Henry James Against the Aesthetic Movement: Essays on the Middle and Late Fiction

Abstract

Henry James Against the Aesthetic Movement, edited by David Garrett Izzo and Daniel T. O'Hara, explores Henry James's late style within the context of Victorian aesthetic decadence. The collection argues that James’s work reflects a "creative imagination of mutual excited reverie," a concept introduced by editor O’Hara. This phrase draws on Sigmund Freud’s theory of totemic festivals and Julia Kristeva’s exploration of maternal-child dynamics, both of which emphasize the transformative power of imaginative engagement. O'Hara posits that James's late style is not merely a retreat from modernity but rather a renewal of its spirit through complex narrative structures and ambiguous pronoun usage. The essays in this volume examine how James’s middle and late fiction responded to the British Aesthetic Movement, challenging its emphasis on form over content. By situating James within this broader cultural context, the editors argue that his work embodies a unique synthesis of aesthetic innovation and psychological depth, offering readers a fresh perspective on the evolution of modernist literature.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)