Book Group - "The American" by Henry James

  • 06 Mar 2015
  • 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • WICE Office - 10 rue Tiphaine, 75015 Paris
  • 13

Registration

  • Free for WICE Members
Free to WICE Members
Friday
March 6th, 2015
2pm- 4pm


"The American"
by Henry James

Join us in discussing this American classic

Brief resume:
The American is built around a moral dilemma that dramatises this clash of cultures. Wealthy, open-hearted Christopher Newman (the New Man in the Old World) visits Paris and falls in love with impoverished French aristocrat, Claire de Cintre. However, her snobbish family bully her into breaking off the engagement. When Newman discovers that his former fiancée's family are hiding a dark secret, corrupt Old World morals suggest he should use it to take his revenge; but his simpler American sense tells him that this would be wrong. What should he do? The fine touch with which James explores the complexities of this scenario markes an extraordinary advance over his first novel, Roderick Hudson; and The American looks forward to the mature classics of James' middle period, books like Daisy Miller and Portrait of a Lady--all novels that explore the classic Jamesian theme of Americans in Europe.

Join WICE Bilingual Book Group to discuss this intriguing novel that is sure to spark discussion on the many ways to interpret this story.
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