Book description
The stories in this collection were written mostly between 1888 and
1897, a time when Henry James s writing was concerned with the art of
fiction and the position of the artist in society. The motif and title
story, The Figure in the Carpet , is an inspired joke, a masterpiece of
double-entendre
that demands the reader s undivided love and attention and continues to
baffle its critics. Also included are The Author of Beltraffio , an
absorbing story of family infighting, authorship and tragedy, and The
Private Life , a spirited tale that considers the contrast between the
artist alone and at work. While many of these stories appear to be
elaborate Jamesian games, all employ irony and humour to allegorize
artistic creation.
Henry James (1843-1916) American-born writer, gifted with
talents in literature, psychology, and philosophy. James wrote 20
novels, 112 stories, 12 plays and a number of literary criticism. His
models were Dickens, Balzac, and Hawthorne.
