Daisy Miller by Henry James

This is my third Henry James this year. I started with Washington Square, which I loved, then read The Turn of the Screw around Halloween, and liked it quite a bit. Here is the thing about Henry James. I feel like the more I think about his work after I've finished reading it, the more I want to talk about it. There are always two sides to consider, two readings to argue, which I feel is one of the reasons Henry James has remained such a beloved writer.

Daisy Miller follows a young, beautiful girl as she travels through Europe with her mother and younger brother. I use the word "girl" for a reason. Daisy is what the French would call a typical American - she is audacious and has no regard for cultural conventions. She lives her day-to-day life in terms of Daisy and no one else. However, James central character isn't one-dimensional, and he never makes it certain whether or not we were meant to reject Daisy for her said audacity, or praise her for her originality. Daisy's family comes from new money and she is familiar with the society in the states. When she arrives in Europe she tells a young man and fellow-country man whom she meets in Geneva,

There isn't any society [in Geneva]; or, if there is, I don't know where it keeps itself. Do you? I suppose there is some society somewhere, but I haven't seen anything of it. I'm very fond of society, and I have always had a great deal of it.

Of course Daisy comes to find there is society, just not the type she is used to. Throughout each social gathering we watch as Daisy is scrutinized for her lack of regard and looked down upon for her unconventional behavior. Right after I finished this novella I thought Daisy - what a stupid girl. Then I thought further, and asked myself if Henry James was suggesting that we shouldn't punish young, care-free, impetuous girls; girls who act out of turn and don't follow the ridged social conventions. (After all, throughout the novel Daisy is self-aware and understands her actions are out of the norm. She is even a self-proclaimed flirt.) Or are girls better off acting polite and following suit? Was Daisy as innocent as she led on to be, or did she simply have bad manners? These unanswered questions are one of the reasons I enjoyed this read so much and exactly why I love Henry James.

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1878

The Turn of the Screw - Henry James

I chose to read this novel for the R.I.P challenge. It quickly became one of my favorite ghost stories. Set in the country estate of Bly, we follow a governess who begins the care for two young children, Flora and Miles. As the governess settles in at Bly she starts to see ghosts around the estate and soon discovers that they are the spirts of the former governess, Miss Jessel, and her dead lover, Peter Quint. The governess is convinced the ghosts are appearing to the children and communicating to them in an evil way, persuading them to do terrible things. She decides that she was there to "protect and defend the little creatures" as they were all "united in danger".

What makes The Turn of the Screw so captivating is that James never tells us if the ghosts are real or if the governess is simply going crazy. The governess is our narrator throughout the story, and she proves herself to be very unreliable, constantly overcome by emotion and suspicion. Also, she is the only character in the novel who admits to seeing the ghosts. It's almost as if she is driving herself crazy, slowly developing an obsession with the children and protecting them from the ghosts.

James does a fantastic job setting the scene of the ghost story, as the estate gets bleaker as the novel progresses. We are first introduced to Bly as a place of exquisite charm, filled with "beauty and dignity". Later in the novel the estate seems to change :

The summer had turned, the summer had gone; the autumn had dropped upon Bly and had blown out half our lights. The place, with its gray sky and withered garlands, its bared spaces and scattered dead leaves, was like a theater after the performance - all strewn with crumpled playbills.

My take? This is an account of a young woman's decent into madness as a result of isolation and loneliness. The ghosts become a part of her imagination as she begins to find demonic qualities in everything around her, including the seemingly angelic children. The question of whether or not The Turn of the Screw is an actual ghost story or the story of a woman going mad is open to interpretation, as there is no concrete answer. Did the ghosts of Miss Jessel and Peter Quint haunt Bly? Did the children keep a dark secret hidden from their governess? I don't have answers to these questions, but I do know that this story will stay with me for quite sometime. Highly recommended for a Halloween read!

Publisher: Dover, 1898

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

I chose to read this book for the R.I.P challenge, a challenge that celebrates " things that go bump in the night; that favorite detective that always gets his man, or woman, in the end; that delicious chill of a creak on the stairs, of the rogue waiting in the dark, of the full moon and the flit of bats wings".

I've been saving Treasure Island for this time of year and it turned out to be a fun read. First published in 1883, the novel details a young man's journey to Treasure Island aboard The Hispaniola. He is accompanied by other sailors, who are in search of a treasure, and eventually turn against one another to create a battle between good an evil - the evil which is represented by the carefree, reckless pirates who are in conflict with the virtuous and upstanding Englishmen.

This novel is less of an adventure story and more of a "coming of age" narrative. We watch the young man Jim cry for his mother at the start of the novel and evolve into a hero by the close of the novel, developing a strong sense of self.

I clung with both hands till my nails ached, and I shut my eyes as if to cover up the peril. Gradually my mind came back again, my pulses quieted down to a more natural time, and I was once more in possession of myself.

As mentioned above, Stevenson also explores the relationship between good and evil and implies that they are inextricably linked together, as no one can be fully virtuous or fully immoral. Even those who seem intrinsically debauched can always have a layer of morality buried deep down, as demonstrated by Long John Silver.

