Henry James’s Prefatory Discourse as a Site for Innovation, Construction, and Instruction

This study attempts to show the distinct features of Henry James’s prefaces as a body of criticism that provides the receiver with new cues to read not only his narratives but also fiction in general. It aims to demonstrate how his prefatory discourse becomes a site for literary criticism and an extra-textual space that allows the author to communicate his “lessons” on new fiction theories rather than an illustrative pre-text that discloses the author’s objectives. Through an unconventional use of prefaces, James endeavors to change the reading habits of the past by making the modern reader aware of his rebellious style and innovative theories of fiction and acquainting him/her with a different treatment of the literary text in the critical act. James is known to have adopted new techniques, like stream of consciousness and the scenic method, in his novels and instructs the reader in his prefaces to focus on the character and pay heed to the governing intelligence in the narrative, thereby providing a philosophical account of the relationship between art and the artist, and art and life.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Henry James, preface, prefatory discourse, nineteenth-century narrative, innovation

Henry James’s Prefatory Discourse as a Site for Innovation, Construction, and Instruction

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