The Outcry

by Henry James, Jean Strouse (Introduction)

Overview

The Outcry, Henry James's last published novel, is an effervescent comedy of money and manners. An impoverished English lord and an American plutocrat clash when a young art connoisseur, out to make a splash, declares the prize painting from the lord's collection to be in fact an even rarer, and pricier, painting than anyone had ever thought. Featuring characters based on J. P. Morgan and Bernard Berenson, The Outcry is one of the most amusing and surprising performances of a great literary master, and is now back in print after 90 years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590170007
Publisher:	New York Review Books
Publication date:	03/31/2002
Series:	NYRB Classics Series
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	419,515
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Henry James (1843–1916), the younger brother of the psychologist William James and one of the greatest of American writers, was born in New York but lived for most of his life in England. Among the best known of his many stories and novels are The Portrait of a Lady, The Turn of the Screw, and The Wings of the Dove. In addition to The New York Stories of Henry James, New York Review Classics has published several long-unavailable James novels: The Other House, The Outcry, andThe Ivory Tower.

Jean Strouse is the author of Alice James, A Biography andMorgan, American Financier. A Fellow of the MacArthur Foundation, she lives in New York City.

Date of Birth:

April 15, 1843

Date of Death:

February 28, 1916

Place of Birth:

New York, New York

Place of Death:

London, England

Education:

Attended school in France and Switzerland; Harvard Law School, 1862-63

Table of Contents

General editors' preface; General chronology of James' life and writings; Introduction; Textual introduction; Chronology of composition and production; Bibliography; The Outcry; Glossary of foreign words and phrases; Notes; Textual variants; Emendations; Appendices.

Editorial Reviews

"The story is told with all Mr. James’ delicate humor and gift for keen analysis." —Booklist

"The subject…has been handled with ingenuity, not without humor, with a fine effect of sharpness and perspicacity. That is Mr. James’s way. There are many fine phrases, crisply expressive, admirable flashes." —The New York Times

"If you thought you knew all the books of Henry James, think again— this one, James’ last, is largely unknown because it’s been out of print since its original publication in 1911. God knows why, though — it’s a delightful, surprisingly light-hearted take on James’ favorite topic, the clash of cultures…" —mobylives.com

From the Publisher

The subject....has been handled with ingenuity, not without humor, with a fine effect of sharpness and perspicacity. That is Mr. James's way. There are many fine phrases, crisply expressive, admirable flashes.

New York Times

In The Other House (1896), James presents a man who is sought after by three women. He attempts to please them all but in so doing sacrifices his relationship with his young daughter. The Outcry (1911) is James's last novel and long unavailable. He pokes fun at the upper crust in the form of both a wealthy American scouring England for art and a down-on-his-luck British lord looking to separate the Yank from as much of his cash as possible. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal