Henry James' "The American"

Paper Summary:

This paper briefly summarizes and analyzes Henry James' book, "The American", and discusses the book's portrayal of the attitude that the Europeans in general, and the French in particular, had towards Americans at the time the book was written. The paper cites dialogue from the book to illustrate the French perception of Americans as too 'nouveau' in all aspects of their lives.

From the Paper:

"One can begin to see the author's view of Christopher Newman in the very first chapter, when he is willing to pay 2000 francs for a young girl's copy of a true work of art. It is in the conversation with the girl's father about learning French that James (snidely, one might think) writes "'Oh yes, I should like to learn French,' Newman went on, with democratic confidingness...'But if you learned my language, why shouldn't I learn yours?' and his frank, friendly laugh took the sting from the jest." Would anyone other than an American ever be consider to speak with "democratic confidingness"- a sort of American principle of equality which, along with liberty and fraternity is now (and has for over two centuries) been forgotten by the French."

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