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The Europeans
Eugenia, the daughter of American expatriates, is the morganatic wife of a German prince, who is being urged to divorce her in favor of a state marriage. She and her artist brother, Felix, travel to Boston to meet distant cousins relatives, partially in hopes of making a wealthy marriage.
Its wit, gaiety, and what Rebecca West calls its "clear sunlit charm" have made this masterly short novel one of the most popular of James's novels.
Its wit, gaiety, and what Rebecca West calls its "clear sunlit charm" have made this masterly short novel one of the most popular of James's novels.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1878
About the author
Henry James
3,818 books3,690 followersHenry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
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February 14, 2022
AFFINITÀ ELETTIVE
Lee Remick è la baronessa Eugenia Camilla Dolores Münster nel film omonimo di James Ivory del 1979.
Romanzo breve del 1878, subito dopo “L’americano”, subito prima di “Daisy Miller”.
Faccio una prova, racconto la storia di questo libro buttandola in burletta.
1850.
C’era una volta una baronessa tedesca, si chiamava Eugenia Camilla Dolores Münster, ed era cresciuta a pane e volpe (qui a Roma la si definirebbe ‘na paracula): infatti, quando il marito principe di Silberstadt-Schreckenstein le annuncia che vuole divorziare, pur trattandosi solo di matrimonio morganatico, quindi è già previsto che i titoli e le proprietà del marito non passino alla moglie, essa pensa bene di ‘ntortare i cugini americani, che essendo del Nuovo Mondo devono per forza essere sempliciotti e pure tontolotti, magari anche un pochino selvaggi e con l’anello al naso come un pellerossa.
Così parte per Boston e s’accomoda a casa Wenworth, che sono appunto i parenti d’America.
Con lei viaggia Felix, fratello senza un centesimo, che si pretende artista.
Lisa Eichhorn è Gertrude Wenworth.
È chiaro per Eugenia che i cugini Wenworth servono solo per consentirle di combinare un matrimonio più vantaggioso e, quindi, di conoscere quello che lei deciderà essere il partito giusto per rimpiazzare il marito che presto sarà ex.
D’altronde si è sempre partiti dal Vecchio Mondo diretti nel nuovo per cercare fortuna (= denaro).
E così fanno spesso visita a ‘sti cugini parenti Wenworth che come si addice alla costa est degli US, son piuttosto puritani, al contrario dei due europei che invece son di costumi meno rigidi (più allegri?).
I Wenworth vivono in campagna non lontano da Boston e si incontrano spesso coi vicini, tale Robert Acton e la di lui sorella Lizzie. L’uomo Acton è ricco di soldi fatti in Cina, e dotato di magione giusta. Il buon partito sembra individuato: si annuncia matrimonio d’interesse?
I cugini Wenworth propongono ai cugini europei di trasferirsi nella loro dépendance.
Eugenia conduce le danze protagonista assoluta, sovrintende il salotto, dirige gli incontri, fa teatrino, e riempie la dependance di tende e drappi (cioè curtain, che vuol dire anche sipario) per renderla meno semplice e più di stile: Cos’è mai la vita senza drappi?, dice infatti la baronessa, perché nella vita un sipario serve sempre eccome.
Robin Ellis (a destra nella foto) è Robert Acton.
Seguono un sacco di chiacchiere, di incontri e incroci e incastri.
Finisce con tre matrimoni (ecco perché il richiamo all’opera di Goethe, Le affinità elettive del mio titolo), di cui uno vede l’artista fratello Felix sposare felicemente una cugina Wenworth, Gertrude, mentre Eugenia Camilla Dolores rimane all’asciutto, forse per troppo orgoglio, e senza nuovo marito da impalmare se ne torna (mogia) in Europa.
Ho provato, mi sono impegnato per rovinare questa chicca jamesiana. Ma non penso di esserci riuscito: nonostante le mie scemenze, questo romanzo rimane una delizia, un intarsio di psicologie, un ricamo di caratteri, un elegante gioco in punta di penna-fioretto.
Ancora Lee Remick. Cast in chiave minore per questo film di Ivory che anticipa i suoi successi del decennio successivo.
Lee Remick è la baronessa Eugenia Camilla Dolores Münster nel film omonimo di James Ivory del 1979.
Romanzo breve del 1878, subito dopo “L’americano”, subito prima di “Daisy Miller”.
Faccio una prova, racconto la storia di questo libro buttandola in burletta.
1850.
C’era una volta una baronessa tedesca, si chiamava Eugenia Camilla Dolores Münster, ed era cresciuta a pane e volpe (qui a Roma la si definirebbe ‘na paracula): infatti, quando il marito principe di Silberstadt-Schreckenstein le annuncia che vuole divorziare, pur trattandosi solo di matrimonio morganatico, quindi è già previsto che i titoli e le proprietà del marito non passino alla moglie, essa pensa bene di ‘ntortare i cugini americani, che essendo del Nuovo Mondo devono per forza essere sempliciotti e pure tontolotti, magari anche un pochino selvaggi e con l’anello al naso come un pellerossa.
Così parte per Boston e s’accomoda a casa Wenworth, che sono appunto i parenti d’America.
Con lei viaggia Felix, fratello senza un centesimo, che si pretende artista.
Lisa Eichhorn è Gertrude Wenworth.
È chiaro per Eugenia che i cugini Wenworth servono solo per consentirle di combinare un matrimonio più vantaggioso e, quindi, di conoscere quello che lei deciderà essere il partito giusto per rimpiazzare il marito che presto sarà ex.
D’altronde si è sempre partiti dal Vecchio Mondo diretti nel nuovo per cercare fortuna (= denaro).
E così fanno spesso visita a ‘sti cugini parenti Wenworth che come si addice alla costa est degli US, son piuttosto puritani, al contrario dei due europei che invece son di costumi meno rigidi (più allegri?).
I Wenworth vivono in campagna non lontano da Boston e si incontrano spesso coi vicini, tale Robert Acton e la di lui sorella Lizzie. L’uomo Acton è ricco di soldi fatti in Cina, e dotato di magione giusta. Il buon partito sembra individuato: si annuncia matrimonio d’interesse?
I cugini Wenworth propongono ai cugini europei di trasferirsi nella loro dépendance.
Eugenia conduce le danze protagonista assoluta, sovrintende il salotto, dirige gli incontri, fa teatrino, e riempie la dependance di tende e drappi (cioè curtain, che vuol dire anche sipario) per renderla meno semplice e più di stile: Cos’è mai la vita senza drappi?, dice infatti la baronessa, perché nella vita un sipario serve sempre eccome.
Robin Ellis (a destra nella foto) è Robert Acton.
Seguono un sacco di chiacchiere, di incontri e incroci e incastri.
Finisce con tre matrimoni (ecco perché il richiamo all’opera di Goethe, Le affinità elettive del mio titolo), di cui uno vede l’artista fratello Felix sposare felicemente una cugina Wenworth, Gertrude, mentre Eugenia Camilla Dolores rimane all’asciutto, forse per troppo orgoglio, e senza nuovo marito da impalmare se ne torna (mogia) in Europa.
Ho provato, mi sono impegnato per rovinare questa chicca jamesiana. Ma non penso di esserci riuscito: nonostante le mie scemenze, questo romanzo rimane una delizia, un intarsio di psicologie, un ricamo di caratteri, un elegante gioco in punta di penna-fioretto.
Ancora Lee Remick. Cast in chiave minore per questo film di Ivory che anticipa i suoi successi del decennio successivo.
Read
November 7, 2017
There's a character in What Maisie Knew who plays billiards. Not only does she beat her opponents at home, she also travels abroad to compete in tournaments. Given that the book was written in 1897, her extraordinary prowess is a little surprising. But for all her talent, she isn’t half so great at sending things flying in multiple directions as the Baroness Münster in The Europeans.
The Europeans was written in 1878 but it is set thirty years earlier; the narrator tells us on the first page. So at the beginning, we find ourselves in 1840s Boston in the company of a duo who’ve just arrived from Europe: Eugenia, the Baroness, and her brother Felix. The pair were born somewhere in France or Italy but their mother hailed from Boston. Having fallen on hard times, they’ve come in search of their wealthy New England relatives.
Henry James seems intent on contrasting the attitudes and manners of the two camps, the one sophisticated and light-hearted, the other puritanical and profoundly serious. At the outset, it appears likely that the Europeans will be defeated by the stoney sobriety of the New Englanders, but very soon, the Baroness sets to work on the locals. By the time she's finished, those who initially lay furthest from each other are brought together and those who lay side by side are smashed asunder. Her aim is super accurate and her run is spectacular. She is never defeated - though it may seem that she abandons her trophy on the severe soil of New England
April 29, 2018
Oil and Vinegar
After reading The American, I find myself with a sort of Mirror Image in The Europeans. In the former the American man, who feels boundless, explores, and gets burnt, in the Europe full of boundaries. In The Europeans, we find a couple of siblings who feel bound and look for a way out in the open and clear new world. This time there is a split, for we are talking
The contraposition of America and its values and Europe and its culture is an ongoing theme in James’s works – just as oil and vinegar are found, in one way or another, in most salads. Sometimes their respective flavors and textures mix well; sometimes they remain distinctly apart, without resolving into an emulsified blend.
