The Ambassadors by Henry James (Book Analysis) E-Book

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• Herausgeber: BrightSummaries.com
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Serie: BrightSummaries.com
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 18

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Ambassadors with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Ambassadors by Henry James, which follows Lambert Strether as he is sent by his employer and potential love interest to Paris in order to bring back her wayward son Chad. In spite of his initial disdain for European culture, Strether soon begins to see the continent’s charm and understand why Chad has chosen to stay there, and is led to reflect on his own failures and disappointments in life. James considered The Ambassadors to be his best novel, and many critics agree that it is among his finest works. He is also known for his novella The Turn of the Screw and his novels The Portrait of a Lady and What Maisie Knew.

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• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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Leseprobe

HENRY JAMES

AMERICAN AUTHOR

Born in New York in 1843.Died in London in 1916.Notable works:The Portrait of a Lady (1881), novelThe Turn of the Screw (1898), novellaThe Golden Bowl (1904), novel

Henry James was born in New York to wealthy parents Mary Walsh and Henry James Sr. He was one of five children, including the well-known psychologist William James. Henry James Sr. was an intellectual – a philosopher and a lecturer. Owing to this, he pursued many projects that took him and his family all over Europe; consequently, much of the James children’s education was received through tutors rather than in schools. The family spent much time in France, where James became fluent in the language.

James briefly attended Harvard Law School, eventually choosing to pursue his passionate interest in literature instead. He continued to travel between London, America and France and wrote various pieces over the years which ranged from short stories and novels to reviews and other non-fiction works. James became a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. He never married or had any children.

THE AMBASSADORS

A WITTY EXAMINATION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO REALLY LIVE

Genre: novelReference edition: James, H. (2018) The Ambassadors. London: Arcturus Publishing Ltd.1stedition: 1903Themes: duty, family, living life to the full, home and travel

The Ambassadors was originally published in serial form in the North American Review and then later the same year in novel form. There were many revisions and edits between publications, which has resulted in variations between editions. Nevertheless, James considered it to be his best novel.

This novel was written in the latter period of James’ writing career, which many believe to be his most significant. He was increasingly influenced by the European writers he both studied and befriended, in particular the French realist Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), on whom James lectured in America around the time of publication of The Ambassadors.