Henry James 
The Art of Fiction 

The Art of Fiction Henry James – World-renowned novelist and short story author Henry James offers practical advice and considerable insight on what makes quality fiction, and how good writers can create it.A common theme seen in Henry James’ works is contrasting the naivete and untrammeled freedom of the New World with the knowledgeable but corrupt nature of Europe and the Old World. Beginning with short stories while in his 20s, James quickly gained a reputation as a skilled wordsmith and compelling narrator. His innovative style was emblematic of new forms of penmanship which partly displaced and partly accentuated the prevalent Romantic and Victorian literary forms.Much of Henry James teaching contains his opinions on the nature and purpose of fiction. His theories about what a novel should present – as entertainment, as art, and as a reflection upon the author – offer readers thoughtful and informed analysis of creative writing. What roles that characters should take, and how description should reflect such characters and their surroundings and doings, are also considered.In differentiating how people tell stories to one another day-to-day, and how a professional storyteller should put his tale to paper, James offers a distinctive and valuable opinion on the subject. While aspects of his thought belong to their time, the view of an experienced and lauded author on the subject of writing good stories both short and long holds certain value to aspiring authors and enthusiastic readers to this day.

About the author

Henry James, OM, son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an American-born author, one of the founders and leaders of a school of realism in fiction. He spent much of his life in England and became a British subject shortly before his death. He is primarily known for a series of major novels in which he portrayed the encounter of America with Europe. His plots centered on personal relationships, the proper exercise of power in such relationships, and other moral questions. His method of writing from the point of view of a character within a tale allowed him to explore the phenomena of consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting.James insisted that writers in Great Britain and America should be allowed the greatest freedom possible in presenting their view of the world, as French authors were. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators in his own novels and tales brought a new depth and interest to realistic fiction, and foreshadowed the modernist work of the twentieth century. An extraordinarily productive writer, in addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel writing, biography, autobiography, and criticism, and wrote plays, some of which were performed during his lifetime with moderate success. His theatrical work is thought to have profoundly influenced his later novels and tales.