Social Status in a Post-Industrialized Society - Henry James Daisy Miller - Essay Example

?Introduction Henry James is considered as one of the key figures in the realm of literary criticism and become one of the leading American to define the social relationships and interactions between Americans and Europeans. He was born in a wealthy New York family however spent most of his life in England where he was naturalized as citizen of the country one year before his death. His extensive travelling in Europe allowed him to understand the critical differences between the American and European way of living. His masterpiece work, Daisy Miller is a vivid portrayal of the differences between the sociological structure of Europe and America. What is also important to understand that his work is mostly rooted into the different sociological changes which were taking place within European and American society during 19th Century? Sociological criticism is a realm under which the literature is largely understood from the perspective of the social context. Viewing the same from a larger social context, this type of criticism views the literature from different sociological constructs and serves as a normative way of understanding the society and the social construction of a society. There are two most important sub-types of this criticism i.e. Marxist and feminist criticism. Both these approaches are extensively applied in order to put any literary piece within its social context. This paper will discuss two of the important works of Henry James including Daisy Miller and The Bostonians and will present a discussion as to how the political, socio-economic and cultural developments influenced the overall development of his work. Sociological Criticism Sociological criticism is considered as one of the leading types of literary criticisms which view the development of literature within a particular context of the society. The discussion of this nature therefore can include discussion on society, social relationships and other historical events which can affect the society during the period in which writings were produced. An important criterion therefore is to view the sociological criticism from different political philosophies prevailing at that time. As such, while conducting sociological criticism; one needs to view things not only from the perspective of liberalism as well as the Marxism, feminism as well as the conservatism. As such the overall criticism comprehends different political philosophies and perspectives prevailing at the time of writings. (Harrington, 2004) In its real essence, sociological criticism argues that the literary works written during any period should reflect their social context within which they are embedded. This also requires that the authors must discuss the very dynamics of the society in which they work and write and should give due consideration to the changes taking place over the period of time in a given society. What is also important to understand that this type of criticism can also allow the author to fully explore and understand the dominant political and social philosophies of the time? This would invariably allow the authors/writers to write on the current events of their time in greater depth and giving them their true social and historical context. Henry James- a short biographical note Before presenting the critical analysis, it is important to discuss the life and works of Henry James in general to set a historical background of his work. He was born in New York in a wealthy and intellectual family in 1843. His work is considered as distinguished in the sense that his work was based on an extensive commentary on the politics, social class and status as well as discussing some of the themes based on personal freedom such as feminism. Since his early childhood he was exposed towards the English, French, Russian as well as American classical literature. This exposure allowed him to understand the dynamics of each genre of literature from a different perspective and allowed him to become a more mature writer. It is also important to note that his earlier work published in various monthly magazines such as Nation, North American Review etc. This has also allowed him to gain wider base of readers across the nation and also helped to become an international phenomenon. He travelled extensively in Europe and most of his work also depicted the class differences between the Europeans and Americans. (Auchinloss, 1975) He is also famous for his continuous persistence that writers shall be at freedom to express their views about the world. This unique presentation of the world through writings of a writer therefore outlines a fresh perspective about how the social relations and classes emerge within the society and what are the implications of the same. Daisy Miller One of the most distinctive aspects of this novella is the fact that this novel presents a comparative analysis of the difference between Europe and America. Daisy Miller’s instance that the continent is better than America shows a clear and vivid example of how the differences in perception can be based upon the sociological relations. This book was written during 1878-1879 when Europe and American were on the peak of industrial revolution and some permanent changes already took place within both these societies. (Wagelin, 1984) There are two important characters which are identified in this book i.e. of Daisy Miller and Winterbourne. Both of them met in Switzerland however, James has also used Italy as a second country in this novel. A closer analysis of the different events described in the book as well as the analysis of the characters would reveal that Henry attempted to show American innocence as well as the experience of Europe itself. The death of Daisy Miller due to cold therefore is suggested as a metaphor for the American innocence and how the cultural differences between the two regions can actually contribute towards the development of events leading to the death of Daisy Miller. Thus James has presented a tale about American family which has fully adapted the European norms while refusing to follow American values and societal norms. As such there is a tussle between the two value systems of two different societies and how they coincide with each other when one family migrates to another region. Henry James has also attempted to portray a picture of American innocence through this character by outlining that American females remain innocent