The Selected Works of Henry James, Vol. 28 (of 36): The Beldonald Holbein; The Birthplace - Couverture rigide

James, Henry

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1662717598 ISBN 13 : 9781662717598

Editeur : Papersky Classics, 2020

Synopsis

"The Birthplace" is a short story by Henry James, first published in his collection The Better Sort in 1903. A witty satire on the excesses of bardolatry, the story reflects James's skepticism about the authorship of Shakespeare's plays. Beyond the narrow scholarly issue, the story also shows a typically imaginative Jamesian protagonist inventing an alternative reality in his lecture on the Bard's supposed childhood activities.


Morris Gedge is a librarian at a dull provincial library in England that is "all granite, fog and female fiction." He gets a welcome offer to become the custodian of the Shakespeare house at Stratford-on-Avon. Although Shakespeare's name is never mentioned in the story (James used the name twice in his Notebooks when he was planning the tale) it's obvious to whom "the supreme Mecca of the English-speaking race" is devoted.


Once installed as the custodian, Morris begins to doubt the r he is forced to give to tourists who it the home. He starts to qualify and hesitate in his spiel. This brings anguish to his wife and a warning from the shrine's proprietors. Gedge finally decides that if silliness is what's wanted, he'll supply it abundantly. The last section of the story shows him delivering a hilarious lecture on how the child Shakespeare played around the house. Of course, receipts from tourists increase and Gedge gets a raise.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Papersky Classics
• Date d'édition: 2020
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1662717598
• ISBN 13: 9781662717598
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 126
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