Showing results by author "James Henry" in Literature & Fiction

Experience the timeless tale of The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James and discover why this novel is a literary classic! Follow the story of Isabel Archer, a young woman coming of age in the late 19th century, as she navigates the complex world of love, marriage, and self-discovery. With its richly drawn characters, intricate plot, and themes of personal growth and identity, The Portrait of a Lady is a must-listen for anyone interested in classic literature or the works of Henry James. So why wait? Start listening to The Portrait of a Lady today and be swept away by the depth and complexity of...

Loss in any form seems to burden us with more weight than anything that can possibly be gained or learnt from. The loss of a person, a loved one, is often overwhelming. Lives so interwoven that the severing or loss of one life leaves the other weakened, unable to function for some time. Recovery comes in a myriad of forms but is usually debilitating, slow and, in the end, we are not as whole as we once were.It is a subject that authors return to again and again.

The Altar of the Dead was first published in the collection Terminations in 1895. It is a fable of life and death significance which explores what happens when a man tries to keep the remembrance of his dead friends, to save them from being forgotten entirely in the rush of everyday events.

During a trip to Europe, wealthy American businessman Christopher Newman proposes marriage to the scintillating and beautiful aristocrat Claire de Cintré. To his dismay, he comes up against the machinations of her impoverished but proud family, who find Newman to be a vulgar example of the American privileged class. Brilliantly combining elements of comedy, tragedy, romance, and melodrama, this tale of thwarted desire vividly contrasts nineteenth-century American and European manners.

Henry James' 1898 novella is one of the world's greatest ghost stories. Told by an unnamed governess who accepts a position looking after two children at a remote English country manor, the story is famously ambiguous. The governess gradually comes to believe that the house - and the two seemingly angelic children, Miles and Flora - are haunted by the ghosts of her predecessor and her brutish lover. But are the ghosts actually real? Or is the governess slowly going mad?

Widely recognized as one of literature's most gripping ghost stories, this classic tale of moral degradation concerns the sinister transformation of two innocent children into flagrant liars and hypocrites. The story begins when a governess arrives at an English country estate to look after Miles, aged 10, and Flora, eight. At first, everything appears normal, but then events gradually begin to weave a spell of psychological terror.

In "The Jolly Corner", a man returns to the house where he once lived, hoping to revisit the past. But now someone (or something) lurks there, leading him towards a frightening discovery. In "The Pupil", a young tutor befriends an ailing student and tries to protect him from the destructive whimsies of his family.

Following the death of her father, Isabel Archer leaves the comforts of Albany, New York, to stay with her aunt, Lydia Touchett, at her London estate. There she meets Lydia's rich husband, David; her cousin, Ralph; and the Touchetts' proud neighbor, Lord Warburton. Soon, too, come marriage proposals from Lord Warburton and Caspar Goodwood, the son of a wealthy mill owner. Although Isabel declines both offers, she eventually gives her hand to Gilbert Osmond, an American expat in Florence.

Fully restored and remastered, Heritage Media presents the greatest of vintage artists in classic dramas of the early America’s. Here is the legendary Ralph Richardson starring in ‘The Liar’ and 'Four Meetings' adapted from the original story by Henry James.Theatre Royal is a unique series of classic radio dramas produced in the 1950's by the late Harry Alan Towers. Starring the leading theatre artists of the day it is the only series of radio dramas in which Laurence Olivier ever appeared.

When Frederick, an American expatriate traveling in Europe, meets the commonplace, newly rich Miller family from New York, he is charmed by the daughter, Daisy, and her "inscrutable combination of audacity and innocence". The Millers have no perception of the complex code that underlies behavior in European society, and Winterbourne is astonished at the girl's unworldliness and her mother's unconcern when Daisy accompanies him to the Castle of Chillon.

An American heiress newly arrived in Europe, Isabel Archer does not look to a man to furnish her with her destiny; instead she desires, with grace and courage, to find it herself. Two eligible suitors approach her and are refused. She then becomes utterly captivated by the languid charms of Gilbert Osmond. To him, she represents a superior prize worth at least seventy thousand pounds; through him, she faces a tragic choice.

"You must paint her just like that... as the Tragic Muse," suggests one of James' characters to Nick Dormer, the young Englishman who, during the course of the novel, will courageously resist the glittering Parliamentary career desired for him by his family, in order to paint. His progress is counterpointed by the "Tragic Muse" of the title, Miriam Rooth, one of James' most fierily beautiful creations, a great actress indifferent to social reputation and triumphantly dedicated to her art.

Beautiful Kate Croy may have been left penniless by her relatives, but her bold, ambitious nature ensures she will not succumb meekly to a life of poverty. If the financial circumstances of Merton Densher, the man she is passionately in love with, are not sufficient to secure her future, perhaps her cunning will.

Prepare to be spellbound by "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James. This audiobook is a masterful exploration of psychological suspense and the uncanny. With James' intricate narrative, you'll be transported to a remote English country house, where a young governess cares for two enigmatic children. As you listen, you'll unravel the mysteries surrounding the estate, its eerie history, and the unsettling behavior of the children. The story is a chilling examination of the boundaries between reality and the supernatural, making it a classic in the genre of gothic horror.

A young governess arrives at Bly, a country home in Essex, England, to care for Miles and Flora, two precocious and pure children. But as ghostly visions take shape, the obsessively protective governess soon fears for the safety of her wards - only to wonder if these hauntings are a conjuring of her own imagination.

Era improbable, pensaba el joven conde alemán Otto Vogelstein a su llegada a Nueva York, que volviera a cruzarse con la bella señorita Pandora Day, a quien conoció a bordo del buque que los llevaba a ambos rumbo a la ciudad. Pandora no pertenecía a la buena sociedad en la que, sin duda, Vogelstein iba a integrarse en cuanto comenzara su imparable carrera americana.

The Turn of the Screw is a fireside tale of evil and mystery. Filled with extraordinary drama, Henry James' story has been widely popular ever since its publication in 1898. It also inspired a film, a play, and an opera. A governess has been hired to care for two orphaned young children in their uncle's English country home. But soon after she meets the boy and his sister, the governess begins to see fearful apparitions.

A country governess is hired to raise two orphaned children in a lonely estate in Essex. But mystery surrounds the house, the grounds, and the children. Haunting questions arise, and Henry James pens one of the most famous ghost stories.

Many critics consider this the best Henry James novelette, surpassing even The Turn of the Screw. Like that story, it has an ending that you will remember for a long time. The story concerns two young men visting the United States from London. They meet a pair of charming women who return the visit the following year in London. Romantic intrigues, miscommunication and cultural gaffs are plentiful in this short but delightful novel.

One of Henry James’ main themes was the interaction between the Old World and the New. Restless Baroness Eugenia Munster and her charming bohemian brother Felix are visiting their American cousins in Boston, New England. The effect these two extravagant characters have on their austere Puritan relations forms the substance of the book and is told in a series of scenes or ‘sketches’.