Citizens of somewhere else
Subtitle: Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry James
By: Dan McCall.
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: 1999
Place of publication: Ithaca
Language: eng
Number of pages: 200
Subjects: James, Henry, 1843-1916 -- Knowledge -- Literature.; Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864 -- Knowledge -- Literature.; James, Henry, 1843-1916 -- Knowledge -- America.; Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864 -- Influence.; American fiction -- 19th century -- History and criticism.; Americans -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century.; National characteristics, American, in literature.; Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.); United States -- In literature.
Description: "I am a citizen of somewhere else," proclaimed Nathaniel Hawthorne in his preface to The Scarlet Letter. In many ways, Henry James shared that citizenship. Intrigued by their resolute stance as outsiders, Dan McCall here reassesses these two quintessentially American writers. He focuses on their works and on their connections to American history and culture.

Adopting an informal, conversational tone, McCall invites us to join him in a reading of some of Hawthorne's and James's masterpieces - not only The Scarlet Letter and The Portrait of a Lady but their great short stories, extensive notebooks, and other novels as well. He explains the significance of James's book Hawthorne, shows the influence of Emerson on both writers, and conveys throughout James's imaginative debt to Hawthorne.

He concludes by comparing their views on what it means to be an American writer.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 189-190) and index.