ヘンリー・ジェイムズの浮遊する病人達

概要

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Henry James created some invalids, who are vital to know the author's story-telling methods. When we read The Portrait of a Lady and The Wings of the Dove, we can find two types of invalids. One of them is one with special powers of perception like Ralph Touchett and another is a typical Victorian degenerate like Gilbert Osmond. Jamesian invalids like them have some Victorian nature; they lead a double life, have traits of degenerates and have dangerous influences upon others. But they also show some traits that cannot be ascribed to the Victorian age. Availing themselves of their special power of perception, they give stories a point of view that is different from the usual characters' or the author's. The idiosyncratic nature of Jamesian invalids are sometimes handed over from one character to another within a story or transferred to another character in a different story. The two novels, The Portrait of a Lady and The Wings of the Dove sprang from the image of the author's cousin Minny Temple. So the two protagonists Isabel and Milly are more likely to be compared than other pairs of characters, but when we read the two novels focusing on the invalids, another line that connects the novels can be found.
2008-03-31