The main theme of this story from Henry James is that things aren’t always as they appear. The stepson of a deceased vicar’s wife offers her gaudy costume jewellery to his young cousin. Later, the cousin learns that one piece, a pearl necklace, may be genuine. This is one of those rare stories where a protagonist who chooses to do the right thing is the only loser. Mystery surrounds how the dead woman came by such a necklace, and its fate after she returns it. Other themes: temptation, morality, vanity, greed, betrayal. More…
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The Beast in the Jungle
Despite a relatively simple plot and only two main characters, this short novella by Henry James can be hard-going on the first read. A man is obsessed with the feeling that misfortune of some kind will come into his life “like a beast in the jungle”. He shares the premonition with a female acquaintance, who is interested enough to agree to stay close and “watch his back”. In order to build suspense in the lead-up to the story’s heartbreaking conclusion, James shrouds the interactions between the two in confusion and ambiguity. Themes: fate, obsession, connection, insensitivity, suffering, death, guilt. More…
The Jolly Corner
In this unusual horror story from Henry James, a wealthy man stalks his empty, supposedly haunted family mansion looking for the ghost of the person he might have become. Having returned to America after thirty-three years living a selfish, frivolous life in Europe, the protagonist discovers a hidden talent for business and architecture. He wonders how life would have turned out if he had pursued these interests when younger, and decides that the only way to find out is to find and confront his ghostly alter ego. Themes: change, materialism, life choices and consequences, emptiness, commitment, the supernatural. More…