James VI, Prince Henry, and <i>A True Reportarie</i> of Baptism at Stirling 1594

Variations on a Theme by James Stirling

James ’ s Empirical Assumptions by Henry Jackman

William James is well known for his rejection of materialism and his lifelong defense of what he referred to as, among other things, the “religious hypothesis.”1 Part of this defense can be understood in terms of James’s frequent identification with the “sick souls” who are highly sensitive to the evils in our world, rather than the “healthy minded” who are more disposed to either ignore or dow...

“ Horrible Impossible ” : Henry James ’ s Awkward Stage

It was not irritation he appeared to express, but the slight strain of an effort to get into relation with the subject. Better to focus the image he closed his eyes awhile. —The Awkward Age (207) In a now-familiar account of Henry James's career, the failure in the theater so spectacularly marked by the Guy Domville debacle of 1895 sent the bruised novelist back to the consolations of fiction a...

A Philosophy of Reviewing : Taking Cues From Henry James

More than a century ago, Henry James authored The Golden Bowl, The Portrait of a Lady, and The Wings of the Dove—said to be the finest American prose fiction ever written (Bloom 2002:748). These novels are enthusiastically read and appreciated to this day, reflecting not only James’s innate artistry but also his development as a writer in response to critiques of his work. He once commented abo...

Diplomatic Metonymy and Antithesis in 3 Henry Vi

This essay takes as its starting point the resemblance between the historical practice of diplomatic representation and the rhetorical practice of metonymy. The early modern ambassador acted as a substitute abroad for the sovereign who sent him and metonymy describes a comparable replacement—in words—of one thing by another associated thing. Yet metonyms can all too easily become confused with ...