Henry James : A Critical Study of the Supernatural Tales

Abstract

<p>This study of Henry James's supernatural tales attempts to examine the development of James's attitude to the supernatural, and his technical handling of these attitude in nineteen of his shorter works, commonly called the supernatural or ghostly tales. For James, the supernatural aspect of life was an extra reality as viable as empirical events. My view is that, although these particular fictions deal with extraordinary apparitions and situations, they are, nevertheless, not significantly different in intention from the rest of James's novels and tales. For James, the extraordinary aspect of life was equally, sometimes more, important that the ordinary. Therefore these tales should be considered an integral and essential part of the James canon.</p>