Abstract
Many Critics believe that Henry James has set the definitive standards of modern fiction writing. Undoubtedly his groundbreaking article “The Art of fiction,” which published for the first time in 1884, has a major contribution in developing the theories of fiction writing. The term Organic Unity has derived from a major Formalist Critic, Cleanth Brooks. Both James and Brooks believed that a critic should approach a text as an organic whole. So, in this article we try to pinpoint the ideas which James and Brooks claimed in their essays and see how these ideas conform to one of James’ well-known stories, Daisy Miller . We want to observe that how James develops and shapes his story around the central theme. Furthermore, we want to investigate that are there any literary devices embedded in the text of the story which help James to deliver his fiction with artistry? Keywords: James, Cleanth Brooks, Organic Unity, The Art of Fiction, Daisy Miller
Highlights
1.1 Organic UnityOrganic Unity or Organic Form was one of the major topics of debates during the reign of the New Critics
He meddles in the story, but only to the extent which reveals to the reader certain aspects of the characters. He tries to efface him-self from any bold comments about Europeans or Americans, and that is the thing which makes him a master of his art. As we studied his revolutionary essay “The Art of Fiction,” we can see that there is no contradiction between what he claims in his essay and what he writes in his work
The Concept of Organic Unity is the very example of this affinity which is claimed by both James and Brooks
Summary
Organic Unity or Organic Form was one of the major topics of debates during the reign of the New Critics. The concept of organic unity was mentioned for the first time in such works as The Republic, Phaedrus, and Gorgias by the Greek philosopher Plato; but it lacked the true definitive role in literature until it was formed and shaped by another Greek philosopher, Aristotle. In Aristotle’s Poetics, organic unity is described by “how writing relies internally on narration and drama to remain cohesive to one another, not as separate entities. Without balance on both sides, the whole concept suffers” (Britannica). The organic form, on the other hand, is innate; it shapes as it develops itself from within, and the fullness of its development is one and the same with the perfection of its outward form.” The idea of the literary text as a living organism has been an influential concept in the 20th century, in NEW CRITICISM. (Quinn, 2006, p.306)
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