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Henry James records in his autobiography a transformative childhood experience in the Louvre when he foresaw the 'fun' that art might bring him. Many of his novels and stories indeed go on to dramatise the circumstances of the artist's life, and their allusions to art are extensive. This complete collection of essays and reviews presents the observations of a major author whose critical judgments have become central to an understanding of late-nineteenth-century art. Readers will find James's texts as they first appeared, with a wealth of editorial support, which captures the mood and values of the art scene in Britain, France and America - its interesting minor figures, as well as names still familiar. Many of these items are difficult to access and have not previously been available in a scholarly edition. The editorial apparatus includes a general introduction, a chronology, a textual variants section, and a biographical guide to artists.
List of contents
List of illustrations; Acknowledgments; A note on James's texts; Chronology: Henry James's life and writings; List of abbreviations; Introduction; Henry James's writings on art; Glossary of foreign words and phrases; Textual variants; Biographical notes on artists; Select bibliography.
About the author
Peter Collister is the author of Writing the Self: Henry James and America (2007), and the editor of Henry James's A Small Boy and Others (2011) and Notes of a Son and Brother and The Middle Years (2011). He has published a wide range of essays on nineteenth-century English writers and Anglo-French literary links in refereed British, European and American journals.
Summary
Henry James was a leading commentator on the art of his time. Readers of this complete collection of his nonfictional writing on art will gain fresh insights not only into British, American and French art, but also into James's fiction and critical thinking.
