Posts tagged The Golden Bowl

silvestria:

That sounds exactly the kind of book I would enjoy. Come September I will be lapping it up! I also want to read Wings of a Dove because Kate Croy sounds amazing. (In an evil way. Probably. I’ll probably love her and thinks she’s just misunderstood.) I’m not sure anything could surpass The Portrait of a Lady however. Honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read. It really affected me so much. There’s something about Henry James (the little that I’ve read) and his ability to, well, write. Some writers can do characters, others plot, others manage to create a world, others are deep and symbolic. Somehow James manages to do it all. I just… I’m in awe of him as a writer.

I must say I’ve not come across his brother though. What things did he write?

And yes, do keep on with Middlemarch - the ending with everything coming together and aaaah yes. :)

Re: this original post about The Golden Bowl and Middlemarch.

Then you’re in for a treat with The Golden Bowl.

I know exactly what you mean Rose; occasionally I am fortunate enough to encounter writers who capture humanity in their work. No matter how long one analyses, ponders and evaluates the text itself, there is a little spark of magic which binds the plot and narration and characters together and it cannot be easily explained. It can be felt, however, and it is that emotional reaction which is referred to and understood by other readers.

I have not read as much Henry James as you (and I’ll certainly add The Portrait of a Lady to my reading list now), but I am in awe of several writers and the power they have with language. Thackeray, being one of them.

As for your question in regards to William James…not many people have read him during the last century. William was a philosopher, an epistemologist to be precise, and his work was therefore non-fiction and focused on perception, reality, and what can be truly known by human beings. He was a pragmatist in the field of epistemology, one of the first scholars to be designated with that title. It’s not light reading, but I enjoy it because it’s challenging and offers a unique perspective of the world and even William’s lecture notes convey his enthusiasm for learning, knowledge and communication. I would have loved to have heard him speak in person, but alas I would have had to have been around 125 years ago or so. Also, now that I think of it, I would probably have had to work really hard for an invite as well, since most lectures would have occurred in clubs and colleges that were exclusively or traditionally for only men. Now I’m thinking up possible disguises to attend such a lecture… :)

Currently hypothesising about possible Middlemarch endings!