Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Penguin Classics (1987), Paperback, 608 pages
Description
The Cambridge Edition of the Complete Fiction of Henry James provides, for the first time, a scholarly edition of a major writer whose work continues to be read, quoted, adapted and studied. Published in three volumes in 1886, The Princess Casamassima follows Hyacinth Robinson, a young London craftsman who carries the stigma of his illegitimate birth, and his French mother's murder of his patrician English father. Deeply impressed by the poverty around him, he is driven to association with political dissidents and anarchists including the charismatic Princess Casamassima - who embodies the problems of personal and political loyalty by which Hyacinth is progressively torn apart. This edition is the first to provide a full account of the context in which the book was composed and received. Extensive explanatory notes enable modern readers to understand its nuanced historical, cultural and literary references, and its complex textual history.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member jlelliott
Can a person love the fine creations of culture while reviling the class disparities that make such luxuries possible? How can one decide which side to choose when you are beguiled by fine things and easy living but repulsed by the inaccessibility of this lifestyle to the greater populace
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(including yourself)? These are the questions faced by our young hero Hyacinth, a poor but talented man with unfortunately good taste. Not unexpectedly for a young man, these ideals become entangled in Hyacinth’s love affairs with a low-class but entertaining working girl and the beautiful title character, who has forsaken her fortune and her husband and embraced the liberation of the masses. James has perfectly portrayed the hypocrisy in which most educated people still live today, and the near futility of trying to absolve that hypocrisy. (As a side note, I was fascinated by his descriptions of the art of book binding, and would love to learn more about it.) Show Less
LibraryThing member yooperprof
This 1886 novel is not going to appeal to everyone. But I loved it. I love the richness and hesitancy of mid-period Henry James - note that the Black Penguin edition uses James' original 1880s text, not his later 1910s revision, which is more convoluted and obscure than the original. I also loved
This is said to be the most "Dickensian" of Henry James' major novels. It certainly revels in detailing the fogs and smudges and gaslit pubs and bold "New Women" of late 19th century London. It also is a boldly political text that is quite relevant to the world in 2017, dealing with terrorism, conspiracies, and individuals caught up in affairs far beyond their comprehension. Parts of the book remind me of an Arthur Conan Doyle story, or the Joseph Conrad of "The Secret Agent." At the same time, it's undeniably a Jamesian novel with mysteries of motivation and gaps in the action and completely "unrealistic" dialogue between the major characters -- but if you really want "realism" I'd recommend that you stick to Anthony Trollope.
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the beautiful,sad, and short hero, Hyacinth Robinson, a mild bookbinder blessed and burdened with an exquisite consciousness!This is said to be the most "Dickensian" of Henry James' major novels. It certainly revels in detailing the fogs and smudges and gaslit pubs and bold "New Women" of late 19th century London. It also is a boldly political text that is quite relevant to the world in 2017, dealing with terrorism, conspiracies, and individuals caught up in affairs far beyond their comprehension. Parts of the book remind me of an Arthur Conan Doyle story, or the Joseph Conrad of "The Secret Agent." At the same time, it's undeniably a Jamesian novel with mysteries of motivation and gaps in the action and completely "unrealistic" dialogue between the major characters -- but if you really want "realism" I'd recommend that you stick to Anthony Trollope.
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LibraryThing member otterley
This feels like an unusual Henry James novel, being deeply embedded in London and in revolutionary politics; spanning the social scale from shopgirl to aristocrat, and ending in high and inevitable melodrama. Hyacinth Robinson, a young artisan of unusual and tainted origins, much loved and lovable,
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finds himself sharing the company of a group of revolutionaries with the Princess Casamassima, a separated and titled lady who wishes to embrace the depths and profundities of the poor and socially volatile workers of Europe. This book has some of James' most sympathetically drawn characters, flawed but magnificent. Show Less
LibraryThing member markbstephenson
In my opinion one of James' best and most accessible novels. The contrast between his urban and ex-urban descriptions is very effective and impressive. Christina Light is a very memorable woman!
LibraryThing member lindawwilson
Started out so well, but deteriorated when the subject turned to politics and anarchy which was less interesting and detracted from what could have been a better story. The characters became less likable as the book progressed -The Bostonians, Washington Square, Portrait of a Lady were all so much
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better. This was more in the Wings of the Dove category on the "enjoyable book" scale. Ended up skimming the second half-rapidly. Show Less
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1885-1886 [serialized in the Atlantic Monthly]
1886 [first publication in book form]
Physical description
608 p.; 5.14 inches
ISBN
014043254X / 9780140432541