The American (book)
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| Cover of 1999 Oxford World's Classics edition of The American | |
| Author | Henry James |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | James R. Osgood and Company, Boston |
| Released | 05-May-1877 |
| Media Type | Print (Serial) |
| Pages | 435 pp |
The American is a novel by Henry James, originally published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly in 1876-1877 and then as a book in 1877. The novel is an uneasy combination of social comedy and melodrama concerning the adventures and misadventures of Christopher Newman, an essentially good-hearted but rather gauche American businessman on his first tour of Europe. Newman is looking for a world different from the simple, harsh realities of 19th century American business. He encounters both the beauty and the ugliness of Europe, and learns not to take either for granted.
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[edit] Plot summary
The novel opens in the Louvre, where Christopher Newman, a rich, (early) retired businessman and Civil War veteran, meets the pretty but amateurish copyist Noemie Nioche at "work" in the museum. He also meets Tom Tristram, an oafish old friend from America, who takes him to meet his wife Lizzie.
Lizzie Tristram, a perceptive if somewhat bitter woman, introduces Newman to Claire de Cintre, a rather ethereal French noblewoman. Newman falls in love with Claire and they agree to marry. Claire's mother, Madame de Bellegarde, and her older brother, Urbain de Bellegarde, are of two minds about Newman. They like his money but can't abide his democratic and commercial nature. Claire's younger brother, the appealing and energetic Valentin de Bellegarde, becomes good friends with Newman and favors his marriage to Claire.
Claire's mother and older brother finally forbid her marriage to Newman, despite his best attempts to appease them. Meanwhile, Valentin has met and fallen for the worthless Noemie Nioche and is mortally wounded in a duel over the girl. As he lies dying, Valentin tells Newman a grim family secret: his mother and older brother murdered his father.
After her marriage is forbidden Claire enters a Carmelite convent, much to Newman's despair. Newman obtains written evidence of the murder committed by Madame de Bellegarde and Urbain, and determines to use it as revenge against them. But Newman's own good nature frustrates his plan, as he finally decides that revenge would be useless. In the novel's closing scene he burns the incriminating document. And yet, even in that ending, Newman's good nature is torn in two -- the novel's ending could hardly be considered "closed."
[edit] Key themes
The plot summary alone should alert the reader to the split in the book. The first half of the novel - Newman's courtship of Claire and his efforts to ingratiate himself with her family - is a witty and perceptive treatment of the clash between Newman's brash and assertive American nature and the haughty, traditionalist views of the French aristocracy. This portion of the novel delights most readers with its humor and grace.
Unfortunately, the second half of the book descends into dubious and sometimes laughable melodrama, with the duel, the convent, and the deep dark family secret. James still writes with vigor and a sure eye for detail, especially in Valentin's death scene. But many readers have found it impossible to take all the plot material seriously.
Newman's renunciation of his chance for revenge is well prepared by James' treatment of his open and appealing nature, though some may consider his refusal stilted and unconvincing. The renunciation theme would echo throughout much of James' fiction, with characters giving up material advantages because of moral scruples.
The American was popular as one of the first international novels contrasting the rising and forceful New World and the cultured but sinful Old World. James originally conceived the novel as a reply to Alexandre Dumas, fils' play L'Étrangère, which presented Americans as crude and disreputable. While Newman is occasionally too forward or cocksure, his honesty and optimism offer a much more favorable view of America's potential.
[edit] Critical evaluation
When James came to revise the book in 1907 for inclusion in the New York Edition of his fiction, he realized how fanciful much of the plot was. He made enormous revisions in the book to try to make all the goings-on more believable, but he was still forced to confess in his preface that The American remained more of a traditional romance rather than a realistic novel.
Most critics have regretted the New York Edition revisions as unfortunate marrings of the novel's original exuberance and charm. The earlier version of the book has normally been used in modern editions. Critics generally concede that the second half of the novel suffers from improbability, but still find the book a vivid and attractive example of James' early style. More recently, some pundits have taken Newman to task as an obnoxious and even imperialistic westerner. But James' hero still finds many supporters, among critics and readers in general.
[edit] Derivative work
Always yearning for success in the theater, James converted The American to a play in the early 1890s. This dramatic version altered the original novel severely, and even ended happily to please theater-goers. The play was produced in London and other English cities, and enjoyed moderate success.
The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) produced a television version of The American in 2001, directed by Paul Unwin and starring Matthew Modine as Christopher Newman and Diana Rigg as Madame de Bellegarde.
[edit] References
- The American: an Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Criticism edited by James Tuttleton (New York: W.W. Norton & Company 1978) ISBN 0-393-09091-4
- The Complete Plays of Henry James edited by Leon Edel (New York: Oxford University Press 1990) ISBN 0-19-504379-0