The title is however somewhat misleading. The Europeans are not really such. They are the offspring of uprooted Americans, who have grown knowing that there was always an alternative to their existence. Different from the Europeans who, unless forced by dire conditions, would not consider once that their lives could be lived otherwise.
But the title is not misleading in that these siblings remain undefined in their ‘Europeanness’. They speak English, French, Italian and German, and are not really rooted in any particular European country. Their ‘otherness’ in the clear, sober, defined, austere, constrained world remains somewhat theoretical and vague.
This second novel presents a much more restricted setting than the one in The American and the reader often feels as if she is were facing a stage in the theater. The profusion of lively and effective dialogue, that can be easily quoted or recited, as well as the enclosed spaces, and the emphasis on costumes, contradicts somehow the suggestion of the limitless space of the New World. This theatrical tone ought not to surprise the reader, however, given that James, if unsuccessful, had always wanted to write drama.
At the end, the plot and the characters are clearly closed in and resolved in a somewhat uncharacteristic fashion for this writer. And this reinforces the nature of this short novel as a light comedy; the curtains are drawn and the spectators can gather their belongings and go back to their daily lives without further ado.
But James called this a ‘sketch’ – and it seems that differently to the pictorial artists, he understood sketches as more defined than the final work with a more loose texture.
The oil and vinegar succeeded in making this a delicious read.
July 2, 2018
Viaggio in America
Romanzo giovanile, composto velocemente, pubblicato nel 1878. Una commedia brillante, percorsa da un filo di ironia. Una scrittura già bellissima, anche per lettori di libri non troppo impegnativi.
La vicenda è ambientata in America, "questo comico, delizioso paese" ; nel New England, per la precisione : in "quell'angolo lindo e boscoso del mondo occidentale, dove i tramonti erano belli e le ambizioni purissime".
H. James qui affronta un tema a lui caro : il contrasto fra le due culture, americana ed europea, alle quali in qualche modo era legato.
Fratello e sorella, altolocati, partono dall'Europa per l'America, con l'intento di accasarsi, alla ricerca di una persona ricca e raffinata, un 'buon partito' , insomma. Intanto trovano gentile ospitalità presso accoglienti e benestanti parenti.
Lei in particolare ha molte pretese e una grande opinione di sé. L'autore, con una punta di umorismo, argutamente la ritrae come una nobildonna indispettita perché in America non riusciva a brillare come le accadeva in Europa, come se nel nuovo continente non riuscisse a far far sbocciare i fiori di cui portava i semi in tasca. Pensava "che in quel continente provinciale non esistessero occasioni favorevoli per le donne veramente superiori" : "il vecchio mondo,dopo tutto, era il loro terreno naturale".
Una donna complessa o banalmente complicata? Lei, che si considera irresistibilmente intelligente, riesce a convincere di questo il lettore?
Il finale non lascerà quest'ultimo a bocca asciutta.
Ricordiamoci però che la scaltra signora non è sbarcata da sola in America : anche il fratello, pur meno brillante e con minori pretese, rimane presente in tutta la narrazione. E desterà sorprese.
Romanzo giovanile, composto velocemente, pubblicato nel 1878. Una commedia brillante, percorsa da un filo di ironia. Una scrittura già bellissima, anche per lettori di libri non troppo impegnativi.
La vicenda è ambientata in America, "questo comico, delizioso paese" ; nel New England, per la precisione : in "quell'angolo lindo e boscoso del mondo occidentale, dove i tramonti erano belli e le ambizioni purissime".
H. James qui affronta un tema a lui caro : il contrasto fra le due culture, americana ed europea, alle quali in qualche modo era legato.
Fratello e sorella, altolocati, partono dall'Europa per l'America, con l'intento di accasarsi, alla ricerca di una persona ricca e raffinata, un 'buon partito' , insomma. Intanto trovano gentile ospitalità presso accoglienti e benestanti parenti.
Lei in particolare ha molte pretese e una grande opinione di sé. L'autore, con una punta di umorismo, argutamente la ritrae come una nobildonna indispettita perché in America non riusciva a brillare come le accadeva in Europa, come se nel nuovo continente non riuscisse a far far sbocciare i fiori di cui portava i semi in tasca. Pensava "che in quel continente provinciale non esistessero occasioni favorevoli per le donne veramente superiori" : "il vecchio mondo,dopo tutto, era il loro terreno naturale".
Una donna complessa o banalmente complicata? Lei, che si considera irresistibilmente intelligente, riesce a convincere di questo il lettore?
Il finale non lascerà quest'ultimo a bocca asciutta.
Ricordiamoci però che la scaltra signora non è sbarcata da sola in America : anche il fratello, pur meno brillante e con minori pretese, rimane presente in tutta la narrazione. E desterà sorprese.
May 5, 2020
رواية لطيفة نُشرت عام 1878, تندمج مع أجواءها وشخصياتها بسهولة
تعرض صورة للحياة الاجتماعية في أمريكا في أواخر القرن التاسع عشر
الاختلاف بين الأوروبيين والأمريكيين في طريقة المعيشة والنظر للحياة
والطبائع والسلوكيات التي تفرضها البيئة والثقافة في كل بلد
أسلوب هنري جيمس جميل وفيه نبرة تهكمية واضحة في بعض أحيان
نقاط الاختلاف والتلاقي بين المجتمع الأمريكي والأوروبي ونقدها من الموضوعات التي اهتم بها هنري جيمس في كتاباته
وهنري جيمس يُمثل كلا الجانبين, هو مولود بأمريكا وأقام بها 30 عام من حياته ثم انتقل لأوروبا واستقر في لندن حتى وفاته
تعرض صورة للحياة الاجتماعية في أمريكا في أواخر القرن التاسع عشر
الاختلاف بين الأوروبيين والأمريكيين في طريقة المعيشة والنظر للحياة
والطبائع والسلوكيات التي تفرضها البيئة والثقافة في كل بلد
أسلوب هنري جيمس جميل وفيه نبرة تهكمية واضحة في بعض أحيان
نقاط الاختلاف والتلاقي بين المجتمع الأمريكي والأوروبي ونقدها من الموضوعات التي اهتم بها هنري جيمس في كتاباته
وهنري جيمس يُمثل كلا الجانبين, هو مولود بأمريكا وأقام بها 30 عام من حياته ثم انتقل لأوروبا واستقر في لندن حتى وفاته
October 5, 2016
What makes Henry James so special? You take one setting, place a few persons in it and what it ends in is a really spectacular story consisting only of dialogues and a very good insight in the world and thinking of his personages.
Also this story is almost a comedy on the social behaviour of europeans versus americans. The dialogues are pretty fast written; like they are spoken in a theater. It makes his works so lively.
I don't know when it was written but I guess it's a rather early James. I think in later work he becomes more introspective and uses much larger sentences. Though I liked the book and found the whole story and plot well constructed.
Also this story is almost a comedy on the social behaviour of europeans versus americans. The dialogues are pretty fast written; like they are spoken in a theater. It makes his works so lively.
I don't know when it was written but I guess it's a rather early James. I think in later work he becomes more introspective and uses much larger sentences. Though I liked the book and found the whole story and plot well constructed.
June 27, 2023
Master I’ll be frank with you
In this my latest song
Your novel’s very short it’s true
And yet it’s overlong
Normally I don’t care so much
About your subject matter
You seem to have the magic touch
Of fascinating chatter
Your stories could be set in France
In England or in Rome
They could be full of happenstance
And ladies staying home
Or ladies going for a stroll
Flirting with a cousin
Oh when you’re really on a roll
I'll read them by the dozen
Seldom had I felt before
That you were less than fine
Your books would not often bore
The people in my mind
This time they were yawning though
The people in my head
Restless they kept wanting to
Be somewhere else instead
The banquet laid before them
Displayed the usual treats
But who had sprinkled boredom
On all those juicy meats?
One by one they went to sleep
The guests at my long table
Some snored some in their dreams did weep
To wake up none were able
Everyone can make mistakes
Or be a big deception
And though you bake the finest cakes
You sure are no exception
February 10, 2017
PLOT SUMMARY (CONTAINS SPOILERS)
Eugenia and her brother Felix arrive in Boston from Europe. The next day Felix visits some people. The day after that Eugenia visits them. Three days later their uncle visits them. Something about a painting.
Eugenia flirts with a guy. Somebody got thrown out of college for drinking, heck, I don't know. Gertrude wants to marry Mr Brand. I don’t know who those people are either. No she doesn’t , her father wants her to because he can’t marry Mr Brand. Who's he? This is the 1880s.
Robert Acton goes to the Wentworths' but Eugenia is not in their house. Maybe she was snatched up by anarchists. It doesn't say. Clifford at this point is in hiding in a place. It could be Niagara Falls or somewhere else, probably not that far from Boston.
