Escritas

Poems List

So here it is at last, the distinguished thing!

on experiencing his first stroke

2

Of course, of course.

on hearing that Rupert Brooke had died on a Greek island

1

Summer afternoon—summer afternoon … the two most beautiful words in the English language.

Edith Wharton A Backward Glance (1934) ch. 10

2

The turn of the screw

title of novel (1898)

We were alone with the quiet day, and his little heart, dispossessed, had stopped.

The Turn of the Screw (1898)

1

The note I wanted; that of the strange and sinister embroidered on the very type of the normal and easy.

Prefaces (1909) ‘The Altar of the Dead’

The house of fiction has in short not one window, but a million … but they are, singly or together, as nothing without the posted presence of the watcher.

The Portrait of a Lady (1908 ed.) preface

2

Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue.

Partial Portraits (1888) ‘The Art of Fiction’

2

What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?

Partial Portraits (1888) ‘The Art of Fiction’

2

Cats and monkeys—monkeys and cats—all human life is there!

The Madonna of the Future (1879) vol. 1

1

Comments (0)

ShareOn Facebook WhatsApp X
Log in to post a comment.

NoComments

Henry James (1843-1916) was a prolific American writer, based in England, considered a central figure in the transition from realism to modernism in literature. Born into a prominent and intellectual family in New York, James spent much of his life in Europe, which became a recurring theme in his work, exploring the contrast between American and European society. His novels, such as 'The Portrait of a Lady' and 'The Ambassadors,' are known for their deep psychological analysis, intricate style, and focus on the nuances of social and moral life. He also wrote short stories, literary criticism, and plays, leaving a significant legacy in American and English fiction.