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The Aspern Papers
by
Henry James
With a decaying Venetian villa as a backdrop, an anonymous narrator relates his obsessive quest for the personal documents of a deceased Romantic poet, one Jeffrey Aspern.
Published
(first published 1888)
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As much as it would please me to discover that my two favorite novelists form an apostolic succession, I must admit that Nabokov is completely spot-on in his criticism of The Aspern Papers, about which he complains in 1941 letter to Edmund Wilson:
Yesterday I read The Aspern Papers. No. He writes with a very sharp nib and the ink is very pale and there is very little of it in his inkpot…The style is artistic but it is not the style of an artist…He has charm (as the weak blond prose of Turgenev ha...more
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THE DARK SIDE OF THE ART
Sembra che siano 30 anni che non rileggo questo libro: è tempo di riprenderlo in mano sapendo di ritrovare l’immenso piacere della prima e delle altre volte. So che ci sarà scoperta anche se ormai lo conosco bene. Ma è un’opera che non finisce di regalare e svelare.
Dietro l'intreccio pseudo thriller, magnifico stratagemma, c'è un intero universo di cultura, amore, vita, conoscenza.
America e Europa. Donne e uomini. Vecchio e nuovo. Desiderio erotico, fisico, desiderio d’a...more
Sembra che siano 30 anni che non rileggo questo libro: è tempo di riprenderlo in mano sapendo di ritrovare l’immenso piacere della prima e delle altre volte. So che ci sarà scoperta anche se ormai lo conosco bene. Ma è un’opera che non finisce di regalare e svelare.
Dietro l'intreccio pseudo thriller, magnifico stratagemma, c'è un intero universo di cultura, amore, vita, conoscenza.
America e Europa. Donne e uomini. Vecchio e nuovo. Desiderio erotico, fisico, desiderio d’a...more
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This my introduction to Henry James and, while the book was mildly enjoyable, I really didn't feel like I was being introduced to a great master of the English language. I just walked away feeling the slightly slimy feeling of the protagonist and without much closure. I can only assume James gets better as he gets more verbose since this slim volume was hardly anything to get excited about unless you wanted some lovely descriptions of Venice in which case it would be quite appropriate. His descr...more
Oct 30, 2012
VAle
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
narrativa,
_scambiabile
Premessa: voglio comunque ringraziare chi mi ha consigliato questa lettura: data la mia pigrizia, probabilmente l'avrei tenuto sullo scaffale per anni senza prendermi la briga di leggerlo, come succede per molti altri che ho acquistato e abbandonato, tradendo sempre il buon proposito di leggere qualche classico.
Per prima cosa un appunto sull'introduzione (che comunque ho letto dopo il racconto): quantomeno inutile. Due paginette striminzite di nulla, messe lì solo per avere il nome di Alberto Ar...more
Per prima cosa un appunto sull'introduzione (che comunque ho letto dopo il racconto): quantomeno inutile. Due paginette striminzite di nulla, messe lì solo per avere il nome di Alberto Ar...more
This Roman a clef novelette is based on the posthumous pursuit of Shelley's papers from his former very close friend (and possibly lover), Claire Clairmont. In The Aspern Papers an unnamed editor of the papers of deceased poet Jeffrey Aspern weasels himself into the home of Aspern's former mistress and subject of many of his poems, seeking to obtain from her papers (the nature of which is not given but presumably means letters, diaries, unpublished poems, or the like) which she has and has for...more
This novella I absolutely recommend. After making it halfway through the 600 page "The Golden Bowl" I'd all but given up on James' ever entertaining me in any serious way. But The Aspern Papers is well-written, it approaches being harrowing, and, least expected of all, it's a fun read. Everybody seems to rave about what a great "writer" Henry James is, that he is somehow the pioneer of Modern fiction, that he is astoundingly effective at getting the reader inside the heads of his characters. May...more
the more i read of henry james, the more i think he may be my favorite writer. it's weird, because he seems to be exactly all those things i most despise in writers-- he's long-winded, slow-moving, mostly humorless, always deeply embedded in real places, real people, real history, the real world-- really, i don't feel like i should like him at all! but then, somehow, underneath all of that, there is always in his writing a deep sense of mystery-- not just about the events in his stories, but abo...more
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This is my first foray into the works of Henry James and I read it concurrently with The Turn of the Screw, my preference for the second novel has perhaps affected my review of this one.
It’s certainly an interesting tale, and James makes excellent use of his characters to build suspense. I think that’s why I rated it three stars, I had far too many unanswered questions at the end of the work, and I was annoyed. Where did Tita’s money come from? Why did the Aunt refuse to speak of Aspern…etc. I l...more
It’s certainly an interesting tale, and James makes excellent use of his characters to build suspense. I think that’s why I rated it three stars, I had far too many unanswered questions at the end of the work, and I was annoyed. Where did Tita’s money come from? Why did the Aunt refuse to speak of Aspern…etc. I l...more
1 like · like · see review
The Aspern Papers is a novella written by Henry James, originally published in
The Atlantic Monthly in 1888. It is the story or rather the quest of an American editor - he is also the unnamed narrator of the story - to obtain a collection of letters by the American Romantic poet Jeffrey Aspern.