Mr Brand then visits Felix, who tells him Charlotte likes him. Who he means by “him” is not clear, it could be either. Eugenia walks into Robert, who says he loves her before falling down. He will have to join her in Europe after he recuperates.
Three days later, Felix decides to visit his uncle and tell him he wants to marry him but he can’t. It’s sad. Gertrude turns up and tells her father the same thing. Mr Brand asks for Mr Wentworth's hand in marriage. He agrees. However Mr Brand and Charlotte later marry.
Clifford has proposed to Lizzie Acton; I do not really know who she is - I thought I did but I read it wrong.
Years later, Robert is finally free to marry Felix.
Eugenia and her brother Felix arrive in Boston from Europe. The next day Felix visits some people. The day after that Eugenia visits them. Three days later their uncle visits them. Something about a painting.
Eugenia flirts with a guy. Somebody got thrown out of college for drinking, heck, I don't know. Gertrude wants to marry Mr Brand. I don’t know who those people are either. No she doesn’t , her father wants her to because he can’t marry Mr Brand. Who's he? This is the 1880s.
Robert Acton goes to the Wentworths' but Eugenia is not in their house. Maybe she was snatched up by anarchists. It doesn't say. Clifford at this point is in hiding in a place. It could be Niagara Falls or somewhere else, probably not that far from Boston.
Mr Brand then visits Felix, who tells him Charlotte likes him. Who he means by “him” is not clear, it could be either. Eugenia walks into Robert, who says he loves her before falling down. He will have to join her in Europe after he recuperates.
Three days later, Felix decides to visit his uncle and tell him he wants to marry him but he can’t. It’s sad. Gertrude turns up and tells her father the same thing. Mr Brand asks for Mr Wentworth's hand in marriage. He agrees. However Mr Brand and Charlotte later marry.
Clifford has proposed to Lizzie Acton; I do not really know who she is - I thought I did but I read it wrong.
Years later, Robert is finally free to marry Felix.
August 6, 2020
Senryu Review:
Bitchy Baroness
takes cottage in New England
without saying thanks
Bitchy Baroness
takes cottage in New England
without saying thanks
November 15, 2023
"Europenii" a aparut in 1878 si este unul dintre romanele mai scurte ale lui Henry James, fiind poate din acest considerent mai accesibil cititorului. Desi are sub 200 de pagini, lucru neobisnuit pentru autor este aproape la fel de stralucitor ca "rivalul" sau "Americanul". Si aici, James a avut grija sa presare din abundenta bijuteriile sale printre care descrierile ample, conversatia spumoasa, ironica, aforismele si 'fraza Jamesiana' lunga, complexa, cu multe propozitii incidente.
In cartea de fata revenim la tematica internationala in care se da iarasi batalia dintre Europa si America si daca in "Americanul" am luat partea lui Newman, acum e timpul sa vedem continentul prin ochii unor europeni. Baroana Eugenia si fratele ei Felix, niste aristocrati boemi cu o situatie materiala totusi precara, incearca sa-si gaseasca norocul peste ocean, in indepartatul Boston. Acolo ii intalnesc pe verisorii lor, Charlotte, Gertrude si Clifford pe care incearca sa-i corupa sa imbratiseze modul lor de viata dezlanat in detrimentul educatiei lor puritane, nesofisticate si simple. Baroana, repudiata de un print german, incearca sa-l vrajeasca pe Robert Acton un obisnuit de-al salonului lor. Pe de alta parte, desi la inceput nu se gandeste la asta, Felix are o influenta de inraurire asupra lui Gertrude si reuseste sa-i alunge petitorul.
Este interesant de urmarit, inca de la primele pagini, parerea europenilor despre America. Cititorul poate vizualiza cu precizie locurile ca si cum ar fi acolo, intr-atat de minunate sunt descrierile lui Henry James. Baroana Eugenia gaseste Bostonul ca pe un loc bizar cu o clima imposibila, chiar 'affreux' (oribila). Defineste totul ca fiind un neobisnuit amestec de eleganta si "mizerie". Fratele ei, optimistul Felix este de parere ca America este o tara ciudata, amuzanta, interesanta si ca are de gand sa se distreze pe cinste. Datorita peisajelor o gaseste "tara apusurilor de soare".
Desi ne asteptam ca batalia internationala sa se incheie intr-o remiza, baroana are totusi ultimul cuvant: "Europa imi pare mult mai mare decat America".
Gasesc interesant sa mentionez si cateva citate, majoritatea provenind desigur de la inteleapta Eugenia:
"Sa nu-ti cunosti greselile - aceasta ar fi fericirea vietii."
"Nu exista barbat agreabil care sa nu fi urmat la un moment dat in viata scoala unei femei inteligente, probabil mai in varsta ca el."
"Eu sunt bun la suflet - da. Dar nu prea bun." (Felix)
In cartea de fata revenim la tematica internationala in care se da iarasi batalia dintre Europa si America si daca in "Americanul" am luat partea lui Newman, acum e timpul sa vedem continentul prin ochii unor europeni. Baroana Eugenia si fratele ei Felix, niste aristocrati boemi cu o situatie materiala totusi precara, incearca sa-si gaseasca norocul peste ocean, in indepartatul Boston. Acolo ii intalnesc pe verisorii lor, Charlotte, Gertrude si Clifford pe care incearca sa-i corupa sa imbratiseze modul lor de viata dezlanat in detrimentul educatiei lor puritane, nesofisticate si simple. Baroana, repudiata de un print german, incearca sa-l vrajeasca pe Robert Acton un obisnuit de-al salonului lor. Pe de alta parte, desi la inceput nu se gandeste la asta, Felix are o influenta de inraurire asupra lui Gertrude si reuseste sa-i alunge petitorul.
Este interesant de urmarit, inca de la primele pagini, parerea europenilor despre America. Cititorul poate vizualiza cu precizie locurile ca si cum ar fi acolo, intr-atat de minunate sunt descrierile lui Henry James. Baroana Eugenia gaseste Bostonul ca pe un loc bizar cu o clima imposibila, chiar 'affreux' (oribila). Defineste totul ca fiind un neobisnuit amestec de eleganta si "mizerie". Fratele ei, optimistul Felix este de parere ca America este o tara ciudata, amuzanta, interesanta si ca are de gand sa se distreze pe cinste. Datorita peisajelor o gaseste "tara apusurilor de soare".
Desi ne asteptam ca batalia internationala sa se incheie intr-o remiza, baroana are totusi ultimul cuvant: "Europa imi pare mult mai mare decat America".
Gasesc interesant sa mentionez si cateva citate, majoritatea provenind desigur de la inteleapta Eugenia:
"Sa nu-ti cunosti greselile - aceasta ar fi fericirea vietii."
"Nu exista barbat agreabil care sa nu fi urmat la un moment dat in viata scoala unei femei inteligente, probabil mai in varsta ca el."
"Eu sunt bun la suflet - da. Dar nu prea bun." (Felix)
Read
November 26, 20185/10.
Ugh.
If I had not known and loved Henry James in different incarnations, this would have stopped me dead cold in my pursuit of knowing him better. I may, in fact, have to re-think all of Henry James with the taint of this on my hands. The first 20, and the last 20 pages save this from a Zero rating: something actually happens in those two tranches that lifts it above stick people speaking in wooden tones and executing wooden actions. It reminded me of childhood games where we hoisted brooms and sticks and whacked whacked whacked at each other pretending we were real soldiers in a real war.
Where is the tug of (real) war that I've come to know and love of James -- the moral duality that pushes and pulls old against new; that offers subtleties of thought, depth of perception? It is completely lacking, and lies recumbent in the dismal do-nothing Mr. Acton and apathetic, draggy Baroness Munster in her sorry state. These emotionless, passive people choke one to death with their soulless lives. Ugh again.
My rating seems terribly high for so many platitudes all in a row. Was it the rich, sumptuous Christmas pudding of literary constructs that James builds? Loaded with empty calories, and only good as long as the sentence lasts. It has to be that. It can only be that.
Ugh.
If I had not known and loved Henry James in different incarnations, this would have stopped me dead cold in my pursuit of knowing him better. I may, in fact, have to re-think all of Henry James with the taint of this on my hands. The first 20, and the last 20 pages save this from a Zero rating: something actually happens in those two tranches that lifts it above stick people speaking in wooden tones and executing wooden actions. It reminded me of childhood games where we hoisted brooms and sticks and whacked whacked whacked at each other pretending we were real soldiers in a real war.
Where is the tug of (real) war that I've come to know and love of James -- the moral duality that pushes and pulls old against new; that offers subtleties of thought, depth of perception? It is completely lacking, and lies recumbent in the dismal do-nothing Mr. Acton and apathetic, draggy Baroness Munster in her sorry state. These emotionless, passive people choke one to death with their soulless lives. Ugh again.
My rating seems terribly high for so many platitudes all in a row. Was it the rich, sumptuous Christmas pudding of literary constructs that James builds? Loaded with empty calories, and only good as long as the sentence lasts. It has to be that. It can only be that.
