I had become interested in James after hearing two modern authors of the "littérature fantastique" prattle on and on about James within their own novels. I must say that I am as impressed with James' prose as everyone else. After returning from James to the modern author, one can immediately see the "dumbed down" simplistic nature of the Twenty First Century's literature. It's sad. I once heard Isaac Asimov say that writers should write as simply as possible. I disagree. I would love a Sci Fi novel in which sentences span paragraphs, obscure literary and poetic references, and hermetic locution.

What James really impresses one with is the depth of consciousness of characters, the ping pong game of psychological interactions, the honesty of individual intellects. Also, James is just... weird. A teller of peculiar stories, which all seem to be whispering dark secrets to us in the background, leaving us feeling wiser after we have passed them.

"The Third Person" was a bit creepy. It was lighthearted, even comical; though essentially, two old maids are jealous of the spirit of a hung man, each trying to gain his attention and appease him. I guess, in the era of Spiritualism, people thought it a grand story, with its moral lesson of familial loyalty and anarchy.

"Broken Wings" was an inspirational love story. I feel it was saying: "The artist works on, despite his or her economical circumstance or success rate."

"The Beast in the Jungle" really shook me up. It is said that James was quite proud of the story, as I am. It really spoke directly to me, which is why I won't digress on it here.

"The Birthplace" was the most novel of James' stories within this small collection. I can't help but think that James was the poet, as well as the old poet's priest. The house, was the body of work; the young couple and the visitors, readers. I feel, the story was a story of itself, within another story, in juxtaposition to maybe several more veiled motifs, which were telling artists how to create art — without the artist, of course. My direct statements seem silly, as James presents these ideas in a most mystical way to the reader. Quite a good story, I say!

"The Jolly Corner" was not at all the story I had suspected it to be. The horror of the doppelgänger — well, it's quite horrible; especially since it is not quite you. Multiverses...

"The Velvet Glove" I really enjoyed, and even more so when I read in the notes of a theory that claims the Princess was based on Edith Wharton...

"Crapy Cornelia" deals with the present, always looking to the future; and the present, always looking to the past. I too choose Cornelia, though I might have chosen to marry her so I could more often finger her antiquarian tchotchkes. That Henry must have had real issues with females...

"The Bench of Desolation" was tiring, emotionally draining. I know of women such as Kate Cookham. Am I to admire her or hate her? Poor Herbert Dodd. I guess he let her reel him in, after all. God what an all... Terrible about pitiful Nan and her and Herb's doomed progeny; though I could have sworn I read that two of their children died. I need to go back over and make sure that I am wrong in assuming that there was a mysterious unmentioned third surviving child. I bet Kate Cookham had massively powerful thighs...

I have much more of Henry James work in my library, and I am quite excited about continuing on in it. He's oh so wondrously wordy, it's wonderful! ( )