“Oh, I never know,” he said. “I work by easy stages.”
That sentence gives the keynote to the character of the great novelist himself and of his writings. He wrote carefully, easily, and neatly.
Born in New York City on April 15, 1843, Henry James spent most of his boyhood in Europe. His father was Henry James, the theological writer, and from him the novelist derived his idiomatic, picturesque English. His brother became Professor William James, the psychologist and philosopher, who died in 1910.
Henry James entered Harvard Law School in 1860; but found out soon that he cared more for literature than for law. His first short story was published in 1865, and many stories and sketches quickly followed this.
After 1869 he made his home in England, living in London, or Rye in Sussex, for the most part. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 1911 received the degree of L. H. D. from Harvard.
Mr. James dictated all his work to a secretary, and he rewrote and polished it from a typewritten copy. With his writing he took infinite pains. His sentences are long and involved at times; but in spite of this confusing fact his sentences are balanced and complete.
His whole life showed the same ordered neatness as his books. His library was carefully selected and shelved. His letters were always arranged in little piles of the same size. One man tells that during a call on the novelist he saw him, when the ash had collected on the end of his cigarette, walk the length of his study and snip it out of the open window.
Henry James has been called a modern of the moderns as a novelist. He described contemporary life. His characters are people of the world; but they are subtle and complex. The human element predominates.
He is not widely read, because the public finds him hard to read. As someone said, “His books need to be translated for the average reader.” This is due in part to his use of long and involved sentences, and in part to his subject matter.
His career was a happy one. It was long, and was free from serious mistakes. His talent and point of view were personal. He had a crowd of imitators; but none of these approached the master in greatness.