A Bundle of Letters
By Henry James
()
About this ebook
This 1878 comic story was originally published in The Parisian magazine in 1878, which is also when the story takes place. Several people in a Paris boarding house write letters home filled with anecdotes about their fellow boarders. The characters' undercutting of each other's lies and pretensions provide much of the humor. The boarders are not aware that the others are writing about them, only the reader is privy to this knowledge.
Henry James, OM, son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an American-born author, one of the founders and leaders of a school of realism in fiction. He spent much of his life in England and became a British subject shortly before his death. He is primarily known for a series of major novels in which he portrayed the encounter of America with Europe. His plots centered on personal relationships, the proper exercise of power in such relationships, and other moral questions. His method of writing from the point of view of a character within a tale allowed him to explore the phenomena of consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting.
James insisted that writers in Great Britain and America should be allowed the greatest freedom possible in presenting their view of the world, as French authors were. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators in his own novels and tales brought a new depth and interest to realistic fiction, and foreshadowed the modernist work of the twentieth century. An extraordinarily productive writer, in addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel writing, biography, autobiography, and criticism,and wrote plays, some of which were performed during his lifetime with moderate success. His theatrical work is thought to have profoundly influenced his later novels and tales.
Henry James
Henry James (1843–1916) was an American writer, highly regarded as one of the key proponents of literary realism, as well as for his contributions to literary criticism. His writing centres on the clash and overlap between Europe and America, and The Portrait of a Lady is regarded as his most notable work.
Read more from Henry James
The Europeans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Henry James: The Complete Novellas and Tales (Centaur Classics) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Gothic Novel Collection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Turn of the Screw Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoderick Hudson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bostonians Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The American Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Badass Prepper's Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Prepare Yourself for the Worst Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Beast in the Jungle Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Golden Bowl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Oxford Book of American Essays Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/550 Feminist Masterpieces you have to read before you die (Golden Deer Classics) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Gothic Classics: 60+ Books in One Volume Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Daily Henry James: A Year of Quotes from the Work of the Master Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Wings of the Dove Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Greatest American Short Stories: 50+ Classics of American Literature Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarvard Classics: All 71 Volumes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Turn of the Screw and Other Short Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bushcraft Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Wilderness Survival Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings50 Masterpieces of Occult & Supernatural Fiction Vol. 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings30 Occult & Supernatural masterpieces you have to read before you die (Golden Deer Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsItalian Hours: “The right time is any time that one is still so lucky as to have.” Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Greatest American Short Stories (Vol. 1) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to A Bundle of Letters
Related ebooks
A Bundle of Letters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works of Henry James Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForbidden: The Izzy Nichols Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWitboy in Africa Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Reflections of Ambrosine: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHenry James Short Stories Volume 9 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Path of Duty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHenry James Sampler #4: 10 books by Henry James Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMotion Sickness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrances and Bernard Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fraulein Schmidt and Mr. Anstruther Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGeorgina's Service Stars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Private Life (A Collection of Short Stories) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing About People, Places, and Things Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA long letter to my daughter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA History In Paris: History Series, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wander Woman's Phrasebook: How to Meet or Avoid People in Three Romance Languages Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHere, There and Everywhere Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHenry James Short Stories Volume 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Home and Away: Writing the Beautiful Game Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Father's Fortune: A Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Room for One More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe White Man's Guide to White Male Writers of the Western Canon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5THE DOUBLE TRAITOR (Spy Thriller Classic) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5AA Gill is Away Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fitz-Boodle Papers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAfrica Dances: A Journey through West Africa in 1934 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxana Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This Light Between Us: A Novel of World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Classics For You
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Flowers for Algernon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5East of Eden Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn French! Apprends l'Anglais! THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY: In French and English Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rebecca Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Things They Carried Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hell House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jonathan Livingston Seagull: The New Complete Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Odyssey: (The Stephen Mitchell Translation) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wuthering Heights (with an Introduction by Mary Augusta Ward) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gilgamesh: A New English Version Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Old Man and the Sea: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Confederacy of Dunces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lathe Of Heaven Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As I Lay Dying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Farewell to Arms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sense and Sensibility (Centaur Classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for A Bundle of Letters
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Bundle of Letters - Henry James
A BUNDLE OF LETTERS
………………
Henry James
DODO CLASSICS
Thank you for reading. In the event that you appreciate this book, please consider sharing the good word(s) by leaving a review, or connect with the author.
This book is a work of fiction; its contents are wholly imagined.
All rights reserved. Aside from brief quotations for media coverage and reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form without the author’s permission. Thank you for supporting authors and a diverse, creative culture by purchasing this book and complying with copyright laws.
Copyright © 2015 by Henry James
Interior design by Pronoun
Distribution by Pronoun
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER I
………………
FROM MISS MIRANDA MOPE, IN PARIS, TO MRS. ABRAHAM C. MOPE, AT BANGOR, MAINE.
September 5th, 1879.
………………
My dear mother—I have kept you posted as far as Tuesday week last, and, although my letter will not have reached you yet, I will begin another before my news accumulates too much. I am glad you show my letters round in the family, for I like them all to know what I am doing, and I can’t write to every one, though I try to answer all reasonable expectations. But there are a great many unreasonable ones, as I suppose you know—not yours, dear mother, for I am bound to say that you never required of me more than was natural. You see you are reaping your reward: I write to you before I write to any one else.
There is one thing, I hope—that you don’t show any of my letters to William Platt. If he wants to see any of my letters, he knows the right way to go to work. I wouldn’t have him see one of these letters, written for circulation in the family, for anything in the world. If he wants one for himself, he has got to write to me first. Let him write to me first, and then I will see about answering him. You can show him this if you like; but if you show him anything more, I will never write to you again.
I told you in my last about my farewell to England, my crossing the Channel, and my first impressions of Paris. I have thought a great deal about that lovely England since I left it, and all the famous historic scenes I visited; but I have come to the conclusion that it is not a country in which I should care to reside. The position of woman does not seem to me at all satisfactory, and that is a point, you know, on which I feel very strongly. It seems to me that in England they play a very faded-out part, and those with whom I conversed had a kind of depressed and humiliated tone; a little dull, tame look, as if they were used to being snubbed and bullied, which made me want to give them a good shaking. There are a great many people—and a great many things, too—over here that I should like to perform that operation upon. I should like to shake the starch out of some of them, and the dust out of the others. I know fifty girls in Bangor that come much more up to my notion of the stand a truly noble woman should take, than those young ladies in England. But they had a most lovely way of speaking (in England), and the men are remarkably handsome. (You can show this to William Platt, if you like.)
I gave you my first impressions of Paris, which quite came up to my expectations, much as I had heard and read about it. The objects of interest are extremely numerous, and the climate is remarkably cheerful and sunny. I should say the position of woman here was considerably higher, though by no means coming up to the American standard. The manners of the people are in some respects extremely peculiar, and