Customer Reviews

Eight Tales from the Major Phase: In the Cage and Others

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The title of this book is a bit misleading. Calling it the "Major Phase" makes it sound as if all the stories are from the same period in the career of Henry James. This isn't precisely true. Furthermore, the title story (The Cage) might lead one to suspect that all the stories are from his last period.

Now, I don't defer to many people in the level of my admiration for the work of this writer, but I am certainly aware that some stories in the book (e.g., "The Author of Beltraffio," "The Altar of the Dead") are easier going than "The Cage" or "The Beast in the Jungle" or "The Jolly Corner"--that is, stories written in James's "late manner."

However, the chronological presentation of these tales, as well as the excellent selection of material, makes a fine entrance to the world of his later novels. I'm thinking in particular of The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove, and The Golden Bowl.

So, if the only thing you have read by this author is Washington Square and Portrait of a Lady, and you aren't sure whether you want to dive into the writer's later work, this book is a good test.