Henry James’s Middle Years in Letters

Abstract

ABSTRACT These new volumes in The Complete Letters of Henry James cover the years 1878–80, when James was extraordinarily prolific, publishing seven major works, including The Portrait of a Lady (1881). James's literary output is explained in part by his development of an international theme that appealed to readers in both the United States and Europe. These letters help us understand how James worked to gain social and literary visibility in London, as well as developed marketing skills that would enable him to increase the value and circulation of his works on both sides of the Atlantic. Michael Anesko's superb introduction to both volumes places James's letters in these crucial years in the context of James's literary works and the broader social history in which they were produced.