
Partial Portraits
by Henry James
'Partial Portraits' Summary
The Art of Fiction was a response to remarks by English critic Walter Besant, who wrote an article that literally attempted to lay down the "laws of fiction." For instance, Besant insisted that novelists should confine themselves to their own experience: "A young lady brought up in a quiet country village should avoid descriptions of garrison life." James argued that a sufficiently alert novelist could catch knowledge from everywhere and use it to good purpose: "The young lady living in a village has only to be a damsel upon whom nothing is lost to make it quite unfair (as it seems to me) to declare to her that she shall have nothing to say about the military. Greater miracles have been seen than that, imagination assisting, she should speak the truth about some of these gentlemen."
James continually argues for the fullest freedom in the novelist's choice of subject and method of treatment: "The only obligation to which in advance we may hold a novel, without incurring the accusation of being arbitrary, is that it be interesting." In particular, James is suspicious of restraining fiction with specific moral guidelines: "No good novel will ever proceed from a superficial mind; that seems to me an axiom which, for the artist in fiction, will cover all needful moral ground."
James followed his own advice in criticizing the various writers included in Partial Portraits. In his long, engrossing essay on Maupassant, for instance, he couldn't help noticing the Frenchman's propensity for what James called the "monkeys' cage" view of human existence. But that didn't stop James from approving wholeheartedly of Maupassant's vigour, precision and conciseness in describing life as he saw it.
Similarly, James found much to appreciate in the intellectual force of George Eliot, the stolid but comprehensive detail-work of Anthony Trollope, the unbounded imagination of Robert Louis Stevenson, and the genial common sense of Alphonse Daudet. All very different writers, but all speak with validity from their personal view on life. This wide range presages the "house of fiction" image James would include in the New York Edition preface to The Portrait of a Lady, where each novelist looks at life from a particular window of the house and thus composes a unique and personally characteristic account.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1888Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Authors

Henry James
America, Britain
Henry James was born in New York City on April 15, 1843, into a wealthy and intellectually stimulating family. His father, Henry James Sr., was a Swedenborgian philosopher and his mother, Mary Roberts...
Books by Henry JamesDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Essays on Art by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Essays on art, letters, thoughts, aphorisms - Goethe's thoughts were dealing with artworks of every branch of arts. He addressed many aspects of the a...

Famous American Statesmen by Sarah Knowles Bolton
A sketch of the lives of some of America's early Statesmen: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson...

Song of the Wave, and Other Poems by George Cabot Lodge
This volume of poetry explores a range of themes, with a particular focus on the majesty and power of the sea. The first part of the book features poe...

On the Witness Stand: Essays on Psychology and Crime by Hugo Munsterberg
In 1908, Münsterberg published his controversial book On the Witness Stand (1908), which is a collection of magazine articles previously published by...

Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects Vol 9 by Giorgio Vasari
This takes readers on an immersive journey through the lives and works of the greatest artistic minds in history. In Volume 9, Vasari continues his co...

Birds, Vol. II, No 6, December 1897 by Various
This volume of "Birds" is a beautifully illustrated publication that showcases the diversity and beauty of avian life. It features short poems, engagi...

Life of Reason volume 2 by George Santayana
The Life of Reason is a five-volume work by the Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana. Published between 1905 and 1906, it is considered one o...

Woman as Decoration by Helen Urban
A guide for women to complement their dress to their surroundings, be it in their own home, on outings or on stage.

The Glories of Ireland by Joseph Dunn
Ireland is a land of beauty, history, and culture. From the towering Cliffs of Moher to the lush green countryside, there is something for everyone to...

Voyage en Italie by François-René de Chateaubriand
Voyage en Italie de François-René de Chateaubriand vous transporte dans une aventure enchanteresse à travers la péninsule italienne. Laissez-vous capt...
Reviews for Partial Portraits
No reviews posted or approved, yet...