April 28, 2018
3.5
If you are warily debating whether to read Henry James for the first time or not, this early work might be a good place to start. It reads to me as HJ-Lite: full of his ‘typical’ themes but without his so-called obfuscating prose. The final conversation between two of the characters shows off his skillful dialogue, the type where you have to read it again after getting to its end: you think the words and omissions mean one thing, but they actually mean the opposite.
If you are warily debating whether to read Henry James for the first time or not, this early work might be a good place to start. It reads to me as HJ-Lite: full of his ‘typical’ themes but without his so-called obfuscating prose. The final conversation between two of the characters shows off his skillful dialogue, the type where you have to read it again after getting to its end: you think the words and omissions mean one thing, but they actually mean the opposite.
July 20, 2014
3.5 stars; rounded up.
A brief novella, which is effectively a comedy of manners, in which, on the surface, little happens. It reminded me of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. The plot is simple; Felix Young and his sister Eugenia are the Europeans. Felix is a painter, who lives a bohemian lifestyle. He is incessantly (nauseatingly) cheerful. His sister Eugenia is in a morganatic marriage and her husband’s family want a divorce. They lead a wandering, essentially frivolous lifestyle. They decide to visit their American cousins, the Wentworths. Head of the family is their uncle Mr Wentworth. He has two daughters, Gertrude and Charlotte. Charlotte is very serious and religious, Gertrude is restless and uncertain what she wants. Their younger brother Clifford has just been suspended from Harvard for drinking. Throw into the mix Mr Brand, a Unitarian minister who wants to marry Gertrude and the Actons and you have the lot. Robert Acton is a friend of the family who has been to China and made his fortune and is supposed to be worldly wise. His sister Lizzie makes up the main players. The Wentworth’s are New England Puritans of a certain moral tone and life is a serious business.
This is often portrayed as James having a swipe at Americans; however it isn’t that simple as Felix and Eugenia are American as well. The employment of an omniscient narrator means James is able to remain entirely neutral in telling his tale. He analyses a Puritan morality, contrasting it with a more “modern” reliance on feelings, emotions and the self. A type of individualism compared to the communal stiltedness of Puritan New England. Gertrude knows she does not wish to marry Mr Brand but does not know how to go about expressing it. Felix and Eugenia are more self-confident. James is critical of the Puritanism of the Wentworth’s, but it is tempered with an underlying affection as he also finds much to admire. Mr Wentworth is not the tyrannical father he could have been; he just does not understand the approach to life of his European cousins, though he does try. The real villain is Robert Acton who seems more modern and aware, but proves not to be.
A fairly light confection, with a little more going on than meets the eye, but a good introduction to James.
A brief novella, which is effectively a comedy of manners, in which, on the surface, little happens. It reminded me of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. The plot is simple; Felix Young and his sister Eugenia are the Europeans. Felix is a painter, who lives a bohemian lifestyle. He is incessantly (nauseatingly) cheerful. His sister Eugenia is in a morganatic marriage and her husband’s family want a divorce. They lead a wandering, essentially frivolous lifestyle. They decide to visit their American cousins, the Wentworths. Head of the family is their uncle Mr Wentworth. He has two daughters, Gertrude and Charlotte. Charlotte is very serious and religious, Gertrude is restless and uncertain what she wants. Their younger brother Clifford has just been suspended from Harvard for drinking. Throw into the mix Mr Brand, a Unitarian minister who wants to marry Gertrude and the Actons and you have the lot. Robert Acton is a friend of the family who has been to China and made his fortune and is supposed to be worldly wise. His sister Lizzie makes up the main players. The Wentworth’s are New England Puritans of a certain moral tone and life is a serious business.
This is often portrayed as James having a swipe at Americans; however it isn’t that simple as Felix and Eugenia are American as well. The employment of an omniscient narrator means James is able to remain entirely neutral in telling his tale. He analyses a Puritan morality, contrasting it with a more “modern” reliance on feelings, emotions and the self. A type of individualism compared to the communal stiltedness of Puritan New England. Gertrude knows she does not wish to marry Mr Brand but does not know how to go about expressing it. Felix and Eugenia are more self-confident. James is critical of the Puritanism of the Wentworth’s, but it is tempered with an underlying affection as he also finds much to admire. Mr Wentworth is not the tyrannical father he could have been; he just does not understand the approach to life of his European cousins, though he does try. The real villain is Robert Acton who seems more modern and aware, but proves not to be.
A fairly light confection, with a little more going on than meets the eye, but a good introduction to James.
February 11, 2017
Αυτό το βιβλίο μου άρεσε πολύ. Αν και οι «Ευρωπαίοι» είναι ένα από τα πρώιμα έργα του James και σε σύγκριση με τα μεταγενέστερα, ίσως να φαίνεται κάπως φλύαρο στις περιγραφές του, ήδη διακρίνουμε την εξαιρετική ικανότητα του συγγραφέα να διακρίνει και να καταγράφει με ολοζώντανο και θεατρικό τρόπο την ανθρώπινη συμπεριφορά και ψυχολογία.
Τον συγγραφέα αυτόν χαίρομαι που τον διάβασα στα 30 μου και όχι παλαιότερα, διότι δεν θα ήμουν σε θέση να «πιάσω» και να κατανοήσω όλες τις λεπτές αποχρώσεις, τις υπόνοιες, τις χειρονομίες και αυτό το αθόρυβο εσωτερικό «αναβρασμό» των ηρώων του. Θα διάβαζα και θα σκεφτόμουν ότι είναι ένας ακόμη βαρετός συγγραφέας… Στην ηλικία που είμαι όμως, αυτό που έχω να πω, είναι ότι τα βιβλία του James είναι σαν την θάλασσα, μπορεί η επιφάνεια της να μας φαίνεται γαλήνια όμως στο βυθό της τα πάντα βρίσκονται σε διαρκή αλλαγή, κίνηση και αναστάτωση…!
Τον συγγραφέα αυτόν χαίρομαι που τον διάβασα στα 30 μου και όχι παλαιότερα, διότι δεν θα ήμουν σε θέση να «πιάσω» και να κατανοήσω όλες τις λεπτές αποχρώσεις, τις υπόνοιες, τις χειρονομίες και αυτό το αθόρυβο εσωτερικό «αναβρασμό» των ηρώων του. Θα διάβαζα και θα σκεφτόμουν ότι είναι ένας ακόμη βαρετός συγγραφέας… Στην ηλικία που είμαι όμως, αυτό που έχω να πω, είναι ότι τα βιβλία του James είναι σαν την θάλασσα, μπορεί η επιφάνεια της να μας φαίνεται γαλήνια όμως στο βυθό της τα πάντα βρίσκονται σε διαρκή αλλαγή, κίνηση και αναστάτωση…!
August 14, 2020
“- É muito bonita, prima Gertrude – declarou Félix.
- Isso é um elogio – disse Gertrude. – Ponho todos os elogios que recebo num pequeno mealheiro que tem uma fenda de lado. Abano-o, e eles fazem barulho. Ainda são poucos – só dois ou três."
Dizem muitas coisas sobre Henry James, umas que o enaltecem, outras que o tornam um autor intimidante. Por um lado, acusam-no de ser um autor tão complicado, que o leitor se perde antes de chegar ao final da frase. Nas quatro obras que li dele não notei dificuldade alguma, e esta que agora termino é de uma acessibilidade surpreendente, com uma economia de descrição e narração que a torna perfeita e de leitura compulsiva. Henry James, por outro lado, é apelidado de O Mestre, epíteto que ainda não me sinto à vontade para confirmar, embora possa afirmar categoricamente que é o mestre do diálogo, o qual se exprime num vaivém de chistes e réplicas que se assemelha a um constante jogo de pingue-pongue em que não há um único adversário mais fraco que deixe cair a bola. Felix e a Baronesa Eugenia Münster, dois irmãos europeus sofisticados e mundanos, viajam até aos Estados Unidos para conhecer os seus rígidos e circunspectos primos americanos, os Wentworth, e o previsível choque de culturas que daí nasce é uma delícia devido a todos os subentendidos e a vários episódios repletos de franqueza, malícia, engano e coquetismo.
Se alguém tiver curiosidade com este autor americano que tanto tem de europeu, recomendo “Os Europeus” ainda mais do que “Daisy Miller”, que também é uma obra riquíssima para o seu tamanho.
“-Minha querida irmã – disse Félix – os habitantes são encantadores.
- De que estilo?
- De um estilo muito próprio. Como é que posso descrevê-lo? É primitivo; é patriarcal; é o ton da idade de ouro.
-E não têm nada dourado além do seu ton? Não há sintomas de riqueza?
- Eu diria que há riqueza sem sintomas. Uma simples e caseira maneira de viver; nada pomposa e o que há é pouco para – como é que posso dizer? – para os sentidos.
- Isso é um elogio – disse Gertrude. – Ponho todos os elogios que recebo num pequeno mealheiro que tem uma fenda de lado. Abano-o, e eles fazem barulho. Ainda são poucos – só dois ou três."
