Thought for the Day
"Henry James writes fiction as if it were a painful duty."
Oscar Wilde
"It's not that he 'bites off more than he can chew' but he chews more than he bites off."
Clover Adams on Henry James
Oscar Wilde
"It's not that he 'bites off more than he can chew' but he chews more than he bites off."
Clover Adams on Henry James
posted by John Ringer at
9:59 PM
1 Comments:
Actually the genius of James is the he is a sculptor in a two dimensional plane. It is the reader's duty to digest what he "chews." He is often seen as haughty, weighty, and intellectually self-involved; yet he is merely putting into words what we all consider consciously and subconsciously in our daily lives, the first modernist.
Many of his contemporary critics viewed their own works as entertaining or instructive. James considered it the duty of the reader to be entertained, much like enjoying life is the duty of us all, not the duty of the creator or higher power.
It's a shame that works little understood are reduced to dismissive quotes. It's a similar fate man subjects other men to with labels, prejudice, and lack of effort to understand and empathize.
I find these quotes disappointing.
By
Anonymous, at 10:32 AM
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