The Twentieth-Century World of Henry James: Changes in His Work After 1900 (review)

Abstract

Adeline Tinter's The Twentieth-Century World of Henry James focuses on changes in James's art after 1900; thus his autobiography, his three final novels (including, of course, The Sacred Fount), and his essays on World War I are her subject matter. Tinter may refer to herself as a mere "detective" but she is surely a comprehensive, daring, and wise critic. I am particularly interested in the notion of "detection" because I believe that James himself is alert to mysteries, secrets, "possessions." Thus in a strange way I am trying to write a brief review in which I follow Tinter's inquiry (track) into James's occult world.