Dizem muitas coisas sobre Henry James, umas que o enaltecem, outras que o tornam um autor intimidante. Por um lado, acusam-no de ser um autor tão complicado, que o leitor se perde antes de chegar ao final da frase. Nas quatro obras que li dele não notei dificuldade alguma, e esta que agora termino é de uma acessibilidade surpreendente, com uma economia de descrição e narração que a torna perfeita e de leitura compulsiva. Henry James, por outro lado, é apelidado de O Mestre, epíteto que ainda não me sinto à vontade para confirmar, embora possa afirmar categoricamente que é o mestre do diálogo, o qual se exprime num vaivém de chistes e réplicas que se assemelha a um constante jogo de pingue-pongue em que não há um único adversário mais fraco que deixe cair a bola. Felix e a Baronesa Eugenia Münster, dois irmãos europeus sofisticados e mundanos, viajam até aos Estados Unidos para conhecer os seus rígidos e circunspectos primos americanos, os Wentworth, e o previsível choque de culturas que daí nasce é uma delícia devido a todos os subentendidos e a vários episódios repletos de franqueza, malícia, engano e coquetismo.
Se alguém tiver curiosidade com este autor americano que tanto tem de europeu, recomendo “Os Europeus” ainda mais do que “Daisy Miller”, que também é uma obra riquíssima para o seu tamanho.
“-Minha querida irmã – disse Félix – os habitantes são encantadores.
- De que estilo?
- De um estilo muito próprio. Como é que posso descrevê-lo? É primitivo; é patriarcal; é o ton da idade de ouro.
-E não têm nada dourado além do seu ton? Não há sintomas de riqueza?
- Eu diria que há riqueza sem sintomas. Uma simples e caseira maneira de viver; nada pomposa e o que há é pouco para – como é que posso dizer? – para os sentidos.
July 17, 2019
A slight thing for a summer’s evening. Nowhere near the heft in terms of intellect, emotion, or insight, of the other, later James I’ve read. He had one or two points to make, at best, and made them quite straightforwardly. The best of it: His drawing of Felix was vivid, the frustration of Gertrude was palpably real and relatable. The father who can’t/won’t make an accurate judgment on a human to save his life was believably bewildered, and capricious Eugenia who has no interest in being made uncomfortable by a serious reckoning with herself had the most realistic end of all. Perhaps the most interesting cultural difference shown was the views on emotions-what ought to be done with them and what they were for-thoroughly divided the titular Europeans from most of the New Englanders. Let me know what my next James should be!
September 29, 2017
After having read three of his (earlier) works I slowly start to understand why Henry James is called 'the Master'. Again 5 shining stars!
August 16, 2021
86th book of 2021.
3.5. An interesting look at division, as with many of James' novels, The Europeans illustrates people from differing continents. Eugenia and her brother Felix arrive in New England from Europe to stay with their cousins, the Wentworths. In the beginning there is a good mass of irony and humour as the American characters imagine grand old Europe: they wonder, for example, why Eugenia does not have a French maid, presume they have big lunches and sleep in the afternoons; the irony is double-edged though. Eventually it becomes a novel of love and marriage as expected but the characters are fairly intriguing and the continental divide never drops from the narrative. At times the prose is characteristically stuffy but there are many quite beautiful moments too. F.R. Leavis, the English literary critic, spoke highly of this James novel.
3.5. An interesting look at division, as with many of James' novels, The Europeans illustrates people from differing continents. Eugenia and her brother Felix arrive in New England from Europe to stay with their cousins, the Wentworths. In the beginning there is a good mass of irony and humour as the American characters imagine grand old Europe: they wonder, for example, why Eugenia does not have a French maid, presume they have big lunches and sleep in the afternoons; the irony is double-edged though. Eventually it becomes a novel of love and marriage as expected but the characters are fairly intriguing and the continental divide never drops from the narrative. At times the prose is characteristically stuffy but there are many quite beautiful moments too. F.R. Leavis, the English literary critic, spoke highly of this James novel.
The Europeans, the visiting cousins, are there mainly to provide a foil for the American family, a study of the New England ethos being James's essential purpose... Nevertheless James's irony is far from being unkind; he sees too much he admires in the ethos he criticises to condemn it... James is not condemning or endorsing either New England or Europe... This small book, written so early in James's career, is a masterpiece of major quality.
April 1, 2024
At this late age, I’ve finally read my first Henry James. Since many people have such a hard time getting around Henry James, it’s recommended that you start with some of his easier, more accessible work. (I have to admit; I was put off for a long time by my first university English teacher who complained bitterly about “The Turning of the Screw”. (“Three pages of description, three lines of action…”) This is a light novel which I’ve never seen mentioned when people talk about James but it’s probably a good place to start. (I have various more which I bought cheap so the tough stuff awaits…)
“The Europeans” is a comedy of manners, something almost always guaranteed to amuse in the right hands. Eugenia and Felix are sister and brother who’ve grown up in good society in Europe but really have never had what could be called a home to call their own. Felix is an artist, a portrait painter, and a charmer, always in good humor and ready with a compliment, while Eugenia is more serious; she’s also married to a German baron but it is a “morganatic” marriage – with Henry James, it’s always good to have a dictionary at hand – meaning neither she nor any children have any right to the title or privileges if the marriage ends, and that’s what’s about to happen; the Baron has found a younger model of higher rank and is ready to dissolve the marriage. So they’ve come to America to visit distant relatives of their late mother in New England in hopes of making wealthy marriages. It’s not that they are fortune hunters but the rules of society prevail and this is what they must do. On the other hand, their American relatives, consisting of a stern uncle, two sisters and a brother, as well as some close family friends, are somewhat in awe of their European relations; Eugenia and Felix are fresh from European society, fluent in French, plus Eugenia has a title!!! (Americans are fascinated by titles.) Although Eugenia and Felix are ensconced in a hotel, they graciously accept the offer to stay with their cousins although not in the same house but a smaller house across the road, in an “eleemosynary” situation. (Dictionary: “a charitable situation”, in case you were thinking of dropping that word into your next conversation at the supermarket – I know I will!!!) What develops is the comedy of people being in love but not quite knowing or wanting to admit to it so needing a little push. Hint: not everyone gets what they want or deserve.
This was definitely a fun read and, like I said, a good introduction into Henry James. Plus, in case anyone challenges you on not having read any of Henry James, you can respond, “I’ve dabbled…” Finally, this is once again a reminder of why they’re called “classics” and why their writers should be revered. This is a comedy of manners that never loses its dignity or becomes “déclassé.”
“The Europeans” is a comedy of manners, something almost always guaranteed to amuse in the right hands. Eugenia and Felix are sister and brother who’ve grown up in good society in Europe but really have never had what could be called a home to call their own. Felix is an artist, a portrait painter, and a charmer, always in good humor and ready with a compliment, while Eugenia is more serious; she’s also married to a German baron but it is a “morganatic” marriage – with Henry James, it’s always good to have a dictionary at hand – meaning neither she nor any children have any right to the title or privileges if the marriage ends, and that’s what’s about to happen; the Baron has found a younger model of higher rank and is ready to dissolve the marriage. So they’ve come to America to visit distant relatives of their late mother in New England in hopes of making wealthy marriages. It’s not that they are fortune hunters but the rules of society prevail and this is what they must do. On the other hand, their American relatives, consisting of a stern uncle, two sisters and a brother, as well as some close family friends, are somewhat in awe of their European relations; Eugenia and Felix are fresh from European society, fluent in French, plus Eugenia has a title!!! (Americans are fascinated by titles.) Although Eugenia and Felix are ensconced in a hotel, they graciously accept the offer to stay with their cousins although not in the same house but a smaller house across the road, in an “eleemosynary” situation. (Dictionary: “a charitable situation”, in case you were thinking of dropping that word into your next conversation at the supermarket – I know I will!!!) What develops is the comedy of people being in love but not quite knowing or wanting to admit to it so needing a little push. Hint: not everyone gets what they want or deserve.
This was definitely a fun read and, like I said, a good introduction into Henry James. Plus, in case anyone challenges you on not having read any of Henry James, you can respond, “I’ve dabbled…” Finally, this is once again a reminder of why they’re called “classics” and why their writers should be revered. This is a comedy of manners that never loses its dignity or becomes “déclassé.”
July 11, 2011
Deceptively slight, this early James packs a punch full of complexity and resonating depths.It is sad to see so many students on this site dismissing it as an easy, and therefore a boring and unchallenging read.
God Help America!!!!
1967!!
Adelaide University!!
Miss Sweetapple doing my first Henry James!!
They were both terrifying!!!
I LOVED Gertrude Wentworth, the most gutsy, rebellious and unsung of all James' heroines, as far as I'm concerned.
But what is happening??
The subtlety is suffocating...but invisible to superficial readers.
They read desperately between the lines for some clue.
So it is dismissed as 'light' James.
And students are BOOOOOOOrrred.
But this thin volume has the weight of a brick!!!
And James is not going to spoonfeed anyone.
He is not going to take sides with the ardour of a Patriot.
His concerns and sympathies lie elsewhere...
Earthquakes are occurring and prejudices and limitations exposed, and lives never take off. But others do from unexpected quarters.
