
The Death of the Lion
by Henry James
'The Death of the Lion ' Summary
The narrator suggests writing an article on Neil Paraday an author; his new editor agrees. The former spends a week with Neil and writes the article whilst there, alongside reading Paraday's latest book. His editor rejects the article however; he decides to write an article for another newspaper, but it goes unnoticed. Neil Paraday gets excited about writing another book, despite the fact that he doesn't seem successful still. However the narrator comes across a praiseful review in The Empire.
Mr Morrow, a journalist suddenly interested in writing about Neil Paraday's life now that he is successful, comes round and ends up scaring the writer; the narrator manages to see him off. He tells Mr Morrow all there is to know about Paraday is in his work; the journalist is not amused. Later, he publishes an article on Neil's house in the Tatler. Embracing his fame, Paraday takes to going to London luncheons with women.
The narrator meets Miss Hurter, an American admirer of the writer's, in his house. As the writer is again busy with Mrs Wimbush, he explains to the girl that the best thing she can do is not to bother Paraday and only admire him from afar, so as not to interfere with his writings. Nevertheless, he keeps her autograph album to show it to him. Later, he meets with her to read passages from Paraday; once while they are at the opera he points Paraday out to her.
The narrator is annoyed with Mrs Wimbush for inviting Paraday to a party at Prestidge. Subsequently, he quotes from a letter sent to Miss Hurter while he was at the party. In this mise en abyme, he describes the way the other guests have not read Paraday's works; worse still, Lady Augusta confesses to having mislaid the text is expected to read out the next day - there is no extra copy. Paraday falls gravely ill; the guests, enhanced by the Princess, are merry since the party seems to be a success. Dora Forbes joins them - later to become Mrs Wimbrush's next 'henpecked' writer. The party is called off on doctors order; the Princess lets him pass away in one of her houses. Before his death, Paraday had asked the narrator to publish an unfinished text by him. Although the one lost by Lady Augusta has not been found again, the narrator and Miss Hurter, who eventually marry, shall keep Paraday's memory alive through their dedication to his texts.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1894Genre/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

The Lifted Veil by George Eliot
The Lifted Veil explores themes of extrasensory perception, possible life after death, and the power of fate. The story is a significant part of the...

Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern
Ruth Hall: A Domestic Tale of the Present Time by Fanny Fern (pen name of Sara Payson Willis), a popular 19th-century newspaper writer. Following on h...

Master Humphrey's Clock by Charles Dickens
Master Humphrey's Clock was a weekly periodical edited and written entirely by Charles Dickens and published from 4 April 1840 to 4 December 1841. It...

The Lady in Blue by Auguste Groner
A Joseph Muller Mystery originally published in 1905 in German as "Die blaue Dame" (The Blue Lady). Translated by American writer and translator, Grac...

Old Ladies by Hugh Walpole
The Old Ladies is a Gothic novel centered on a timid elderly spinster who becomes the target of a predatory widow. The story unfolds in a creaky, iso...

The Tribulations of a Chinaman in China by Jules Verne
The story is about a rich Chinese man, Kin-Fo, who is bored with life, and after some business misfortune decides to die.

The Well-Beloved by Thomas Hardy
A cottage housing what is now part of Portland Museum, on the Isle of Portland, founded by Marie Stopes, a friend of Hardy and his wife, was an inspir...

Great Man: a Frolic by Arnold Bennett
In 'Great Man: A Frolic,' Arnold Bennett satirizes the social dynamics and aspirations of early 20th-century England through the unexpected literary s...

The Pupil by Henry James
It is the emotional story of a precocious young boy growing up in a mendacious and dishonorable family. He befriends his tutor, who is the only adult...

The Barnaby's in America: Final sequel to The Widow Barnaby by Frances Trollope
Across the vast Atlantic, the eccentric Barnaby family embarks on a whirlwind adventure to the bustling shores of America. Join them as they navigate...
Reviews for The Death of the Lion
No reviews posted or approved, yet...