Dec 28, 2009

The Jolly Corner | What Do I Read Next?

Published in 1887, The American is James’s third novel. The protagonist, Christopher Newman, is a brash, young American businessman. He travels in Europe, learning about art and European culture. Newman and Spencer offer a fascinating contrast.

James’s ‘‘In the Cage’’ is a short story published in 1898. It chronicles the life of an English, working-class woman who works in a telegraph booth. She reads the messages of her upper-class clientele, obsessed by their correspondence and personal intrigues.

The novels The House of Mirth (1905) and The...