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

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

To Mrs. Penniman

Reading now: Washington Square by Henry James

Dear Mrs. Penniman,

Please stop trying to convince Catherine to marry Morris Townsend. He is clearly just in it for the money. His own sister even said so. Your stupidity is really starting to bother me. I'm not sure why Dr. Sloper even lets you live in his house. You're messing everything up.

Love,
Brenna