The American Scene
The American Scene by Henry James, published by Penguin on December 1, 1994, is a reflective journal that captures the author’s impressions upon returning to America after two decades abroad. In this 384-page edition, James explores his feelings about the New York of his childhood and the evolution of modern commercial America, offering insights into the cultural landscape of the East Coast from Boston to Florida.
Readers will find James contemplating notable figures such as Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Emerson, while also reflecting on the spiritual void he perceives in Washington and the haunting memories of the Civil War in Richmond. This journal, first published in 1907, serves as a farewell to a country he would not inhabit again, providing a unique perspective on the intersection of personal and national identity within the context of American history and literature.
Official synopsis Publisher
After living abroad for 20 years, Henry James returned to his native America and travelled down the East Coast from Boston to Florida. This a journal describing his feelings on the rediscovery of the New York of his childhood, and the growth of modern commercial America. He muses on Thoreau, Hawthorne and Emerson; in Washington, he finds a cityscape devoid of spiritual symbols; in Richmond, thoughts of the civil war haunt him. Published in 1907, this journal also served as a farewell address to the country James would never live in again.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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