The Tragic Muse

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title The Tragic Muse
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Henry James
Edited by Philip Horne
Introduction by Philip Horne
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:576
Dimensions(mm): Height 1,Width 1
Category/GenreClassic fiction (pre c 1945)
ISBN/Barcode 9780140433890
ClassificationsDewey:813.4
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint Penguin Classics
Publication Date 26 January 1995
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

'You must paint her just like that ... as the Tragic Muse' Suggests one of James's characters to Nick Dormer, the young Englishman who, during the course of the novel, will courageously resist the glittering Parliamentary career desired for him by his family, in order to paint. His progress is counterpointed by the 'Tragic Muse' of the title, Miriam Rooth, one of James's most fierily beautiful creations, a great actress indifferent to social reputation, and triumphantly dedicated to her art. In portraying the conflict between art and 'the world' which is his novel's central idea, James engaged obliquely with current debates on the new aestheticism of Pater and Wilde and on the nature of the actor's performance. Through the living complexity of his protagonists he reveals how much, as Philip Horne puts it, 'to take art seriously as an end in itself ... is still a provocative course'.

Author Biography

Henry James (1843-1916) was born in New York and settled in Europe in 1875. He was a regular contributor of reviews, critical essays, and short stories to American periodicals. He is best known for his many novels of American and European character.