“Never say you know the last word about any human heart.” That’s one of the great sentences of this great writer, Henry James (1843-1916). In this seminar – which welcomes both seasoned James readers and novices – we discover many more.

Henry James is always capable of surprising his readers by the variety of his writings. In this class we’ll read “the most American of his stories,” The Bostonians, and won’t be shocked to see the middle section is set in Manhattan. Contrasting with this novel is The Princess Casamassima, which he wrote only months later. Its London setting is more like the city Charles Dickens knew than the upper class milieu familiar to us from other James novels. We’ll get another peep at New York in Washington Square, and we’ll look at a collection of little-known but fascinating short stories featuring visual artists.

This seminar takes place over six Wednesdays, each at 11:00 AM in the Whitridge Room:

September 27
October 25
November 29
January 31, 2024
February 28
March 27