a little bit to fully grasp how to make a useful note in my readings. Also I focused my time on The pupil and Four Meetings today and will focus the rest of this week on the other two readings. So here are my notes:

The Pupil: (I will write everything that I wrote in my notebook on here.)
Does Henry James always write about American people who go over to Europe?

I noticed right away that there are long sentences and long paragraphs for a short story.

"At this moment it was infantine; yet it appeared so to be under the influence of curious intutition" -I underlined this for the word usage in this sentence.

There is a very limited amount of conversation in the start of this story. And when there is some sort of communication between characters, there is not direction of who is speaking and at times like of the way it is said. Like on page 745.

Four Meetings:
There is an introduction in the beginning of this story unlike The Pupil.

There is a direction between who is speaking and how they are talking to one another. page 192

This is a major 1st person story

They also meet again after a long period of time like in Daisy Miller. (might not be relevant at all but I thought of it so I wrote it down.)

Chapter

Descriptive words "Queer Fellow" page 202

I hope I grasped this enough to get what was needed for class.

Four Meetings

The little intro at the beginning makes me think of Daisy Miller, especially when he says "a charming specimen of a type". It reminds me of how Winterbourne was always trying to classify Daisy and how it was a study of Daisy Miller.
The narrator goes into great depth when describing Caroline Spencer. He also seems a little bit displeased with her at the same time as he is describing her. For instance, as he is talking about her hair he says "her hair was arranged as nearly as possible like the hair of a Greek bust, though indeed it was to be doubted if she had ever seen a Greek bust." He is practically calling her uncultured. He also seems bored with her while he is showing off his pictures. He wants her to talk but she doesn't very often.
Castle Chillon? Really? Again? Is this place even real? (Google Images says yes) The similarities with this story and that of Daisy Miller are growing.
It is very heartwarming to see that even though they had no plans to meet again they did.
The narrator keeps describing her as pretty and delicate even though she is rather old.
Did the cousin steal her money? How will she travel through Europe? Will the narrator help her?
He seems to really dislike her cousin...The description he gave him is very bad" Nature had not shaped him for a Raphealesque or Byronic attire, and his velvet doublet and naked throat were not in harmony with his facial attributes." Hopefully the cousin doesn't do anything bed to Caroline like steal her money and leave her stranded in Haver.
I like how Caroline is so entranced with Europe she finds beauty in a little town that isn't used for much else besides a place to travel from.
So the Countess says that her husband is dead and is relying on Caroline to support her? Was the Countess a prostitute? She says she is Parisian to her fingertips but then the narrator catches her and says that he heard she was Provençale by birth.
How sad, I hope Caroline throws the Countess out and is able to travel to Europe for real w=one day

The Pupil

Pemberton seems to know a lot about the family just from observing him.
What is Morgan sick with?
Do a lot of James's stories have to do with the mingling of American culture and English culture? This seems to be a theme in this story.
There are a lot of French words sprinkled through the work. Is that to make the narrator appear smarter?
What does the phrase "It was a houseful of Bohemians who wanted tremendously to be Philistines" mean?
Why are they not paying him?
The whole story is very confusing, are these people con artists? Pemberton never comes out and says that, he does keep calling them bad people and stuff.
Why is it that at last when Morgan can get away from his family with Pemberton he dies? Was it because Pemberton hesitated when his mother wanted him to take Morgan?

Brooksmith

So Brooksmith is the butler who is basically making this salon a great place to be in. Does anyone realize how hard he works at it?
This place has to be amazing from the narrator's description of it "We never were a crown, never either too many or too few, always the right people with the right people...always coming and going, never sticking fast nor overstaying, yet never popping in or out with an indecorous familiarity?" It looks like Brooksmith is awesome at his job.
Does Mr. Offord die? He is in failing health apparently...
Why is the narrator so concerned with Brooksmith? I mean shouldn't he be more concerned for his dying friend Mr. Offord?
Poor Brooksmith, "Mr. Offord was my society."
So was Mr. Offord the reason that his salon was a great place? Because in the new place Brooksmith is in there seems to be no conversation.
Why is the narrator so fascinated with Brooksmith? He is trying to find him really badly, he keeps going out to try and see him.

The Real Thing

Mr and Mrs Monarch, like a monarch who rules a country. Nice one James.
The narrator seems like a bad artist, if he was really talented he would be able to make the Monarchs look how he wanted them too.
Mrs Churm, it looks a lot like the word 'charm' like she is charmed enough to pass for anything he wants her to look like maybe?
There seems like there is a lot of social commentary in this book. The rich aristocrats can't be used for what they were hired for, but the poor people can do anything and become anyone for the artist.
Why do we not get to know the artist's name?
Mr Monarch seems a bit obsessed with his wife...or just overly protective of her.
Oh good, no one died in this one.

The Pupil

I found it interesting that the Moreen family is constantly trying to keep up an appearance of being very cultured and worldly. One of the most noticeable examples early in the story was when Pemberton commented on "Ultramoreen"- the family's secret dialect - and how it almost sounded like a language he knew. It is as if they were trying to mimic a level of class/culture that they don't actually have.

