Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Ebook536 pages9 hours
The Ambassadors
By Henry James
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
The Ambassadors is a novel by Henry James. Henry James got the central idea for The Ambassadors from an anecdote about his friend and fellow-novelist William Dean Howells, who, whilst visiting his son in Paris, was so impressed with the amenities of European culture, that he wondered aloud if life hadn't passed him by; from that intriguing suggestion grew Strether's long speech to Little Bilham about living "all you can".
The theme of liberation from a cramped, almost starved, emotional life into a more generous and gracious existence plays throughout The Ambassadors, yet it is noteworthy that James does not naïvely make of Paris a faultless paradise for culturally stunted Americans. Strether learns about the reverse of the European coin when he sees how desperately Marie fears losing Chad, after all she has done for him. As one critic proposed, Strether does not shed his American straitjacket only to be fitted with a more elegant European model, but instead learns to evaluate every situation on its merits, without prejudices. The final lesson of Strether's European experience is to distrust preconceived notions and perceptions from anyone and anywhere, but to rely upon his own observation and judgment.
Mediation/Intermediation: a major theme of the novel involves Strether's position as an ambassador. Strether, when giving his final account to Maria Gostrey, justifies his decisions by connecting his intermediary position to his concerns about gaining experience (and pleasure) whilst working in behalf of others. This conflict between personal desire and duty is important to consider when thinking about Strether's psychology.
The theme of liberation from a cramped, almost starved, emotional life into a more generous and gracious existence plays throughout The Ambassadors, yet it is noteworthy that James does not naïvely make of Paris a faultless paradise for culturally stunted Americans. Strether learns about the reverse of the European coin when he sees how desperately Marie fears losing Chad, after all she has done for him. As one critic proposed, Strether does not shed his American straitjacket only to be fitted with a more elegant European model, but instead learns to evaluate every situation on its merits, without prejudices. The final lesson of Strether's European experience is to distrust preconceived notions and perceptions from anyone and anywhere, but to rely upon his own observation and judgment.
Mediation/Intermediation: a major theme of the novel involves Strether's position as an ambassador. Strether, when giving his final account to Maria Gostrey, justifies his decisions by connecting his intermediary position to his concerns about gaining experience (and pleasure) whilst working in behalf of others. This conflict between personal desire and duty is important to consider when thinking about Strether's psychology.
Unavailable
Author
Henry James
Henry James (1843-1916), the son of the religious philosopher Henry James Sr. and brother of the psychologist and philosopher William James, published many important novels including Daisy Miller, The Wings of the Dove, The Golden Bowl, and The Ambassadors.
Read more from Henry James
The Europeans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Beast in the Jungle Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Roderick Hudson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gothic Novel Collection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The American Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bostonians Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Henry James: The Complete Novellas and Tales (Centaur Classics) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Golden Bowl 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 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 stars5/5Harvard 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 Greatest American Short Stories: 50+ Classics of American Literature Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wings of the Dove Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bushcraft Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Wilderness Survival 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 ratings50 Masterpieces of Occult & Supernatural Fiction Vol. 1 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 The Ambassadors
Related ebooks
The Ambassadors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStories written by a British American – Volume VII Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Beast in the Jungle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wings of the Dove Vol - 1&2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wings of the Dove: Volume II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Beast in the Jungle (1903) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Beast in the Jungle (Serapis Classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Beast in the Jungle. The Figure in the Carpet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Reef Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Altar of the Dead Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHenry James Short Stories Volume 8 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Bowl (Dream Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Aspern Papers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ivory Tower Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Aspern Papers and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wings of the Dove Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golden Bowl Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Better Sort (A Collection of Short Stories) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsColonel Quaritch Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Bowl Complete Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Reef (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/57 best short stories by Henry James Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsColonel Quaritch, V.C. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWessex Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Woman in White Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Woman In White: "My hour for tea is half-past five, and my buttered toast waits for nobody." Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bostonians: Vol. 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Jolly Corner Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
General Fiction For You
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Sister's Keeper: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unhoneymooners 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 stars4/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Terminal List: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nettle & Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life of Pi: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Second Life of Mirielle West: A Haunting Historical Novel Perfect for Book Clubs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rebecca Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shantaram: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dry: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of Dreaming Books Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beartown: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dante's Divine Comedy: Inferno Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Black Girl: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Ambassadors
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews