Geographical Narrative And Cultural Identity In Henry James’ Early Three Novels

Henry James is one of the most outstanding novelists and literary theoreticians,who enjoys grand reputation in the English literary world,and who is frequently regarded as the pioneer of modern American novel after Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne.In most of his fictional works,Henry James copes with the international theme,namely,the transatlantic intercourse of European and American society and culture which is considered incompatible to a large number of scholars.Nevertheless,how to identify the significance of his writing calls for the reference to Mike Crang’s idea as presented in Cultural Geography and also to Wendy Joy Darby’s Landscape and Identity.Mike Crang first of all declares that geographical landscape is both a cultural product and the reproduction of culture of different times,and each nation may have its own landscape corresponding to particular cultural characteristics.Landscape’s shaping procedure manifests social ideology which in turn succeeds to be retained and consolidated in various kinds of landscapes.Besides,the purpose of doing a survey of geographical landscape is to read and interpret the cultural geography about the plurality and diversity of life in all its variegated richness,how the spaces,places and world are interpreted and used by people,and how those places then help perpetuate that culture texts that are encoded through these metaphorized values.Upon the relationship between literature and geography,Crang affirms that in literary works,ideologies and social values achieve their functions largely by virtue of the geographical category that implies ideological and moral factors.In this aspect,studying literary works is a good way to excavate social and cultural essences hidden behind the seemingly subjective creation and geography.Moving between the 1750 s and the present,the book Landscape and Identity explores the powerful role of landscape in the formation of historical class relations and national identity.It is known to all that the cultural relationship between America and Europe,which seems there is no ending fight and peace between each other,is genuinely complicated and requires a thorough research.Therefore,this thesis,taking James’ three early works The American,Daisy Miller and The Portrait of a Lay as well as The Wings of the Dove,a later work,as examples,will present the conflicts between the two cultures,illustrate the cultural identity of Americans and Europeans,analyze the cultural difference and conflicts between New World and Old World,and explore the process of American identity construction in Europe from cultural difference to cultural integration with the guidance of Cultural Geography and Landscape and Identity.The first part should be the introduction.The introduction of this thesis,after presenting Henry James’ life experience and major early works,makes a brief literary review of Henry James studies at home and abroad.The following three chapters are divided with the guidance of Mike Crang’s cultural geography and cultural studies.The first chapter will start from the most intimate of spaces: the households represented by three distinctive places from the represented characters and examine how the form of the household and its relationship to the world can be seen related to the characteristics people owns in living in each household.The second chapter will examine outside landscapes of different country gardens and parks appear in the novels.Last but not least,the third chapter,with the example extracted from James’ early three novels,aims to prove that the cultural conflicts between the American and the European regarding the manners,values and customs owing to the geographic difference.Besides,it will explore the construction of American cultural identity in encountering Europe and explore the interpretation and negotiation of European thoughts and values to America from in terms of the exploration of The Wings of the Dove.The conclusion of this thesis is that with the help of geographical narrative,Henry James establishes the American cultural identity in the process of encountering Europe and refreshes European culture by encountering American culture.