American Literature / Unit 11 AML 1029 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Henry James and the International Theme
Captions available
The idea
Born in New York in eighteen forty-three to a wealthy, travelling family, James studied at Harvard Law and settled in Europe. His characteristic subject is the American abroad: innocence, money and directness meeting an older society with rules the newcomer cannot read.
In practice
An American, loose in an older society.
Where people slip
The theme is a collision of manners, not countries.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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