Henry James’s Reductionist Vision of American Culture
Posted in American Literature on May 24th, 2009 No Comments »
In a letter to William Dean Howells, Henry James described his early work Washington Square as “a tale truly American.” After spotting Washington Square on M.’s shelf Easter morning, I eagerly “borrowed” it with James’s own sentiment in mind. I find it less disappointing than James did in retrospective moments.
Instead its transparent, if reductive, vision [...]
