James on War and Empire On this day in 1915 Henry James wrote to the British Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, to inform him of a "desire to offer myself for naturalisation in this country." James was 72 years old, and 40 years a resident in England; this grand gesture in the early days of WWI was his way of "throwing into the scale of [England's] fortune my all but imponderable moral weight -- 'a poor thing but mine own.''"
Online Books Page Find electronic texts including The Portrait of a Lady, In the Cage, The Jolly Corner, The Golden Bowl, The Turn of the Screw, Washington Square, and The Beast in the Jungle.
TeacherVision.com This online lesson plan for The Portrait of a Lady offers commentary on the author's literary legacy and his most celebrated novel, a brief biography, and suggested topics for classroom discussion.
"Written at what many critics consider the zenith of James's career, the novel deals with profound questions such as the extent to which Isabel's situation can be viewed as tragic; and the emotional cost of simply "living" one's life. These ideas are embedded in moments of true feeling, such as in the final scene between Isabel and the dying Ralph, where the emotional restraint Isabel has shown throughout the better part of the story explodes in a sudden redemptive and cathartic moment."
