Selected Tales (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Henry James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2005

Throughout his life, Henry James was drawn to the short story form for the freedom and variety it offered. The nineteen stories in this selection span James's career, from brief tales to longer works, all exploring his concerns with the old world and the new, money, fame and art. Daisy Miller', the work that first brought him fame, depicts a bold, unsophisticated American girl abroad, and In the Cage' portrays a young telegraphist's romantic fantasies about customers who send telegrams from her post office. In The Birthplace' a Stratford tour guide embellishes the Shakespeare legend, while in the late masterpiece The Jolly Corner', an elderly American returns from Europe and encounters a strange apparition. Haunting, witty and beautifully drawn, James's tales are as complex and resonant as his novels.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Founded in 1906 by J.M. Dent, the Everyman Library has always tried to make the best books ever written available to the greatest number of people at the lowest possible price. Unique editorial features that help Everyman Paperback Classics stand out from the crowd include: a leading scholar or literary critic's introduction to the text, a biography of the author, a chronology of her or his life and times, a historical selection of criticism, and a concise plot summary. All books published since 1993 have also been completely restyled: all type has been reset, to offer a clarity and ease of reading unique among editions of the classics; a vibrant, full-color cover design now complements these great texts with beautiful contemporary works of art. But the best feature must be Everyman's uniquely low price. Each Everyman title offers these extensive materials at a price that competes with the most inexpensive editions on the market-but Everyman Paperbacks have durable binding, quality paper, and the highest editorial and scholarly standards. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Henry James (1843-1916) was born in New York and settled in Europe in 1875. He was a regular contributor of reviews, critical essays, and short stories to American periodicals. He is best known for his many novels of American and European character, including 'The Portrait of a Lady' (1881) and 'The Wings of the Dove' (1902). John Lyon is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Bristol. He has published on the novel and contemporary poetry and edited 'The Sacred Fount' for Penguin.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140436944
• ISBN-13: 978-0140436945
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1.1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Classics

More About the Author

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Selected Tales: classic stories by Henry James the Master of nineteenth century Anglo-American Fiction, June 30, 2009

By 

C. M Mills "Michael Mills" (Knoxville Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Selected Tales (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Henry James (1843-1916) is known as a Master of Fiction. He wrote several major novels such as "The Portrait of A Lady"; "The Wings of A Dove"; "The Ambassadors"; "The Golden Bowl": "The American""The Tragic Muse" and other masterpieces of the literary art.
In this Penguin edition "Selected Tales" the editors have selected several of James' best stories. "The Turn of the Screw" his best known story is not in this collection but in another Penguin edition along with "The Aspern Papers."
Among the tales told by stortyller James are:
Daisy Miller-An 80 page exploration of James'theme of American and European cultural exchanges. James was known for his "international theme" living most of his long life in Europe. The tale revolves around the ingenuous and fetching young American virgin girl Daisy Miller and her contacts with the old world civilization and morality of Europe. The story is narrated by a worldly Amercan expatriate named Giles Winterbourne. The story ends in tragedy. It is one of James best and most readable tales.
The Jolly Corner is a ghost story dealing with a famous writer's return to his boyhood home.
The Figure in the Carpet deals with people seeking to find a secret formula to be found in a great author's work. Many critics have seen that theme to deal with James' homosexual lifestyle.
The Death of the Master, The Middle Years and several other stories deal with the life of an author and his/her legacy.
The Birthplace is a story about a guide who embellishes the truth about Shakespeare as he guides tourists through the famous playwright's boyhood home.
James deals with Americans abroad in European high society. He often uses foreign phrases in his works. The thin slice of humanity he examines with keen observation of their ways and morals is European aristocracy and rich Americans either visiting or living abroad.
His fiction abounds in secrets and ghosts haunting the minds of his narrators or major characters. James is adept at narrative but his language is often abstruse and hard to read.
Henry James will never be everyone's cup of tea. His works are psychological. While reading him you do get a better understanding of that enigmatic creature we call Man/Woman.
If you are a beginning student of James start with Daisy Miller and the other excellent works in this Penguin collection.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, Five Stars Ladies and Gentlemen!, February 7, 2009

By 

Doug - Haydn Fan (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Selected Tales (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This collection cherry-picks from the many short-stories and novellas of Henry James - he wrote over 100 - and in one volume we are treated to the full range of the author's prodigious gifts.

Standouts include, "Daisy Miller", a story of innocence destroyed, with the touchingly willful Daisy one of his most vibrant and human creations; "The Lesson of the Master", where James cleverly gives us a foretaste of the best of O'Hara zingers in a super surprise ending; "The Jolly Corner", another ghostly tale about a man who discovers the self he left behind; and "Julia Bride" a favorite of mine, a late distillation of the themes found in his last major novels.

The contents are as follows,

Introduction
Further Reading
Henry James Chronology
Notes on the Texts

Four Meetings
Daisy Miller
The Pension Beaurepas
The Lesson of the Master
The Pupil
The Real Thing
Greville Fane
The Middle Years
The Death of the Lion
The Figure in the Carpet
In the Cage
The Real Right Thing
Broken Wings
The Abasement of the Northmores
The Beast in the Jungle
The Birthplace
Fordham Castle
Julia Bride
The Jolly Corner

Noted



Everyone will find favorites here, and for those scared off by the novels this set of stories is an excellent introduction.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The master at work, October 30, 2005

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Selected Tales (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Henry James is one of the world's greatest masters of the long short story. The stories share many qualities with the great novels. They are often tales of consciousness and perception in which the heart of the action is in the mind's dramatic interaction with its experience of other characters. The language has complication and parenthetical grace. There is a consummate artistry and composition and the works build to their climax in a revelation of sudden perception and clarity. The fundamental feeling may be of a frustration in life which is somehow transcended by the power of Art.
Reading these stories is coming into touch with one of the first class minds of world - literature.