Prissy Robert Acton cannot tell the difference between a lie and a little social manipulation. His Puritan World is religiously black/white. Rather than losing him, the Baroness has a lucky escape from a life of utter stultification with a narrow, unfeeling and supreme bore.
Far from the Gentlemen of Boston discovering the Baroness' deceitfulness, they are well and truly outclassed and way in above their heads. Here is a woman who lives in a world of her own creation, while most of the New Englanders are just trying to follow a prescribed set of rules and out of touch with their real feelings. Except for refreshing Gert, who shows up the pinnacle Acton for the weakling he is. As does Felix.
James is anything but black and white.
Shades of grey predominate.
So those who rush in waving their interpretive tool labelled "Europe versus America", "decadence versus healthy innocence", "artifice versus natural openness", just won't 'get it'.
James is endorsing no one ...totally.
Gertrude and Eugenia BOTH tell fibs!!!!
Gertrude alone appreciates the Baroness.Gertrude is trying to expand beyond the limits imposed by her family and thus act more naturally. She is in touch with her real feelings whereas the other New Englanders are in denial of their feelings largely due to their Puritan ethic.
James mocks the Americans.
If the Europeans,Felix and his older sister Eugenia, the Baroness(in fact they are Americans too, - see, no black/white dichotomy!!!) are opportunists, this is much more the image of the classical brash, outgoing, on-the -make American than the New Englanders, who self-seriously stress their past history, what little of it they have;one only need recall Mr Wentworth's 80 year old house, his'George Washington slept here', James' ironic "ancient city of Boston" and a youth dominated by dead and dying parents. This blurring of what are seen by the unwary and unobservant as strict opposites continues. Because James treats the Wentworths with sympathy, gentle irony and humour, so for all their limitations they come across as naive,charming and generous people but out of touch with their true feelings and so victims of self-deception. Eugenia may thus shine but James also shows her as a victim of her self-interest.
It is in Acton that America stands mainly condemned.
Despite his travels and wider experience of art and manners in comparison with the limited world of the other New Englanders, he is still unable to act on his feelings. It is a young girl thirsting unwittingly for his experiences, who outstrips him in every way. Gertrude!!
The other New Englanders have real passions which they deny by a self-imposed morality. Acton uses his morality as an excuse for his inadequacy of feeling. His worldliness is not rich, profound and wise, but a mere outward trapping. He takes a high moral tone, denouncing Eugenia as a liar and thus saving himself from confronting his inadequate emotional life. Far from being superior and unsusceptible to the Baroness' charms, he is in flight from a superior being whose emotional life he cannot match. Surface flees depth.
Deceptively slight, this early James packs a punch full of complexity and resonating depths. Sad to see so many students on this site dismissing it as an easy and uninteresting read.
God Save America!!!!
God Help America!!!!
1967!!
Adelaide University!!
Miss Sweetapple doing my first Henry James!!
They were both terrifying!!!
I LOVED Gertrude Wentworth, the most gutsy, rebellious and unsung of all James' heroines, as far as I'm concerned.
But what is happening??
The subtlety is suffocating...but invisible to superficial readers.
They read desperately between the lines for some clue.
So it is dismissed as 'light' James.
And students are BOOOOOOOrrred.
But this thin volume has the weight of a brick!!!
And James is not going to spoonfeed anyone.
He is not going to take sides with the ardour of a Patriot.
His concerns and sympathies lie elsewhere...
Earthquakes are occurring and prejudices and limitations exposed, and lives never take off. But others do from unexpected quarters.
Prissy Robert Acton cannot tell the difference between a lie and a little social manipulation. His Puritan World is religiously black/white. Rather than losing him, the Baroness has a lucky escape from a life of utter stultification with a narrow, unfeeling and supreme bore.
Far from the Gentlemen of Boston discovering the Baroness' deceitfulness, they are well and truly outclassed and way in above their heads. Here is a woman who lives in a world of her own creation, while most of the New Englanders are just trying to follow a prescribed set of rules and out of touch with their real feelings. Except for refreshing Gert, who shows up the pinnacle Acton for the weakling he is. As does Felix.
James is anything but black and white.
Shades of grey predominate.
So those who rush in waving their interpretive tool labelled "Europe versus America", "decadence versus healthy innocence", "artifice versus natural openness", just won't 'get it'.
James is endorsing no one ...totally.
Gertrude and Eugenia BOTH tell fibs!!!!
Gertrude alone appreciates the Baroness.Gertrude is trying to expand beyond the limits imposed by her family and thus act more naturally. She is in touch with her real feelings whereas the other New Englanders are in denial of their feelings largely due to their Puritan ethic.
James mocks the Americans.
If the Europeans,Felix and his older sister Eugenia, the Baroness(in fact they are Americans too, - see, no black/white dichotomy!!!) are opportunists, this is much more the image of the classical brash, outgoing, on-the -make American than the New Englanders, who self-seriously stress their past history, what little of it they have;one only need recall Mr Wentworth's 80 year old house, his'George Washington slept here', James' ironic "ancient city of Boston" and a youth dominated by dead and dying parents. This blurring of what are seen by the unwary and unobservant as strict opposites continues. Because James treats the Wentworths with sympathy, gentle irony and humour, so for all their limitations they come across as naive,charming and generous people but out of touch with their true feelings and so victims of self-deception. Eugenia may thus shine but James also shows her as a victim of her self-interest.
It is in Acton that America stands mainly condemned.
Despite his travels and wider experience of art and manners in comparison with the limited world of the other New Englanders, he is still unable to act on his feelings. It is a young girl thirsting unwittingly for his experiences, who outstrips him in every way. Gertrude!!
The other New Englanders have real passions which they deny by a self-imposed morality. Acton uses his morality as an excuse for his inadequacy of feeling. His worldliness is not rich, profound and wise, but a mere outward trapping. He takes a high moral tone, denouncing Eugenia as a liar and thus saving himself from confronting his inadequate emotional life. Far from being superior and unsusceptible to the Baroness' charms, he is in flight from a superior being whose emotional life he cannot match. Surface flees depth.
Deceptively slight, this early James packs a punch full of complexity and resonating depths. Sad to see so many students on this site dismissing it as an easy and uninteresting read.
God Save America!!!!
May 11, 2012
This short novel is a delightful introduction to Henry James, especially so for readers who have avoided this author because they’ve heard he’s “difficult” or “obscure.” The story is set in mid-nineteenth century Boston and it incorporates what’s sometimes referred to as James’s “International Theme,” the dramatic conflict between American innocence and European experience.
Two expatriate Americans, Felix, a happy-go-lucky artist and his sister Eugenia, a baroness married to a minor German prince, pay a surprise visit to their wealthy American cousins. Eugenia’s motives are questionable; her morganatic marriage is on the rocks, and she’s angling in American waters for a rich American husband. Felix, on the other hand, takes things as they come; in fact, he’s one of James’s most amiable and charming characters.
The sudden appearance of the “Europeans” in suburban Boston has an immediate impact on the lives of their American cousins, the Wentworths. The head of the family, a middle-aged widower, is a stolid Yankee, leery of “foreign” influences. His three twenty-something children have varied responses: staid Charlotte is wary; Clifford, who’s temporarily on leave from Harvard for drinking and other wild-oats sowing, is curious, and his curiosity is focused on the sophisticated Eugenia; Gertrude, the “peculiar” one has a natural affinity for handsome, Bohemian Felix.
A clever comedy of manners ensues with complications arising from natural affinities and relations. Gertrude, who immediately hits it off with Felix, is being pursued by the stiff Unitarian minister, Mr. Brand who is better suited to Charlotte; Clifford strays from his All-American girlfriend Lizzie Acton who immediately identifies Eugenia as a rival. Lizzie’s older brother Robert, a “man of the world” who has made a fortune in the Chinese trade, becomes the main focus of Eugenia’s attentions. Acton is attracted to Eugenia, but he also questions her motives. Can he trust her? Robert’s suspicions create a point of dramatic conflict and tension reminiscent of James’s “Daisy Miller,” although in that famous novella, written contemporaneously to “The Europeans”, Daisy is the “innocent, unsophisticated American girl” and Frederick Winterbourne the suspicious, Europeanized American.
The romantic story-line is about as close as James ever got to Jane Austen, but there are dark shadows in the Robert /Eugenia relationship that belie the sunny “All’s Well That Ends Well” denouement. The novel is beautifully written and very readable with vivid descriptions of mid-nineteenth century, upper-class New England life. Highly recommended.
Two expatriate Americans, Felix, a happy-go-lucky artist and his sister Eugenia, a baroness married to a minor German prince, pay a surprise visit to their wealthy American cousins. Eugenia’s motives are questionable; her morganatic marriage is on the rocks, and she’s angling in American waters for a rich American husband. Felix, on the other hand, takes things as they come; in fact, he’s one of James’s most amiable and charming characters.
The sudden appearance of the “Europeans” in suburban Boston has an immediate impact on the lives of their American cousins, the Wentworths. The head of the family, a middle-aged widower, is a stolid Yankee, leery of “foreign” influences. His three twenty-something children have varied responses: staid Charlotte is wary; Clifford, who’s temporarily on leave from Harvard for drinking and other wild-oats sowing, is curious, and his curiosity is focused on the sophisticated Eugenia; Gertrude, the “peculiar” one has a natural affinity for handsome, Bohemian Felix.
