1 English L 352, Section 7874 Henry James Gareth Evans garevans@indiana.

edu

I have not made her my bosom friend; but I like her, in spite of her faults. Ah, well, said Ralph, I am afraid I shall dislike her, in spite of her merits. Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady In this course we will read a representative selection of the novels and tales of Henry James. We will also read two of Jamess better known critical essays, as well as the retrospective Prefaces James wrote to accompany much of the fiction we will read. A major theoretician of the novel, James sought to convince his contemporaries that fiction was, potentially, a major art form, and that novelists might be great artists. While his early work is realist, much of Jamess late work points towards the concerns and formal features of modernism. The late fiction is difficult, but a semester of reading James should make it accessible. Our reading of James will be largely self-contained. James is frequently concerned with the manners and morals of the late nineteenth-century American and European elite. While Jamess take on manners and morals will be one topic of our inquiry, we will be centrally concerned with how James, formally and technically, does what he does. Our close reading of each text will focus on the changing use James makes of the following formal devices and themes: point-of-view, renunciation, the role of the writer or artist, the desire for renown, and the international theme. The in-class presentation each student gives will supplement our close reading by drawing attention to some of the central issues in the secondary literature about James. Classes will proceed via discussion based on student notes, which will themselves be based on reading questions that I will provide several days before each session. I expect every student to attend every class meeting and to take part in every discussionif you keep up with the reading and respond to the questions class participation should be easy and enjoyable. Reading material James, The Ambassadors. Penguin James, The American. Penguin. James, The Bostonians. Penguin. James, The Portrait of a Lady. Houghton Mifflin James, Major Stories and Essays. Library of America Class Schedule 8/29 8/31 9/2 9/5 Introduction Daisy Miller, 3-14 Daisy Miller, 14-43 Daisy Miller, 43-60 ; Preface (E-Reserve)

2 9/7 9/9 9/12 9/14 9/16 9/19 9/21 9/23 9/26 An International Episode, 61-96 An International Episode, 97-135 Four Meetings (E-Reserve) Presentation 1: James and His Biographers Introduction to Turnitin.com Four Meetings, Daisy Miller, and An International Episode. Two Page Response: What Is the International Theme? The American, 33-116 Presentation 2: James Haters The American, 117-203 Presentation 3: Who Is William James? The American, 204-288 Presentation 4: James and Melodrama. The American, 289-391 Presentation 5: James and Hawthorne The American, 392-449; Preface (E-Reserve) Presentation 6: James and His Prefaces Two Page Response: Does Jamess Preface to the American accurately describe the novel he published in 1877? The Portrait of a Lady, 23-129 Presentation 7: Who is Minnie Temple? The Portrait of a Lady, 129-202 Presentation 8: Who is Constance Fenimore Woolson? The Portrait of a Lady, 202-310 Presentation 9: Who is Alice James? The Portrait of a Lady, 310-374 Presentation 10: Women in Jamess Fiction Two Page Response: In what ways is chapter 42 of central importance to The Portrait of a Lady? The Portrait of a Lady, 374-499. Presentation 11: James and Popular Women Novelists The Portrait of a Lady, 603-614. Essay 1 due. The Art of Fiction James, The Bostonians, 5-54 Presentation 12: Feminist Sources for and Readings of the Bostonians James, The Bostonians, 54-142 Presentation 13: Who is Henry James Sr.? James, The Bostonians, 145-266. Presentation 14: Reading James Historically. James, The Bostonians, 269-350 Two Page Response: Does James give his full support to any one of the major characters in The Bostonians? The Aspern Papers, 136-191 Presentation 15: James as Professional Author.

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3 10/26 10/28 10/31 11/2 11/4 11/7 11/9 11/11 11/14 11/16 11/18 11/21 The Aspern Papers, 191-228, Preface (E-Reserve) Presentation 16: 21st Century James. The Real Thing, 229-240 Presentation 17: James and Theater. The Real Thing, 240-254 The Lesson of Balzac, 623-647 Exam The Ambassadors, 53-125 Presentation 18: Late James. The Ambassadors, 129-193 Presentation 19: James and Revision. The Ambassadors, 197-268 Presentation 20: James and the New York edition. The Ambassadors, 271-348 Presentation 21: Jamess Notebooks. The Ambassadors, 351-422 Presentation 22: James and Theory. The Ambassadors, 425-512 Presentation 23: James and Homosexuality. The Ambassadors, 33-51 Two Page Response: Does Jamess Preface to The Ambassadors accurately describe the novel? Thanksgiving James, The Beast in the Jungle, 445-470 James, The Beast in the Jungle, 470-490, Preface (E-Reserve) Conclusions Lilly Library Writing Workshop Evaluations Essay 2 due.

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Note: The schedule and syllabus are subject to change. Writing Requirements and Grades Two essays of at least 6-8 typed, double-spaced pages in length, an examination, and a ten minute presentation due in essay format one week after the date of the presentation. For more on the presentation, see below. The presentation should last 10 minutes and must be accompanied by a printed outline of your major points and by a bibliography of the major works of research on the topic you are discussing. At the beginning of the class, give a copy of the outline and the bibliography to me and to each of your fellow students. Meet with me to discuss your presentation at least seven days before the date of the presentation. I will give each presenter a starter reading list and an indication of the issues he or she should discuss. Hold a group meeting with your fellow presenters at least three days before the class. Each presentation must be

4 submitted as an essay of 4-6 typed, double-spaced pages one week after the date of the presentation. Each of the essays, including the essay that begins as a presentation, must be submitted to me in paper and in electronic form to Turnitin.com. For more on Turnitin.com, see the Turnitin section below. Five formal, typed two double-spaced page responses due on the dates indicated on the syllabus. I will collect the responses at the end of class on the day they are due. Failure to hand in the responses will result in your final grade being lowered by one third of a grade or more. The responses are: (1) a starting point for class discussion; (2) a way of making you seriously engage with the reading; (3) a way of insuring that you write frequently; and (4) potentially preparatory and partial drafts of your essays. I will distribute questions a week or more in advance of the day the response is due. I will collect the responses on the day they are due. Failure to hand in the responses will result in your final grade being lowered. I will not return the responses, but you are welcome to discuss them with me during my office hours. 10% of your grade will depend on class participation. You must fulfill all of the writing requirements to receive a passing grade in the class. Essay 1 Essay 2 Exam Presentation and Essay Class Participation 25% 25% 20% 20% 10%

All essays must be exercises in literary criticism and analysis. Essays will be graded on form as well as content. For a sense of how I grade essays, see my Grading Policy and Essay Writing Guidelines below.