He believes that Juliana Bordereau, an elderly and ill lady who lives in Venice in a dilapidated old palazzo, with her spinster niece Miss Tina, in “obscurity” and “almost on nothing”, is in possession of...more
The Atlantic Monthly in 1888. It is the story or rather the quest of an American editor - he is also the unnamed narrator of the story - to obtain a collection of letters by the American Romantic poet Jeffrey Aspern.
He believes that Juliana Bordereau, an elderly and ill lady who lives in Venice in a dilapidated old palazzo, with her spinster niece Miss Tina, in “obscurity” and “almost on nothing”, is in possession of...more
In 1991 a Romantic scolar named Marion Kingston Stocking, came across a series of notebooks.
Those notebooks were the transcription of the conversations (that took place in Florence) between Edward Silsbee (a retired american sea capitan) and the legendary seventy year old Clair Clairmont.
Miss Clairmont needs no introduction; her life itself is a remarkable statement to female freedom.
She was the daughter of William Godwin, step sister to Mary Wollstonecraft (who later become P.B. Shelley's secon...more
James presents this narrative in the voice of a first-person character who is not likable. The narrator provides a prime example of the way in which people sacrifice minimal decency in the pursuit of their own designs--and he's an academic, alas, whose drive to discover the personal papers of a beloved author leads him to act very shabbily. He would be more redeemable (almost) if he were a downright criminal.
The genius and interest of the narrative (for me) is the way in which the character of...more
The genius and interest of the narrative (for me) is the way in which the character of...more
Sort of creepy novella about a dude that goes to Venice and connives his way into renting a room with the lover of a famous deceased author. He is seeking to obtain the papers of the author so he can publish them. Disturbing morals on the part of the dude. Creepy obsessions on the part of the old ladies. Oddly, it is a very similar tale to what actually happened to the Henry James papers.
This is a wonderful novella, that deals with (among other things) a very contaporary theme- issue of privacy. It is filled with suspense up to the very last page. The author ability to greate suspense is quite impressive, but he does not stop at that as his writing is so much more then creating anxiety and uncertainty...There is this ambiguity to his writing that I always felt to be both attractive and repulsive. It is as if there is some message that can never be fully grasped no matter how muc...more
In his preface to "The Aspern Papers" Henry James writes that he got the idea for the story from rumors he heard while living in Florence that Jane Clairmont, the cousin of Mary Shelley and the mistress of Lord Byron, now an elderly lady was residing in Florence also living a reclusive life and guarding a stash of love letters from Byron. There were also rumors of a young woman living with her who periodically had some sort of behavioural problems, though exactly what those were could only be sp...more
"to-day, after his [Aspern's] long comparative obscuration, he hangs high in the heaven of our literature, for all the world to see; he is a part of the light by which we walk." -p. 3
"When Americans went abroad in 1820 there was something romantic, almost heroic in it, as compared with the perpetual ferryings of the present hour, when photography and other conveniences have annihilated surprise." -p. 45
"That was originally what I had loved him for: that at a period when our native land [America...more
"When Americans went abroad in 1820 there was something romantic, almost heroic in it, as compared with the perpetual ferryings of the present hour, when photography and other conveniences have annihilated surprise." -p. 45
"That was originally what I had loved him for: that at a period when our native land [America...more
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At the beginning I thought this was a rather light-hearted story, but by the end I found it quite morally troubling - a look at how far one is willing to go to get what one wants.
I was also reminded of Elinor in Sense and Sensibility who is tormented by someone who has an ulterior motive, but who maintains her own good behavior. Now if only Miss Tita had had some of Elinor's good sense and understanding of human motivations and behavior...
I thought it was a little over-written, so I probably wo...more
I was also reminded of Elinor in Sense and Sensibility who is tormented by someone who has an ulterior motive, but who maintains her own good behavior. Now if only Miss Tita had had some of Elinor's good sense and understanding of human motivations and behavior...
I thought it was a little over-written, so I probably wo...more
Una nouvelle maravillosa. De Henry James solo había leído The Turn of the Screw (1898), un relato de atmósfera fantasmagórica donde el retrato psicológico tiene mucho peso, igual que en The Aspern Papers (1888). Las solteronas (tía y sobrina) que viven enclaustradas cual carmelitas en un palacete en Venecia están magníficamente descritas, y su inquilino, el editor norteamericano obsesionado por conseguir los papeles del poeta Jeffrey Aspern, es su contrapunto perfecto. Ese trío forma un triángul...more
This reminded me of Lolita without the eroticism. Like many of James's characters, the protagonist is duplicitous and vulgar under a mask of respectability. After reading several Henry James novels I've picked up on a strange quirk of his, which is that one character will say something and another character will repeat back the statement in a question. Example:
"I think she wanted the papers burned."
