Recent Readings: Starting the Henry James Corpus

I've had a secret desire to read some of the works of Henry James for some time. His novels are referred to by several characters in P.D. James' Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, and so I figured if the Queen of Crime was willing to give him a nod, so should I. Henry James, one of the most well-known novelists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, produces a gentle yet poignant story in his novella, Daisy Miller. The eponymous character finds herself in Europe in the late nineteenth century, at a grand hotel in Vevay, Switzerland, although the last half of the novel finds her in Rome. Courted by the sophisticated Winterbourne, Daisy is a dashing and flirtatious young American lady whose mannerisms clash with the steady propriety of European society. Winterbourne, visiting from Geneva, is drawn to Daisy, but is put off due to her excessive flirting (with him and others). Though an outing near Vevay goes somewhat well, they must part briefly while Daisy extracts a promise that he visit her in Rome.

It is in the Etruscan capital that things fall apart. Daisy shows quick interest in another suitor of shady reputation, which only seems to make Winterbourne more frustrated and more determined in his pursuit of her. The disapproval of American visitors in Rome only seems to embolden Daisy to remain attached to her Italian beau, Giovanelli. It is when Winterbourne walks through Rome that he takes a chance on a visit to the Colosseum at night. There, he sees Giovanelli and Daisy; he berates both of them, and Giovanelli especially, for taking Daisy to a place where she is at risk for Roman fever. Though she protests his intervention, she falls ill, and the final pages are marked by a frosty sadness.

In a novella, the author must be choosy as to where the primary character development must lie as he moves rapidly along the plotline. James was wise to focus on Daisy and Winterbourne, as his symbolism is rather intentional, showing Daisy as a spring flower in full bloom who meets her demise in the midst of societal coldness. James also masterfully weaves in the very real history of the "Roman fever", which was a form of malaria which shot through sections of Rome with astounding ferocity. Most of all, he raises the capacity of the reader to wish for Daisy's happiness. Her lightness and lack of inhibition make for a delight, and one wishes her victory in what amounts to a true societal battle with traditional assumptions of the high classes. (One can almost unearth parallels to Romanticist, individualistic films like Dead Poets Society while reading this little book.)

Novellas usually aren't my thing, but if they are written well, they can really take me away and leave me wanting more. In the end, that is what Henry James does best with Miss Daisy Miller, desiring her true happiness while knowing that deep mourning is just around the corner.