The International Theme

Seminar paper from the year 1999 in the subject American Studies - Literature grade: 10 University of Dusseldorf Heinrich Heine (Anglistik II (American Studies)) course: The Tales of Henry James language: English abstract: Among the central motifs that can be traced throughout Henry James's career as a writer is his concern with the social and moral differences between the New World and Europe (mainly represented by England Italy and France) which he called the Americano-European legend and is otherwise frequently referred to as the international theme. It reflects the mutual misunderstandings of Americans and Europeans often by following the same basic pattern i.e. the innocent and naive American girl who journeys to the Old Country and encounters a corrupt mostly rigid set of values which its advocates attempt to subjugate her to. Usually the heroine struggles to protect her integrity her individualism and personal freedom against a society that strikes her as oppressive anti-democratic or as is the case with Madame de Mauves as immoral and undergoes a changing process in which she abandons her romantic vision and nostalgic longing for a quaint and picturesque Europe.Although in his exploration of the international conflict 'innocence' is invariably associated with the American side whereas 'knowledge' is mostly to be found on the European the satire and irony in the study of national characters is aimed at both. Sometimes showing sympathy for the helpless American outsider abroad who is not at all prepared to deal with the complexity of cultural life in Europe James at other times sympathizes with the European facing the uncultivated socially ignorant and traditionless American (of which Daisy Miller's mother seems to be the representative model) thus giving us an all in all tremendously balanced and superb portrayal of the idiosyncratic manners of both sides of the Atlantic. I have selected three early 'tales' as James called the