Telling in Henry James : The Web of Experience and the Forms of Reality

"Telling in Henry James argues that James's contribution to narrative and narrative theories is a lifelong exploration of how to "tell," but not, as Douglas has it in "The Turn of the Screw" in any "literal, vulgar way." James's fiction offers multiple, and often contradictory, reading (in)directions. Zwinger's overarching contention is that the telling detail is that which cannot be accounted for with any single critical or theoretical lens-that reading James is in some real sense a reading of the disquietingly inassimilable "fictional machinery." The analyses offered by each of the six chapters are grounded in close reading and focused on oddments-textual equivalents to the "particles" James describes as caught in a silken spider web, in a famous analogy used in "The Art of Fiction" to describe the kind of "consciousness" James wants his fiction to present to the reader. Telling in Henry James attends to the sheer fun of James's wit and verbal dexterity, to the cognitive tune-up offered by the complexities and nuances of his precise and rhythmic syntax, and to the complex and contradictory contrapuntal impact of the language on the page, tongue, and ear"-- "Explores via close readings the elements of James's fiction that relate to narrative theories and the acting of telling"-- "Telling in Henry James argues that James's contribution to narrative and narrative theories is a lifelong exploration of how to "tell," but not, as Douglas has it in "The Turn of the Screw" in any "literal, vulgar way." James's fiction offers multiple, and often contradictory, reading (in)directions. Zwinger's overarching contention is that the telling detail is that which cannot be accounted for with any single critical or theoretical lens-that reading James is in some real sense a reading of the disquietingly inassimilable "fictional machinery." The analyses offered by each of the six chapters are grounded in close reading and focused on oddments-textual equivalents to the "particles" James describes as caught in a silken spider web, in a famous analogy used in "The Art of Fiction" to describe the kind of "consciousness" James wants his fiction to present to the reader. Telling in Henry James attends to the sheer fun of James's wit and verbal dexterity, to the cognitive tune-up offered by the complexities and nuances of his precise and rhythmic syntax, and to the complex and contradictory contrapuntal impact of the language on the page, tongue, and ear."-- Provided by publisher Machine generated contents note: -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. Henry James On Telling -- Chapter 2. "A foreigner of some sort" in the House of Fiction of The Europeans -- Chapter 3. Telling On "Henry James" Morganizing the Body of "The Pupil"--Chapter 4. The Silver Clue Fish in The Golden Bowl -- Chapter 5. "I was to have known myself" in the Vestibule of "The Jolly Corner"--Chapter 6. Telling On Henry James -- Bibliography -- Index Machine generated contents note: Introduction Chapter 1. Henry James On Telling Chapter 2. "A foreigner of some sort" in the House of Fiction of The Europeans Chapter 3. Telling On "Henry James" Morganizing the Body of "The Pupil" Chapter 4. The Silver Clue Fish in The Golden Bowl Chapter 5. "I was to have known myself" in the Vestibule of "The Jolly Corner" Chapter 6. Telling On Henry James Bibliography Index. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Henry James on Telling 2. The Europeans in the House of Fiction: “a foreigner of some sort” 3. Morganizing the Body of “The Pupil” 4. The Silver Clue Fish in The Golden Bowl 5. In the Vestibule of “The Jolly Corner” 6. Telling on Henry James Works Cited Index "Explores via close readings the elements of James's fiction that relate to narrative theories and the acting of telling"-- Provided by publisher