The Final Dictations of Henry James: Artistry at the Threshold of Death
By
Hooke
Front-window bakery material. Catches the eye, delivers the goods.
Summary
Analysis of Henry James's final dictations, examining how his deathbed notes about the Napoleonic legend reveal not the collapse of his intellect but rather the struggle and power of his artistic sensibility. The article argues that despite some incoherence, James's final writings maintain the grandeur and majestic rhythm of his great style, demonstrating the inexhaustible sensibility of an artist confronting death.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledI am that queer monster, the artist, an obstinate finality, an inexhaustible sensibility
The final dictation is at points an incoherent document. Yet it is less incoherent than one might suppose; and far from mirroring the collapse of a great intellect, it dramatizes its struggle and its power.
The grandeur, the majestic rhythm of the great style remain; the vivid phrases are minted as at the very threshold of death.
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