There seems to be an element of foreshadowing when Pemberton and Morgan first joke about running away/living together and Pemberton says "Look out or I'll poison you!"

Four Meetings

I thought the parallels between the inn and the house where he finally finds Caroline Spencer interesting - they are both described as run-down, as "elegance of the most frugal kind". It's the idea of putting on airs, of pretending to be fancier than you really are. This seems to be a theme for James overall.

The narrator of this story initially seemed a little pompous, showing off his pictures of Europe. This leads me to question how much he actually cared for Caroline Spencer. Was he trying to save her for her sake or for his own satisfaction?

Brooksmith

With these groups of stories, the thing I noticed most was the role of class in James' work. In Brooksmith, the character seems so happy to serve because it means he gets to soak up the paradise of the salon, of the higher-class experience. His embarrassment and the way he hides from the narrator only appears after Offord dies and he is sent back to a lower-class life.

I enjoyed the images of Brooksmith as an artist, or a gardner. These seemed to add to the idea that he was creating a world for himself that didn't naturally exist. He is tampering with nature in a way.

Height and level also seemed to play a symbolic role in this story. The upstairs/downstairs in Offord's home. Brooksmith being a short man. Brooksmith needing to "get his spirits up".

The Real Thing

I enjoyed how this story made me question what counts as "real". The Monarchs claim to be "The Real Thing" but what the artist needs is a real model, which the Monarchs clearly are not. The Monarchs seem so concerned with their appearance and with seeming genuinely cultured. This, to me, makes them seem incredibly fake.

James' class message in this piece seems to come from the idea that "Real" gentlemen and ladies aren't necessarily real people. The idea that class doesn't create actual character.

The Real Thing

At the beginning the Artist strikes me as a man who is very good at his craft. But throughout the story, it can be seen that he is not as great as I assumed him to be in the beginning. Ex) pg 93 "I was neither Leonardo nor Raphael." pg 97) "When I drew the Monarchs I couldn't, somehow, get away from them- get into the character I wanted to represent." Personally I feel like if he was a great artist this should not be a problem for him.

The Monarchs do not seem right to be models. It seemed that whenever they began to talk about their past photos Mrs. Monarch became embarrassed about it or things got awkward. They are trying to pass off as models but what I see is a couple just trying to hide the fact that they are almost broke and just doing anything they think they can be useful for.

Mr Monarch seemed to be very protective and maybe a bit obsessed with his wife. Ex) Pg 91 "When she was away from him his occupation was gone- she never had been away from him."

Mrs. Churm is the one model that the artist has that he can actually work with. The way he describes her as "only a freckled cockney, but she could represent everything, from a fine lady to a shepherdess." shows what I think to be the meaning of the title. You can only find the "Real Thing" when you are looking at something that is not the real thing It is hard to explain but you could be looking at a photo of a Russian princess and believe it is the real thing, but it could be someone of no royal blood. That is art, the ability to show the real thing in something that is not.

Brooksmith

Arcadia was mentioned multiple times in the intro as a paradise. The house on Mansfield Street was a paradise. The speaker then says he does not know who has it now as if paradise, Arcadia, has been lost somehow. Can paradise be lost? What can cause that to happen?

Brooksmith is introduced to us as the butler to Mr. Offord and his most intimate friend. He is seen to be a gentleman and a butler with great skill. "He had none of that vulgarity- his touch was infinitely fine." He is also described as deep with shy refinement. Brooksmith worked very hard for Mr. Offord and when he passed he was not rewarded like he should have been. In all of the years that Mr. Offord and his friends were meeting, Brookstmith was there serving them, driving the conversations along even though they did not know it then. He kept order and worked out small quarrels among the guests. Brooksmith was always looking for a spot in society and he thought he had found it in Mr. Offord when he stated "Mr. Offord was my society and now I have no more." He could never find the same level of society in all of his other years and occupations up until his death and he died miserable and alone.

Why was is that if Mr. Offord was so liked, no one but the narrator of the story really cared about what happened to Brooksmith?

It makes me wonder that when one finds their true calling and it is taken away from them, can one ever become happy again doing something they know is wrong for them?
Are we all doomed to be miserable if we cannot find our calling?

Why was the narrator so drawn to Brooksmith unlike the others?

The Pupil

From the title I could almost instantly tell that this story would involve a teacher and student. I did not for see the bond that would be forged between the student and teacher and how much someone will go through to protect the one they care about.

When I first read about Morgan my mind instantly went to Randolf from Daisy Miller: A study. I was thinking oh great, here is another spoiled brat. But throughout the story my perception of him changed seeing how he was living and what he had to grow up with. He also is a child of wisdom, he is constantly saying things that catch his tutor off guard and that are well beyond his years and that impressed me.

Pemberton comes across as a normal guy who just needs a job but in the end of the story he does not care about the money he cares about the boy. He lived with the family for years without getting pay just so he could keep the boy safe. Why would he do that for someone who is not family?

In the end Morgan dies after he is told he can go away with Pemberton. Why did this happen? After all the talk of wanting to go away with him and he finally gets it, it does not seem fair.

Finally, what was the deal with his family? Were they just con artists living from scam to scam?

