1. Henry James (1864-1916) As a writer and critic, James contributed to the development of fiction from the 19 th c. romanticism to the 20 th c. realism.

2. James was born in New York city into a rich family. His father was interested in theology, philosophy, and the proper education of his children. Was not educated at systematic and traditional schools. Taught by many private teachers in New York, France, England, and Germany.

3. The various travels of James as well as his fondness of libraries stimulated him to write good novels. One-third of his life had been spent in foreign countries and half of it in reading and learning languages. He was called the novelist of freedom and his works juxtaposed American innocence and European experience in psychologically complex works.

4. In (1876) James moved to Britain which became his country for the rest of his life. There he started his publications.

5. James’s novelistic career. The first phase: He developed his literary reputation as a novelist through his international theme. It dealt with the conflict of American characters with the complications of European culture. Works e.g. “Daisy Miller” and The Portrait of A Lady.

6. The second phase: Began this phase with his famous essay “The Art of Fiction” (1884). His works included The Bostonians (1886). A distinct phase in James’s career in which he laid down his own theory as a true realist. He was not only a fiction writer, but a great critic.

7. The third phase: He went back to the international theme in an extraordinary series of developed novels. These novels include: The Wings of the Dove(1902), The Ambassadors(1903), and The Golden Bowl (1904). They are considered as his most influential contribution to the art of fiction.

8. References Baym, Nina,et al. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New york: Norton & Company, 1985. Edel, Leon. The Complete Biography by Leon Edel: The Untired Years:1843-1870. New York: Avon, 1953. Hazell, Stephen. The English Novel: developments in Criticism Since Henry James. London: Macmillan, 1978. Hocks, Richard A. Henry James : A Study of the Short Fiction. Boston: Twanye, 1990. prepared by Dr. Mahram Turkistani