The Tragic Muse

Resumen del libro

'You must paint her just like that ... as the Tragic Muse' Suggests one of James's characters to Nick Dormer, the young Englishman who, during the course of the novel, will courageously resist the glittering Parliamentary career desired for him by his family, in order to paint. His progress is counterpointed by the 'Tragic Muse' of the title, Miriam Rooth, one of James's most fierily beautiful creations, a great actress indifferent to social reputation, and triumphantly dedicated to her art. In portraying the conflict between art and 'the world' which is his novel's central idea, James engaged obliquely with current debates on the new aestheticism of Pater and Wilde and on the nature of the actor's performance. Through the living complexity of his protagonists he reveals how much, as Philip Horne puts it, 'to take art seriously as an end in itself ... is still a provocative course'. This Penguin Classic forms the first fully annotated edition of The Tragic Muse and, together with textual notes, Philip Horne provides a stimulating introduction, a glossary and bibliography.

Biografía del autor

Henry James (1843-1916) es una de las máximas figuras de la literatura en lengua inglesa. Además de "Washington Square", entre sus obras más conocidas se cuentan "El retrato de una dama" y "Otra vuelta de tuerca" -ambas publicadas en Alianza Editorial-, "Los papeles de Aspern" o "Las alas de la paloma". "Washington Square" fue llevada al cine por William Wyler con el título de "La heredera".