Also, I feel like the title of the story has two meanings, yes Morgan learned from Pemberton, but I feel as if Pemberton also learned from Morgan and in turn they were both the pupil.

Four Meetings

This was my favorite of all of the readings for this week.

One thing I enjoyed about this reading was that it gave me hope. People always question relationships with people and worry if they are going to work out. But with this story the narrator ran into Ms. Spencer four different times, which proves if something is meant to happen it will and that makes me think that everything in my life will work out like it should.

I rather enjoyed the main character of the story. His views on art and traveling the world are very similar which makes it easy to relate to him. His need for Ms. Spencer to see what he has seen is both charming and caring.

Ms. Spencer is a different story, she has all these dreams to see Europe but when it gets stolen away from her she does not seem as upset as she should be. Why is she not infuriated?

What happened to her cousin?

Will the narrator continue to look for her in the future and take her to Europe?

-Zane Halstead

The Pupil
Throughout this short story, I noticed that a phrase continued to pop up - "A man of the world." Mr. Moreen always took things in stride like a "man of the world," and they hoped that Morgan was going to be a true "man of the world." What is a man of the world? Someone who understands that reality can be cruel? Or that there are more important things than the tedious happenings of day to day life?

The Moreens seem to be slightly scared of their son, something that Pemberton himself concludes. He is almost too real, to intelligent for them to accept. They love him out of a sort of fear.

He outstrips them in his sensibility, something that Pemberton informs us that Mr. and Mrs. Moreen seem without. On page 729, it appears that Morgan had even surpassed his tutor when Pemberton exclaims that he could not even calculate how much information that he owed to the boy.

Mrs. Moreen seems to always be holding something soiled.

Despite his growing age in the story, Morgan seems to constantly be on the same level of whit that Pemberton is.

Pemberton discribes the family as gypsies- I think that this sets us to think of them as almost vagabonds. They do not pay their debts and almost blackmails Pemberton into staying without pay. The traditional view of gypsies is that of traveling thieves. They defiantly do not stay in one place long, and Morgan is ashamed of the way that his parents treat his nanny and this tutor.

None of his other siblings seem to have tutors....they care only for the sickly child?

Why does he suddenly die? ?

The Real Thing

The Artist seems to want to be greater than what theses people can provide. He wants to be an artist of great portraits, even though he knows that he is no great artist like Michelangelo.

The Monarchs is a perfect name for these two- they sit and appear to do nothing. They make a certain picture, but they cannot..move freely. (difficult to phrase) They are not bothered by their lack of money, confident that their services will be needed somewhere because they are that important.

Miss Churm- sounds like "Charm" someone who can turn amusement or to cause great admiration in those who know her. She can become anything for the artist (who I don't believe has been given a name) and looks great in whatever he puts her in.

The artist seems to put a lot of effort into trying to convince himself that they aren't vain or self-centered. He mentions that their vanity isn't true vanity, just a self awareness. I have a difficult time believing him. "He doth protest to much!"

Mr. Monarch is as possessive as Winterborne was. He seems to take protection of her very seriously.

The only one of these readings that the poor soul mentioned doesn't DIE.

Brooksmith

Arcadia- the home of the Wilderness God Pan, or a fantasy place in Southern Greece that is considered a paradise. --They have been to the best place in the world for stimulating thought.

Brooksmith is seen as a very hospitable gentleman instead of an educated butler.

When Mr. Offord dies, our narrator is the only person who seems to have any kind of stake in making sure Brooksmith is alright. Everyone else is "feeling sorry for him but not sorry enough to take him on." This seems to be the usual way of England-

This seems to be a story of how a dedicated servant doesn't get anything for his hard work, except for more hard work and a harder life.

Again, Brooksmith's misery is ended with death. Is the only thing that can conquer misery death? Is there no way to get up from the bottom of life?

Four Meetings
Right away , we know how this story is going to end- in some woman's death. The narrator seems weary when describing how he feels about her death- "Why should I be sorry?"

He notices her in her isolation and seems to be drawn to it. He states that she isn't exactly a beauty, but was charming. However, in his descriptions of her, he takes great detail in the shape of her head, her hairstyle, even her teeth. The adjectives he uses are all soft, quite, and whispery through the whole story.

Our narrator seems to be quite a flirt.

We are able to see further and further into her character- which is almost librarian in the way that she is whispery and so interested in Europe and it's history. She also doesn't allow herself to get excited about anything.

Phrase of the story: picturesque. "make a picture"

The men in James' stories seem extremely protective. Maybe a little more than the time permits. Especially when they are attracted to the woman. That makes them even more protective of her from other men, and even some other women. Any other dominant figure?

However, she seems to keep herself from allowing him to court her.

She is too polite for her own good!

It's impossible to read as a scholar without taking notes. Your notes are like a track of your footprints through the material. When you post your notes to this blog (before the readings are due in class for discussion, please), you can: note your observations/insights on the reading, cite noteworthy lines/passages, ask questions, and (as you gradually amass a reading history of James & Wharton) make connections/rhymes with things. You'll probably figure out other creative ways to use the blog for your reading notes. I look forward to seeing your engagement with these two writers!