I'm happy I read Treasure Island but I've got to say I enjoyed Stevenson's later work, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) much more. I'm not sure one is better than the other, it's just that the type of suspense and detail in the latter appeal more to me.

Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2005 (1883)

Washington Square by Henry James

I really like Henry James. In Washington Square we are introduced to Catherine Sloper, an average girl with average looks who is quite close to her father. Her mother had died when Catherine was small, leaving her to live with her father and her father's sister, the widow Mrs. Penniman. Catherine has inherited her mother's estate and will inherit her fathers upon his death or her marriage, whichever comes first.

Enter Morris Townsend; a young man who has spent all of his fortune on travel and frivolities and now lives with his widowed sister. Of course he is immediately drawn to Catherine when they meet at a party and, like Catherine's father, we are lead to believe he is only interested in Catherine's wealth .

The majority of the novel takes place in Manhattan's Washington Square, where Catherine and her father, Dr. Sloper, live. There is something to be said about this old New York; something romantic and exciting. "I know not whether it is owing to the tenderness of early associations, but this portion of New York appears to many persons the most delectable."

Of course Catherine's father despises Morris and forbids Catherine to marry him, threatening to disinherit her from his fortune. Thus Catherine is left with the timeless dilemma of choosing between her family and true love.

What I liked best about this novel was that James lets the reader decide the intentions of Morris Townsend. We are never given a true glipse into his underlying purpose and must decide for ourselves whether he is truely in love with Catherine or if he is just in it for the money. Dr. Sloper does not think very highly of his daughter and can't understand how she would attract such a handsome man, leading him to decide Townsend's intentions must be callous. The doctor tells Townsend, "My dear young man, you must be very susceptible. As Catherine's father I have, I trust, a just and tender appreciation of her many good qualities; but I don't mind telling you that I have never thought of her as a charming girl, and never expected any one else to do so."

As I mentioned earlier we aren't ever told whether or not Townsend truly loves Catherine or if he is a mercenary. But perhaps the readers confusion is a reflection of the character's confusion. Maybe Townsend himself isn't even sure of his intentions, leading to his ambivalent nature. I really loved this book and looking back, I'm not even sure why. I think Henry James is a genious, as he was able to make me somewhat ambivalent toward the story but all the same completely engrossed in it, much like Townsend himself. James is a terrific writer down to the very last word and I look forward to reading more of his works.

Publisher: Harper & Brothers, 1881

Eyes of a Blue Dog by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Earlier this week I stumbled across Classic Short Stories - a site that offers short stories (for free) written by classic authors. Since I recently read Marquez for the first time I thought I would start out with his short story "Eyes of a Blue Dog".

This is a really interesting read that becomes even more complex upon reflexion - a skill that Marquez has proved with everything else of his I've read. The entire story takes place in the narrator's dream. Marquez writes the story with a sleepy eloquence that portrays a dream-like atmosphere for the reader, making it seem as if you are in the dream yourself.

"In some city in the world, on all the walls, those words have to appear in writing: 'Eyes of a blue dog'. If I remember them tomorrow I could find you."

"Eyes of a Blue Dog" explores the intricacies of the unconscious mind in relation to the conscious mind and how these unconscious desires manifest themselves in everyday life. It's a beautifully written story that I recommend to anyone who has 15 minutes to spare.

You can read it for free in it's entirety here. If you do let me know what you think!

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Let me start off by saying this book is a depressing yet highly realistic view into a tragic love story that viscously and contemptuously destroys almost every character in this novel. I want to say it's more a story about dispair and self-distruction than it is a love story, but it's not; it's both. It's a novel that highlights obsession and tormented love at it's finest.

The main characters of Wuthering Heights are both complex and compelling. Once you think you may have one figured out it becomes apparent that you really don't. Catherine Earnshaw is a crazy, selfish brat who I loved to hate (she is seriously BANANAS) and Heathcliff is a tortured and displaced soul who I hated to love. I would like to believe Heathcliff is misunderstood and deep down has a kind heart, but after finishing the novel it becomes clear he is truly malicious. But I still couldn't hate him. Rather, I felt bad for him. I wanted him to be happy or at least find a sliver of kindness in his body, but it never happened. He was a tortured soul until the end. I also really liked the structure of the novel. Told through Mr. Lockwood's diary as narrated from Nelly, the servant who has witnessed the novel's events unfold - genius.

For me, this was very much a departure from the bittersweet, everything-is-rainbows-and-butterflies type of love story and I liked that. I liked it a lot. It's like when I'm really upset about something and for one whole day I allow myself to be completly useless and embrace my sadness; eat pizza, drink wine, don't work out, watch tv, embrace it. That's what this book was like for me. It was a look into a world where nothing is happy and everyone hates each other and they die miserable.

That being said, those of you who haven't read this probably won't want to. But you should. Really. It's worth it. You can't help but relate to the tortured characters. Even crazy Cathy when she complains, "Oh, I am burning! I wish I were out of doors! I wish I were a girl again, half savage and hardy, and free; and laughing at injuries, not maddening under them!"

Publisher: Barnes and Noble Classics

Year of First Edition: 1847