Henry James: History, Narrative, Fiction

This is a study of Henry James's changing attitudes toward history as a narrative model, moving from his early interest in "scientific" historiography to the radical, anti-historical character of his late works. These shifts can only be understood, the author argues, in terms of James's views on literary censorship and the politics of reading, and his engagement with the reading practices of marginalized groups: women, the working class, other cultures, and the avant-garde.