Henry James
Henry James was born in New York in 1843.
His parents were Henry James Sr. and
Mary James. Henry James had three
brothers and one sister. Henry James’
ancestor, William James, was an 18 year
old Irishman who arrived in America in
1789. According to family legend,
the ancestor arrived with a very small sum of
money and later gained a small
fortune through the establishment of a store in
New York. Later, he
ventured into banking and the manufacture of salt which
paved his way as a
powerful man in the upper Hudson area. Jamesville, New York
and two streets
in Albany and Syracuse were named after this legendary ancestor
( Henry
James). As a young child, Henry James had only private tutors and
never
gained any strict education. The year Henry James turned twelve years
old his
family moved to Switzerland and later to France and Germany. After
the
completion of his family’s travels, Henry James returned to America
and
enrolled in Harvard law school for a while. He withdrew soon after
his
enrollment because he desired to pursue writing rather than an education.
His
father’s leisurely lifestyle as a traveler and writer allowed Henry James
to
meet people like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Bronson Alcott. His youthful
years in
Europe left a great impression. Later in his life, James moved
to England where
he established citizenship as a protest against America’s
failure to enter the
war against Germany. Henry James died on February 28,
1916 ( "Henry
James"). Some scholars criticize James works because of its
slow
development and deliberate withholding of information. These two
characteristics
are a result of his leisurely and refined lifestyle.
Therefore, James purposely
developed his novels with a conscientious slowness
and refinement. James was
interested in the society of people who possessed
subtle ideas and interests
much like himself and his father. The people in
this society had enough money to
develop their ideas and refinements. Also,
Henry James was the first writer to
introduce the theme of an American in
Europe( Henry James). Characters in Daisy
Miller Daisy Miller A young,
exceptionally pretty, young lady from the United
States who shocks the
more formalized European society by her spontaneous acts.
Mrs. Miller
Daisy’s mother, who seems to sanction most of Daisy’s erratic
actions.
Frederick Winterbourne The narrator of the story and a huge fan
of
Daisy’s. Mrs. Costello Winterbourne’s aunt, who acts as his
confidante. She
thoroughly disapproves of Daisy. Mrs. Walker A mutual friend
of Winterbourne and
Daisy. She later severs her relationship with Daisy.
Mr. Giovanelli An Italian
hottie whom Daisy picks up in Rome. Summery by
rinkworks.com! Frederick
Winterbourne Daisy Miller, you have caught my
eye. Daisy Miller Good, let's go
somewhere unchaperoned. (They do.) Daisy
Miller Now I will be flirtatious with
someone else. Frederick Winterbourne
But I'm obsessed with you. Go home and take
some medicine. Daisy Miller No, I
don't care if I die. (dies) Frederick
Winterbourne Those wacky Americans.
I'll never understand them. The End. Theme
Basically, all of James’
novels have the same theme, American vs. European. I
found many other themes.
Innocence vs. Knowledge; Utility vs. Form and ceremony;
Spontaneity vs.
Ritual; Chaos vs. Order. Point of View The story is told
through
Winterbourne’s eyes. It’s 1st person. I wanted it to be more
complicated,
but it is not. Literary Devises Foreshadowing is used throughout
the book. For
example, everyone keeps telling Daisy to take her medicine or
she will get sick.
Daisy doesn’t take her medicine... My Opinion This
story is trite. It is a
simple read but not worth it. I found the characters
were poorly developed and
the story was just plain stupid. I do not recommend
this book. Quotes
"She’s completely uncultivated," Winterbourne went on. "But
she
is wonderfully pretty, and, in short, she is nice. To prove that I
believe it, I
am going to take her to the Ch?teau de Chillon." Winterbourne
to his
Aunt after 1st meeting Daisy (James 21). "What has she been
doing?"
"Everything that is not done here. Flirting with any man she could
pick up;
sitting in corners with mysterious Italians; dancing all the evening
with the
same partners; receiving visits at eleven o’clock at night. Her
mother goes
away when visitors come." Mrs. Costello (Winterbourne’s Aunt)
to
Winterbourne (James 57). Daisy gave a violent laugh. "I never
heard
anything so stiff! If this is improper, Mrs. Walker," she
pursued,
"then I am all improper, and you must give up on me. Good-bye; I
hope you
have a lovely ride!" and, with Mr. Giovanelli, who made a
triumphantly
obsequious salute, she turned away. Daisy to Mrs. Walker after
refusing a ride
home (James 56). A Classic This book is a classic because it
has a universal
theme. A theme that stands the test of time. Personally, I
didn’t find it very
meaningful but, in its time, Daisy Miller, was very
controversial.
Bibliography
"Henry James" The Hutchinson Encyclopedia.
CD ROM; Helicon
Publishing Ltd., 1999 James, Henry. Daisy Miller. New
York. Tom Doherty
Ass.,
1988