A clever comedy of manners ensues with complications arising from natural affinities and relations. Gertrude, who immediately hits it off with Felix, is being pursued by the stiff Unitarian minister, Mr. Brand who is better suited to Charlotte; Clifford strays from his All-American girlfriend Lizzie Acton who immediately identifies Eugenia as a rival. Lizzie’s older brother Robert, a “man of the world” who has made a fortune in the Chinese trade, becomes the main focus of Eugenia’s attentions. Acton is attracted to Eugenia, but he also questions her motives. Can he trust her? Robert’s suspicions create a point of dramatic conflict and tension reminiscent of James’s “Daisy Miller,” although in that famous novella, written contemporaneously to “The Europeans”, Daisy is the “innocent, unsophisticated American girl” and Frederick Winterbourne the suspicious, Europeanized American.
The romantic story-line is about as close as James ever got to Jane Austen, but there are dark shadows in the Robert /Eugenia relationship that belie the sunny “All’s Well That Ends Well” denouement. The novel is beautifully written and very readable with vivid descriptions of mid-nineteenth century, upper-class New England life. Highly recommended.
May 2, 2022
I've never read a Henry James book before and then I saw a copy of this book in MacLeod's bookshop in Vancouver and thought I should give it a go.
Well, I'm glad I did, but I doubt I will read another book by this author.
It was interesting but not gripping and I didn't feel that invested in the potential amorous outcomes.
The Europeans are Eugenia, Baroness Munster, wife of a German prince who wants rid of her. She crosses the sea to America along with her brother Felix Young.
They make themselves known to their relations and are invited by their uncle, Mr Wentworth, to stay with him and his daughters Charlotte and Gertrude and his son, Clifford, at their home. Felix falls for Gertrude who is loved by Mr Brand the Unitarian minister who is actually secretly admired by Charlotte.
A cousin of The Wentworths, Robert Acton, admires Eugenia and the sister of Robert Acton called Lizzie is loved by Clifford.
The question is: who does Eugenia fall for and can she even consider marrying when she is still officially married to the German prince?
All the answers are revealed at the end of this gentle, insightful novel full of witty comments and strong character portrayals.
Well, I'm glad I did, but I doubt I will read another book by this author.
It was interesting but not gripping and I didn't feel that invested in the potential amorous outcomes.
The Europeans are Eugenia, Baroness Munster, wife of a German prince who wants rid of her. She crosses the sea to America along with her brother Felix Young.
They make themselves known to their relations and are invited by their uncle, Mr Wentworth, to stay with him and his daughters Charlotte and Gertrude and his son, Clifford, at their home. Felix falls for Gertrude who is loved by Mr Brand the Unitarian minister who is actually secretly admired by Charlotte.
A cousin of The Wentworths, Robert Acton, admires Eugenia and the sister of Robert Acton called Lizzie is loved by Clifford.
The question is: who does Eugenia fall for and can she even consider marrying when she is still officially married to the German prince?
All the answers are revealed at the end of this gentle, insightful novel full of witty comments and strong character portrayals.
February 21, 2023
I fear that Henry James will be adding to the Jane Austen pile of "Books I'm Supposed to Appreciate But Don't". I'll read another to give him a fair crap at the whip. However, ve now read all Austens books and been bored by every one so don't hold your breath that I'll love the next one.
So to The Europeans. Mt first Henry James. I picked it because it was short. I listened to it because it was free on Audible.
The narration by the sublime Eleanor Bron was beautiful. The story was not. We meet Felix and his sister Eugenia, recently arrived in the US from Europe where Eugenia has been cast aside by her husband (although not divorced). They come to the Boston area to find their cousins.
What follows after the cousins meet is Austen-like, 15 minutes of meandering until someone gets to the point (or even says hello), misunderstandings, men being bewildered by women, fathers trying to bore the excitement out of their daughters, lots of romantic meddling and endless dialogue about nothing in particular.
My conclusion is that if you like Austen, you'll like James. If, however, you are like me and find Austen irritating then you probably won't. Still, at least the narration was heavenly.
I want to add here that I find Austen the woman an absolute goddess. She was a pioneer. I just don't like her books. Don't try and persuade me (no pun intended). It won't work.
So to The Europeans. Mt first Henry James. I picked it because it was short. I listened to it because it was free on Audible.
The narration by the sublime Eleanor Bron was beautiful. The story was not. We meet Felix and his sister Eugenia, recently arrived in the US from Europe where Eugenia has been cast aside by her husband (although not divorced). They come to the Boston area to find their cousins.
What follows after the cousins meet is Austen-like, 15 minutes of meandering until someone gets to the point (or even says hello), misunderstandings, men being bewildered by women, fathers trying to bore the excitement out of their daughters, lots of romantic meddling and endless dialogue about nothing in particular.
My conclusion is that if you like Austen, you'll like James. If, however, you are like me and find Austen irritating then you probably won't. Still, at least the narration was heavenly.
I want to add here that I find Austen the woman an absolute goddess. She was a pioneer. I just don't like her books. Don't try and persuade me (no pun intended). It won't work.
September 13, 2020
It's been more than 20 years since I read Henry James. Too long! So good to have renewed my acquaintance!
September 2, 2021
No sé porque, os lo juro, pero yo con el señor Henry James… como que no. Y no entiendo porque, a priori tiene todo para gustarme, y mucho. No he pasado de leer de él algunos cuentos y novelas cortas, pero realmente quiero avanzar con su obra y leer alguna novela más larga, como “La Copa Dorada” y “Washington Square”, que son solo algunas de las que tengo pendientes de este señor. De ahí que haya empezado a intentarlo con esta novellete de “Los Europeos”, que no es muy larga y de la que había leído muy buenas críticas. Y tengo que decir que lo que más he valorado de ella es que, a grandes rasgos, me ha gustado mucho. No se me ha hecho nada pesado el estilo de James a la hora de escribir, y la trama argumental (sencillita, no muy compleja) me ha resultado agradable de leer pese a resultar una vieja conocida para cualquiera familiarizado con la literatura victoriana.
El alma de esta pequeña obra es bastante clara, James no se toma la molestia de buscarle tres patas al gato, o de darle intenciones ocultas a su obra, deja claras sus intenciones desde la primera escena que leemos: trata sobre las diferencias entre las sociedades europeas y americana y como estas se contraponen hasta acabar, en cierto sentido, moralmente enfrentadas. Una premisa sencilla, como dije antes. La cuestión es que el tratamiento que le da el autor no lo es para nada. Lo hace por medio de personajes increíblemente matizados y definidos, elementos esenciales para el cuadro costumbrista que es el libro en si mismo. Son poquitos, al igual que los escenarios en los que tiene lugar la obra, todo tiene un sabor a obra de teatro en el que cada cual tiene su propio rol y donde notas que todo esta nítidamente trazado. Cada personaje tiene su papel y sus personalidades, las cuales, junto a sus convenciones sociales, herencia de su educación y su cultura, marcan sus actuaciones dentro de la trama.
En el fondo, vemos aquí una constante vital para el celebre escritor en su bibliografía. No voy a decir que soy experta ni en ese tema ni en la biografía del autor, pero si hay algo que se nota que le caracteriza, creo que es su necesidad de ser ingles (algo que consiguió) y por ende europeo . La pareja de hermanos, Eugenia y Felix, interrumpen en la vida de sus parientes europeos como una ráfaga de aire fresco, desde el principio, ya sean por su personalidad o su forma de moverse en sociedad, queda claro que moralmente son superiores a sus encorsetados familiares Wentworth y su circulo más estrecho. Todo es muy made in britain, con una factura impecable muy de gentleman. Hasta el más estupido y banal de sus personajes es realmente inteligente y perspicaz a su manera; los diálogos son enrevesados, irónicos e inteligentes, de esos que hacen avanzar el drama y ahondar en la psique de los personajes. Los dos hermanos Young son los que hacen atractiva e interesante la historia, destacando la excelentemente perfilada Eugenia, que se me ha dado un aire a la maravillosa Becky Sharp de la estupenda “Feria de las Vanidades”, solo que con mejor situación social. Pero para ser sinceras, el resto de personajes no tienen mucho de que rascar, están tan bien perfilados como son olvidables.
Pero al mismo tiempo, si le quitamos la perfecta creación y desarrollo de sus personajes; la acertada y satírica crítica y hacia las dos culturas; y la inteligencia y agilidad de sus diálogos, se nos queda una historia que argumentalmente es muy simple, quizás demasiado. Son todos esos pequeños grandes detalles los que hacen de esta lectura algo especial y agradable. Ademas, después de haber ahondado tanto en todos estos aspectos, su desenlace me ha parecido un poco precipitado. Pero eso está, al mismo tiempo, totalmente justificado. La historia necesitaba un final feliz para ser una fábula moralmente redonda, y no daba para más que para cerrarse con unas escuetas pero incisivas líneas.
