Literary Legacy of Henry James
by Amber Randolph
Henry James’s novels and short stories, which focus on the inner workings of his character’s minds as well as clear depiction of settings, are early examples of Psychological Realism. In “Realism and Henry James”, Molly Thomas-Hicks states that the literary term “Psychological Realism” can be split into two parts. Psychological refers to how James’s frames the characters in his books. Characters in James’s novels and short stories are “defined by the world in which they live and the social requirements of their society” (Thomas-Hicks 18). Characters in James’s novels do not have the ability to transcend their social status and the environments that shape them. For example, the Governess’s personality in The Turn of The Screw is deeply influenced by her strict religious background. James also delved into his characters, revealing their inner workings on a psychoanalytical level (Thomas-Hicks 18). The “Realism” refers to general realism or “the representation of characters, events, and settings in ways that the spectator will consider plausible, based on consistency and likeness to type” (Thomas-Hicks 18) . James focused on a representation of life in his novels that mirrored reality. The ambiguous nature of the Turn of the Screw is due to James’s use of Realism. By only using character perspectives, he mirrors the limited information a reader would receive in real life.
While writing within “Psychological Realism”, Henry James used the technique of “stream of consciousness” writing. This term was coined by his brother, psychologist William James (The International Society for the Study of Narrative). “Stream of consciousness” writing tries to portray the uninterrupted thoughts of human experience. Some characteristics are a lack of punctuation and disconnected thoughts. Henry James used this technique to supplement the use of “Psychological Realism” in his novels. “Stream of Consciousness” writing allowed James to portray character in an unmasked light, showing how thought was truly experienced by the characters. Henry James’s use of “stream-of-consciousness” writing influenced famous writers like Virginia Woolf and James Joyce (The International Society for the Study of Narrative).
Works Cited
Ruthrof, H. G. (1975). “A Note on Henry James’s Psychological Realism and the Concept of Brevity”. Studies In Short Fiction, 12(4), 369.
Thomas-Hicks, Molly. "Henry James and Realism." The Big Read. National Endowment for the Arts, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.
"Stream of Consciousness." International Society for the Study of Narrative Wiki. Georgetown University, 18 July 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.
While writing within “Psychological Realism”, Henry James used the technique of “stream of consciousness” writing. This term was coined by his brother, psychologist William James (The International Society for the Study of Narrative). “Stream of consciousness” writing tries to portray the uninterrupted thoughts of human experience. Some characteristics are a lack of punctuation and disconnected thoughts. Henry James used this technique to supplement the use of “Psychological Realism” in his novels. “Stream of Consciousness” writing allowed James to portray character in an unmasked light, showing how thought was truly experienced by the characters. Henry James’s use of “stream-of-consciousness” writing influenced famous writers like Virginia Woolf and James Joyce (The International Society for the Study of Narrative).
Works Cited
Ruthrof, H. G. (1975). “A Note on Henry James’s Psychological Realism and the Concept of Brevity”. Studies In Short Fiction, 12(4), 369.
Thomas-Hicks, Molly. "Henry James and Realism." The Big Read. National Endowment for the Arts, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.
"Stream of Consciousness." International Society for the Study of Narrative Wiki. Georgetown University, 18 July 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.
