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E491: History of Literary Criticism Henry James Study Questions Al Drake | 520 Hum. M/W 12:00-1:00 | ajdrake@ajdrake.com "The Art of Fiction " (1884) 1. On 856-57, James writes that moralists have long insisted that fiction should apologize for its supposed untruthfulness, its status as "make-believe." How does he begin his defense of the novel against this charge? What is it about fiction that causes greater anxiety amongst some earnest Protestant readers than a painting? 2. On 858-859, James defends the novel from certain assumptions commonly made about its form and value. How does he characterize the supposed errors of the general public and Walter Besant, and what "principle itself" does James assert over against such wrong thinking? 3. On 860-61, how does James define his key terms "reality" and "experience"? What relationship does he posit between the novel and "real life"? What, according to James, is the problem with well-intentioned rules on what constitutes realism in novel-writing? 4. On 864-67, what fault does James find with statements made by Walter Besant and others concerning the kind of "incidents" and "adventure" that constitute a good novel? 5. James saves the issue of the novel's moral status for last, 867-69. How does he propose to settle this difficult demand on the part of earnest Victorian readers? In what sense is it wrong to talk about a work of fiction as moral or immoral? What usage of ethical terms does James himself sanction as acceptable, and why? 6. A general question: to what extent does James' essay remind you of impressionist theories of art? What does he have in common with, for example, Walter Pater in the "Conclusion" to The Renaissance? (See anthology.) Where does he differ from Paterian impressionism? 7. Do you find contemporary novels by authors such as Thomas Pynchon, Don Delillo, and Nicholson Baker, with their frequent "post-modern" departures from realistic narrative, as compelling as older works in the genre? Why or why not? Edition: The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch. New York: Norton, 2001. ISBN: 0393974294.
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