2026 Reading Challenge
The American

Questions About The American

by Henry James

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Answered Questions (2)

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Dave Harmon she wanted to bury and hide herself away; the only way she can reject her family. and to obviate their trying to marry her off to that other guy or an…moreshe wanted to bury and hide herself away; the only way she can reject her family. and to obviate their trying to marry her off to that other guy or anyone else for that matter. sort of "if i cant marry newman then i wont marry anyone" if you will(less)
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Hello, I am reading Henry James The American and it is the first Henry James book I have read. I am puzzled by the writing style. The grammar often doesn't seem right. I am wondering if this is correct -- or typical of Henry James -- or not? Thank you.
DJ Linick You are not alone. Scholars and critics (I just checked my Norton Anthology of American Literature to confirm this, btw) consider his work difficult/d…moreYou are not alone. Scholars and critics (I just checked my Norton Anthology of American Literature to confirm this, btw) consider his work difficult/dense. But yes, that is his typical writing style.

The trick for understanding James's prose is to try to follow to punctuation as closely as possible. Alternatively, for those rather long sentences of his, identify the main subject and verb first; then you'll be able to figure out which things are most important to the sentence and which are just extra details.

Lastly, do NOT be afraid to use a dictionary! They are life rafts in the ocean of literature! Happy reading!(less)
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