Stage fright and the debt to repay: Reflections on Henry James and “The Lesson of Balzac”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5902/2176148589460Keywords:
Stage Fright, Henry James, Balzac, novel, pecuniary imageryAbstract
Henry James’s return to America after 20 years marked a turning point in his career. The author justified his visit with a sense of urgency and a “passion for nostalgia”. During his stay, he gave the lecture “The Lesson of Balzac”, overcoming what Leon Edel calls his “stage fright”. But what is the point of this “lesson” in recovering from
trauma, in atoning for passion through a homecoming? This article attempts to examine some motifs, patterns,
figures, and connections that can be used to discuss this question both in its literary sense and in the geopolitical
overtones associated with James’ view of the international novelistic production.
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