De todas formas, sin quitarle ni el más mínimo mérito a James, que para algo es uno de los grandes escritores de la literatura universal, debo reconocer que si hay algo que no me gusta de este autor y que ha hecho que hasta ahora no me haya atrevido a ahondar en él seriamente, es que me parece un pelín esnob, con personajes que no me acabo de creer y que me parecen todos cortados, a grandes rasgos, por el mismo patrón, en el sentido de que son todos gente con una cultura y una educación bastantes altas, y por ello no me parecen del todo realistas . Espero que las próximas lecturas que quiero hacer de este autor vayan mejorando la opinión que tengo sobre él, y acabe disfruntandole como seguramente se merece. De momento, “Los Europeos” me parece un excelente punto de partida.
El alma de esta pequeña obra es bastante clara, James no se toma la molestia de buscarle tres patas al gato, o de darle intenciones ocultas a su obra, deja claras sus intenciones desde la primera escena que leemos: trata sobre las diferencias entre las sociedades europeas y americana y como estas se contraponen hasta acabar, en cierto sentido, moralmente enfrentadas. Una premisa sencilla, como dije antes. La cuestión es que el tratamiento que le da el autor no lo es para nada. Lo hace por medio de personajes increíblemente matizados y definidos, elementos esenciales para el cuadro costumbrista que es el libro en si mismo. Son poquitos, al igual que los escenarios en los que tiene lugar la obra, todo tiene un sabor a obra de teatro en el que cada cual tiene su propio rol y donde notas que todo esta nítidamente trazado. Cada personaje tiene su papel y sus personalidades, las cuales, junto a sus convenciones sociales, herencia de su educación y su cultura, marcan sus actuaciones dentro de la trama.
En el fondo, vemos aquí una constante vital para el celebre escritor en su bibliografía. No voy a decir que soy experta ni en ese tema ni en la biografía del autor, pero si hay algo que se nota que le caracteriza, creo que es su necesidad de ser ingles (algo que consiguió) y por ende europeo . La pareja de hermanos, Eugenia y Felix, interrumpen en la vida de sus parientes europeos como una ráfaga de aire fresco, desde el principio, ya sean por su personalidad o su forma de moverse en sociedad, queda claro que moralmente son superiores a sus encorsetados familiares Wentworth y su circulo más estrecho. Todo es muy made in britain, con una factura impecable muy de gentleman. Hasta el más estupido y banal de sus personajes es realmente inteligente y perspicaz a su manera; los diálogos son enrevesados, irónicos e inteligentes, de esos que hacen avanzar el drama y ahondar en la psique de los personajes. Los dos hermanos Young son los que hacen atractiva e interesante la historia, destacando la excelentemente perfilada Eugenia, que se me ha dado un aire a la maravillosa Becky Sharp de la estupenda “Feria de las Vanidades”, solo que con mejor situación social. Pero para ser sinceras, el resto de personajes no tienen mucho de que rascar, están tan bien perfilados como son olvidables.
Pero al mismo tiempo, si le quitamos la perfecta creación y desarrollo de sus personajes; la acertada y satírica crítica y hacia las dos culturas; y la inteligencia y agilidad de sus diálogos, se nos queda una historia que argumentalmente es muy simple, quizás demasiado. Son todos esos pequeños grandes detalles los que hacen de esta lectura algo especial y agradable. Ademas, después de haber ahondado tanto en todos estos aspectos, su desenlace me ha parecido un poco precipitado. Pero eso está, al mismo tiempo, totalmente justificado. La historia necesitaba un final feliz para ser una fábula moralmente redonda, y no daba para más que para cerrarse con unas escuetas pero incisivas líneas.
De todas formas, sin quitarle ni el más mínimo mérito a James, que para algo es uno de los grandes escritores de la literatura universal, debo reconocer que si hay algo que no me gusta de este autor y que ha hecho que hasta ahora no me haya atrevido a ahondar en él seriamente, es que me parece un pelín esnob, con personajes que no me acabo de creer y que me parecen todos cortados, a grandes rasgos, por el mismo patrón, en el sentido de que son todos gente con una cultura y una educación bastantes altas, y por ello no me parecen del todo realistas . Espero que las próximas lecturas que quiero hacer de este autor vayan mejorando la opinión que tengo sobre él, y acabe disfruntandole como seguramente se merece. De momento, “Los Europeos” me parece un excelente punto de partida.
July 12, 2024
The Europeans is an absolutely delightful novel! Fun from the first page through the last. Also, it is really more of a novella and can easily be read in one or two sittings.
The Europeans is actually a 'flip', if you will, in the normal Jamesian plot-line. In other words, rather than the story of an American expatriate in Europe, this is the tale of two American expats who come back to visit family in New England. This is the story of Eugenia, the Baroness Munster, and her younger brother Felix Young, who leave Germany because of her disintegrating marriage to a German prince. They end up moving in with the Wentworths, relatives on their late-mother's side of the family. I gotta say at this point too, the reader is gonna fall in love with Gertrude Wentworth--pretty much like everyone else in the novel!
Obviously, the staid New England Puritan Wentworths and their neighbors are largely over-awed by their European cousins, but everyone settles in after a bit and 'the good times roll'. Felix is an artist--a genuine good natured fellow and free spirit--and a big hit among all of his American friends and family. Eugenia, the Baroness, is a bit more of an enigma, and everyone minces about around her, but she too is actually a good soul. She ends up being a positive influence on several of the novels more important characters.
Romance abounds among all of the young people, and while it is fun to watch the flowers of love open and blossom, it is also worth following James as he guides the reader through the comparisons and contrasts between the pragmatic European continental sensibilities of Eugenia and Felix, and the fresh, but restrained New England practicalities of the Wentworth son and daughters and the Acton brother and sister.
This a free-spirited, flibbertigibbet novel that asks for nothing more than that the reader sit back and enjoy it. It ain't deep, it ain't all that serious, it is simply a heck of a good little story that upon finishing you realize that you're very glad that you read it. And you know what? I'll read it again sometime. Solid four of five stars for me!
The Europeans is actually a 'flip', if you will, in the normal Jamesian plot-line. In other words, rather than the story of an American expatriate in Europe, this is the tale of two American expats who come back to visit family in New England. This is the story of Eugenia, the Baroness Munster, and her younger brother Felix Young, who leave Germany because of her disintegrating marriage to a German prince. They end up moving in with the Wentworths, relatives on their late-mother's side of the family. I gotta say at this point too, the reader is gonna fall in love with Gertrude Wentworth--pretty much like everyone else in the novel!
Obviously, the staid New England Puritan Wentworths and their neighbors are largely over-awed by their European cousins, but everyone settles in after a bit and 'the good times roll'. Felix is an artist--a genuine good natured fellow and free spirit--and a big hit among all of his American friends and family. Eugenia, the Baroness, is a bit more of an enigma, and everyone minces about around her, but she too is actually a good soul. She ends up being a positive influence on several of the novels more important characters.
Romance abounds among all of the young people, and while it is fun to watch the flowers of love open and blossom, it is also worth following James as he guides the reader through the comparisons and contrasts between the pragmatic European continental sensibilities of Eugenia and Felix, and the fresh, but restrained New England practicalities of the Wentworth son and daughters and the Acton brother and sister.
This a free-spirited, flibbertigibbet novel that asks for nothing more than that the reader sit back and enjoy it. It ain't deep, it ain't all that serious, it is simply a heck of a good little story that upon finishing you realize that you're very glad that you read it. And you know what? I'll read it again sometime. Solid four of five stars for me!
August 31, 2024
Can’t wait to discuss this with my buddy readers Susan and Jen! This is such a great accessible James! Definitely recommend this as a place to start.
August 8, 2022
A brilliant short early novel by James that prefigures his concerns with the conflict between the European and American worlds. Unlike Daisy Miller and The American, James brings the Europeans to America and specifically, an America suffused with Puritan morality.
Without giving away the book, the role positions have switched; here, the Americans are cold and distant and the Europeans are warmly alive. But within the romantic and economic gold digging, a gentle look into the negotiations of the human heart as well as the negotiations of suitability for an economic marriage are masterfully portrayed here. James felt this to be less impressive when he matured and completed his late masterpieces; but this is easily a book to place alongside other 19th century classics on marriage. If it immerses you, you could finish it in long afternoon.
Without giving away the book, the role positions have switched; here, the Americans are cold and distant and the Europeans are warmly alive. But within the romantic and economic gold digging, a gentle look into the negotiations of the human heart as well as the negotiations of suitability for an economic marriage are masterfully portrayed here. James felt this to be less impressive when he matured and completed his late masterpieces; but this is easily a book to place alongside other 19th century classics on marriage. If it immerses you, you could finish it in long afternoon.
June 3, 2016
All I can type down now is, read this overlooked Henry James classic , watch the movie of the same name by the film makers Merchant And Ivory made in 1979 starring Lee Remick. Henry James is considered a literary master for a reason. If you watch the film you won't be able to get the beautiful music out of your head.
May 16, 2019
Will review later.
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