Henry james bio

He was one of the most important literary people of the late 19th century. James was the son of Henry James Senior, a clergyman , and the brother of William James , the psychologist and philosopher. He grew up mostly in the United States but spent the majority of his life in England. He became a British citizen in His sister, Alice James, was also a writer.

In his novels, he wrote from the viewpoint of one of the characters. Some literary critics compared this to impressionist painting.

Henry james famous works

In his own literary criticism , James insisted that writers be allowed the greatest possible freedom in how they looked at the world. He thought a text should be realistic, and its account of life be recognisable to its readers. Good novels, to James, show life in action and are interesting. He published fictional books , articles and books of travel , biography , autobiography , and criticism , and wrote plays, some of which were performed during his lifetime.