despite the fact that they may do or say something different. This so called innocence is considered as something baffling for their European lovers. The social structure and norms prevailing in European society did not allowed a girl to have intimate relationships with the strangers however, Daisy Miller seem to have broke such rules and enjoyed her freedom- freedom from different rules and values of the European society. This aspect of the novel makes it more interesting in the sense that in a post-industrial society, the act of forming intimate relationships have became a normal act however, it was considered as something different during the industrial era. The historical shift in the values during and after industrial era therefore outlines the social change which has taken place over the period of time. Daisy Miller’s character therefore depicted a just fight against the superstitious values of the European society and what it needs to change. The industrial era was a period during which the social relations, class and status was defined with relation to the production however, this novel defined the characters and their social status in an entirely different manner. Henry James was successful in portraying characters which were deeply rooted into a given society however; he also managed to show as to how the defiance from society’s norms could be challenged to bring in new changes. The Bostonians This novel is also considered as one of the best works of Henry James and portrays feminism and its rising influence in the American society. The tussle between the conservatives as well as the feminism within American society is portrayed to outline the underlying changes which were taking place within American society. The characters of Basil Ransom as well as the Olive Chancellor depict the inherent struggle between the social values and how women were perceived within American society. Through this novel, Henry James attempted to give a new identity to women within American society which was even perceived in different connotations. (Wagenknecht, 1983). This novel however, also portrays the increasing importance of women during the industrial era and how the role of women may evolve during the post-modern era. This rising influence of women within modern society was therefore also considered as a challenge to the orthodox society and different names such as lesbianism were coined to define the role of women within a given context. There are two important themes which are discussed in the novel i.e. feminism and the role of women in a society. James however, presented both of these themes within a broader political spectrum and gave this novel a unique touch to outline a new change emerging within American society and its political implications. This is also important owing to the fact that with the rise of commercialism within American society and the emergence of departmental stores allowed middle class women to become part of the labor force.n (Hendin, 1984) This fact therefore allowed women to exert more power and influence on a given society and develop themselves as the alternative political force with its own agenda and issues to settle with. The recent debate on the novel also points out towards the portrayal of same sex marriages or establishment of intimate relationships between the women. Olive’s relationship with Verena is considered as a hint towards the possible establishment of relationships between two women though James is not so explicit in the portrayal of this relationship due to the conventional restrictions of that time. This novel has also been successful in highlighting the role of Mass Media in society and how it can contribute towards the refinement of the political reforms. The Bostonians was also successful in highlighting as to how important it could be to allow women to become financially independent. The character of Olive highlights that financial independence and freedom from household responsibilities actually allowed her to become active in the feminist politics while at the same time resisting the romantic advances made by the males. It is also important to understand though this novel does not attracted much of the attention however; it is generally believed that James was successful in outlining the wider reforms movements of feminism and the underlying political changes taking place at that time. Though the novel is considered as lengthy in nature however, it was able to depict the political and social changes which were taking place within American society at that time. Conclusion Henry James is considered as one of the leading novelists in American history as due to his work, he was able to establish the differences between different societies. Though born in New York he extensively travelled all over the Europe and finally settled in England and become English subject just a year before his death. His two novels i.e. Daisy Miller and The Bostonians are considered as two of his most important works in terms of their projection of different themes. Daisy Miller was an attempt made to highlight the differences between the European and American society. It depicts as to how one woman was able to defy the superstitious norms of European society while maintaining her innocence. The struggle to break free from the socio-political norms of European and American society therefore successfully described in this work. The Bostonians was also set within a political background wherein an inherent struggle between conservatism and feminism within American society is depicted. Henry James was able to outline the deeper changes which were taking place within American society and successfully outlined the increasing influence of Women within society. He also highlighted the potential lesbian encounters between the women and the reluctance of women to form intimate relationships with men. What is critical about this novel is the fact that it has been able to outline the rise of feminism during industrial era and the re-defining of social relationships within industrial society of America. Bibliography Auchinloss, L. (1975). Reading Henry James. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Wageline, C. (1984). Tales of Henry James. New York: W W Norton and Comp Inc. Harrington, A. (2004). Art and Social Theory. Polity Press Ltd: Malden. Hendin, J. (1984). Introduction to The Bostonians. New York: Bantam. Wagenknecht, E. (1983). The Novels of Henry James. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. Read More