"Burned? You think she wanted the papers burned?!"
This quirk makes listening to James via audiob...more
"I think she wanted the papers burned."
"Burned? You think she wanted the papers burned?!"
This quirk makes listening to James via audiob...more
I hated the narrator/prime character because he cared more about the papers he wanted to publish than he did about Miss Tina and her aunt's death. It takes him so long to realize that Miss Tina thinks he is courting her and then pretends that he had no idea she would think that, even though he purposely leads her on in the hopes of getting the papers. The ending was very satisfying and James is excellent at showing how an obsession over something can lead one to be totally unfeeling for others....more
Jan 19, 2011
emily
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who have read very little Henry James but might like to try.
This is a weird Henry James -- it's like HJ for people who don't actually enjoy his books, most of the time. Much more straightforward than a lot of his other stuff, and much more plot-driven (which is something, I guess, for a book that has what would come out to about 15 minutes of action).
That said, Henry James gets called the Master for a reason. The man knows what he's about, and while it's no The Beast in the Jungle and Other Stories, the story is so striking in its inevitability . . . goo...more
That said, Henry James gets called the Master for a reason. The man knows what he's about, and while it's no The Beast in the Jungle and Other Stories, the story is so striking in its inevitability . . . goo...more
An enjoyable reading in a very warm afternoon.
Free download at Gutenberg Project
Free download at Gutenberg Project
3 likes · like · see review
A slow developing short story that builds up mild suspense right up to the very end. I enjoyed it, and although my reading of short stories is rather limited, I have to say that this was the perfect vehicle for the narrative. It begins very loosely threaded, making you somewhat wonder what the heck is going on, almost to the point of irritation. For the length of the story, though, it doesn't carry on too long. Soon, things develop and it becomes a bit of a waiting game- back and forth- will she...more
I have had trouble getting through some of James books -- like The Golden Bowl. But this book is well written in a simple fashion -- that is, for James, and moves along at a quick pace. And things do happen, unlike in some of James books. It is the story of a man obsessed with getting some intimates letters that a famous poet once wrote to a woman whom he loved. He wants these papers so badly, that he finds the now old woman living in Venice and rents rooms in her house. He also meets her niece....more
Classic James: you climb a hundred unremarkable pages to watch a single painful, surprising scene unfold.
A powerful novella about an amateur con artist trying to scam a paranoid old woman and her pitifully naive niece out of some valuable documents once penned by a renowned poet. There's nothing complicated about the plot, but the characters are memorable and vividly rendered, and it keeps you in suspense as to who will end up taking advantage of who when all is said and done. Moral conundrums abound. James is a powerful storyteller, and thankfully his coma-inducing introduction to this piece is no...more
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Feb 26, 2011
Pater Edmund
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literature,
novels
There is a kind of delicate, fin de siècle difficulty to the moral dillemma at the heart of this book; as though the moral ideal of the West was still present like the rays of the setting sun, but somehow out of reach. What’s-his-name has no qualms about telling all kinds of lies, entering someone’s house under false pretenses etc., but will under no circumstances use brute force to take the papers. The narrative is brilliantly compact and concentrated, and the atmosphere perfectly evoked. Surel...more
Read a Henry James novel(la) of my own volition. Woah. And Henry James? You don't impress me much. Maybe this suffered because of the short novella format, but it is tame, shallow and a bit flat. The main character is apparently "obsessed," but his obsession falls short and you never see enough of this narrator to truly get a sense of him and his desires. And there definitely wasn't enough Venice in this. How do you give a book such a magnificent setting and then never utilize it? Back to my pre...more
One of Henry James' great themes is the moment of lost opportunity - where the calculating mind is so obsessed with it's objective that it misses the gold-mine, and often the point altogether. "Aspern" is a fascinating exploration of this human quality. I explore this in a film version of the The Aspern Papers where the location is different, but the themes are the same. See the trailer at: http://www.TheAspernPapers.com or http://www.facebook.com/TheAspernPapers I'm curious to know how it reson...more
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Henry James, OM, son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an American-born author, one of the founders and leaders of a school of realism in fiction. He spent much of his life in England and became a British subject shortly before his death. He is primarily known for a series of major novels in which he portrayed the...more
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“It had been devilish awkward, as the young men say, to be found by Juliana in the dead of night examining the attachment of her bureau; and it had not been less so to have to believe for a good many hours after that it was highly probable I had killed her.”
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