The Europeans, by Henry James
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The Europeans, by Henry James
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A narrow grave-yard in the heart of a bustling, indifferent city, seen from the windows of a gloomy-looking inn, is at no time an object of enlivening suggestion; and the spectacle is not at its best when the mouldy tombstones and funereal umbrage have received the ineffectual refreshment of a dull, moist snow-fall. If, while the air is thickened by this frosty drizzle, the calendar should happen to indicate that the blessed vernal season is already six weeks old, it will be admitted that no depressing influence is absent from the scene. This fact was keenly felt on a certain 12th of May, upwards of thirty years since, by a lady who stood looking out of one of the windows of the best hotel in the ancient city of Boston. She had stood there for half an hour—stood there, that is, at intervals; for from time to time she turned back into the room and measured its length with a restless step. In the chimney-place was a red-hot fire which emitted a small blue flame; and in front of the fire, at a table, sat a young man who was busily plying a pencil. He had a number of sheets of paper cut into small equal squares, and he was apparently covering them with pictorial designs—strange-looking figures. He worked rapidly and attentively, sometimes threw back his head and held out his drawing at arm's-length, and kept up a soft, gay-sounding humming and whistling. The lady brushed past him in her walk; her much-trimmed skirts were voluminous. She never dropped her eyes upon his work; she only turned them, occasionally, as she passed, to a mirror suspended above the toilet-table on the other side of the room. Here she paused a moment, gave a pinch to her waist with her two hands, or raised these members—they were very plump and pretty—to the multifold braids of her hair, with a movement half caressing, half corrective. An attentive observer might have fancied that during these periods of desultory self-inspection her face forgot its melancholy; but as soon as she neared the window again it began to proclaim that she was a very ill-pleased woman. And indeed, in what met her eyes there was little to be pleased with. The window-panes were battered by the sleet; the head-stones in the grave-yard beneath seemed to be holding themselves askance to keep it out of their faces.
The Europeans, by Henry James- Published on: 2015-10-18
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x .53" w x 6.00" l, .70 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 232 pages
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Compared to Earlier and Later Works ... By Gio ... The Europeans seems indeed to be merely "a sketch", a practice piece, worth reading only for James's masterly prose and for occasional sparkles of wit. Or perhaps it should be taken as James's effort to 'cash in' on the perennial market for romance novels for women readers, a market that was a lucrative in the 19th C as it remains today. That latter interpretation, I confess, is hindered by the absence of passion exhibited in any the four entangled 'love stories' of the narration. Marriages do occur eventually; I hope that's not too much of a spoiler, since I won't disclose how many or whom.One could also interpret The Europeans as a study of miscommunication. The title characters, a sister and brother whose mother was American but who have 'grown up' as thorough Europeans, come to visit their American cousins whom they've never met or known, who live quiet, sober lives in a Massachusetts village. The reader is 'encouraged' to suppose that the sister is both fleeing a milieu in Europe that has gone sour and seeking a 'fortunate' matrimonial opportunity. The American cousins and their social set are people of substantial means and insubstantial culture. Perplexed in every way by the arrival of such exotic relatives, nonetheless they generously welcome the travelers into their quaint puritanical family circle. What ensues is a minuet of misperceptions and miscues.James seems to have learned a good deal about the structural mechanics of novel-writing in the short time between "The American" and "The Europeans". Whereas in the former, he sometimes labors over describing a character in excessive external detail, in the latter he allows his characters to portray themselves through actions and dialogue. It's a subtler style of narrative, on a par with the polished best of Jane Austen or George Eliot. But of course the 19th C British 'novel of manners' was the model of all of Henry James's novels, a form he never abandoned. It's also quite plausible that James consciously intended "The Europeans" as a sequel to "The American," a thematic coda. It's not as exciting or insightful as its immediate predecessor, and it's barely a prophecy of the brilliance James would soon achieve in "The Bostonians". But it's too artfully written not to be entertaining as a display of craft.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. You win some, you lose some By H. Schneider Written in 1878, this short novel is set some time earlier in the century, in Boston and surroundings. A pair of siblings from Europe, brother Felix and sister Eugenia, have come to America to visit their relatives, hoping to find them rich. The two can be called adventurers, gold-diggers. He is a sort of bohemian, while she is married to a German prince, who is about to get rid of her. (At the time, Germany had an abundance of princes.)They find their relatives a large, reasonably well to do, well established family in the outskirts. The Wentworths are puzzled by the unexpected visitors, and behave with decency. There are some unmarried young cousins in the family. Felix is a charmer and reacts positively. Eugenia is a more difficult character and for her the cultural shock is a problem, as it is for the father of the Wentworth family. He is the brother of the visitors' mother. Relations were not close in the past. Eugenia's mother had run away at 20 into an unapproved marriage with a European.Like with James' previous novel about an American in Europe, the main subject here is the loss of meaning in cross-cultural communication. That is always good for various amusements of the mild to the hilarious kind. This book is more of the mild kind, which is not meant as a criticism.All in all, we have an interesting but not a great little novel about social affairs of the better classes in the 19th century. It lives mainly by the master's sparkling language. The people in the story are not all interesting. I would single out the two main women for being `interesting': Eugenia, the baroness, is a thoroughly discredited person who works hard at keeping up appearances, even to her brother, and probably even to herself. She lies shamelessly to everybody. While she rarely tells complete lies, she is also seldom completely truthful.The other interesting woman is Gertrude Wentworth. She puzzles us mostly through James' handling of her. She appears early like a person that makes you wonder if she is capricious or simple. She is certainly not shown as a particularly attractive woman, not by looks nor by her acts. Then during the plot, descriptions by the wise man in the off stop and Gertrude seems to become a totally different person: smart, attractive, headstrong ... the point is that these impressions are all given by other protagonists and we don't need to believe them. Has James planted mistrust in his people's statements and opinions?The last chapter is a roundup of characters and it ties up open ends, providing satisfaction to some and frustration to others. It is not convincing as a narrative device, to me. It reminds me of James' later failed attempts to become a stage writer. Chapter 12 here is like a less than interesting romantic play. I can do without those.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A short, easy reading glimpse of James'brilliance. By A Customer Europeans presents a quick summation of why Henry James is among the most illustrious and celebrated American authors. His writing in this book surveys the interaction of European society with early, austere, and moralisitc American culture. For historians and sociologists alike, as well as avid fans of lit., James illuminates interactions of the respective characters with poised rhetorical grace, and his sketches are highly readable, understandable, and enjoyable. James can be an intimidating author to approach for people like me (a college sophomore), who are beginning to appreciate the pleasure of reading such fine authors; reading a short, yet engaging, work such as Europeans is an excellent jumping off point to a later appreciation and enjoyment of the author's more prodigious epics, such as The Portrait of the Lady. I can say that after reading Europeans, I have more confidence and comfort taking off the shelf a longer work by James, simply in knowing that I can comprehend his shorter designs. I also recommend for those like me to try out his short fiction. Concluding, reading this work has made me very excited to read further works by James, as I plan to read the entirety of his literary output. It is the brilliance and charm of Europenas that has instilled in me this excitment.
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