120022 SE Literary & Cultural Studies Seminar / BA-Arbeit / MA British/Irish/New English (2011S)

This seminar considers major texts by Henry James in the light of the fascination they hold for critics, filmmakers and fellow novelists. We will begin with some of James's earlier, more popular and also more accessible texts (such as Washington Square (1880) and The Portrait of a Lady (1881) ) and move on to samples of his later works and short fiction (such as The Turn of the Screw (1898) that demonstrate changes in theme and style. We will read academic articles or sections from studies dealing with Henry James's works with a focus on a variety of approaches and methodologies. We will also read articles on filmic adaptations of James's novels and novellas as well as texts on recent fictionalised biographies (such as Colm Toibin's The Master (2004) or David Lodge's Author, Author (2004)) that deal with aspects of the author's life and career. We will also discuss Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty (2004) whose gay anti-hero Nick is embarking on a PhD thesis on Henry James among many other things. Hollinghurst's novel involves Henry James as a background presence.