A literary analysis of daisy miller by henry james

An interactive data visualization of Daisy Miller's plot and themes. He and his brothers received a somewhat haphazard schooling as a result of this constant movement. He began to publish stories during the Civil War, and also began contributing to magazines and journals like The Nation at this time. In he settled in Italy to write a novel, and then moved to Europe definitively in

Plot summary[ edit ] Annie "Daisy" Miller and Frederick Winterbourne first meet in VeveySwitzerland, in a garden of the grand hotel, [2] where Winterbourne is allegedly vacationing from his studies an attachment to an older lady is rumoured.

They are introduced by Randolph Miller, Daisy's nine-year-old brother. Randolph considers their hometown of Schenectady, New Yorkto be absolutely superior to all of Europe. Daisy, however, is absolutely delighted with the continent, especially the high society she wishes to enter.

Winterbourne is at first confused by her attitude, and though greatly impressed by her beauty, he soon determines that she is nothing more than a young flirt. He continues his pursuit of Daisy in spite of the disapproval of his aunt, Mrs. Costello, who spurns any family with so close a relationship to their courier as the Millers have with their Eugenio.

Winterbourne then informs Daisy that he must go to Geneva the next day. Daisy feels disappointment and chaffs him, eventually asking him to visit her in Rome later that year. In Rome, Winterbourne and Daisy meet unexpectedly in the parlor of Mrs.

Walker, an American expatriate, whose moral values have adapted to those of Italian society. Rumors about Daisy meeting with young Italian gentlemen make her socially exceptionable under these criteria.

Winterbourne learns of Daisy's increasing intimacy with a young Italian of questionable society, Giovanelli, as well as the growing scandal caused by the pair's behaviour. Daisy is undeterred by the open disapproval of the other Americans in Rome, and her mother seems quite unaware of the underlying tensions.

Walker attempt to persuade Daisy to separate from Giovanelli, but she refuses.

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One night, Winterbourne takes a walk through the Colosseum and sees a young couple sitting at its centre. He realises that they are Giovanelli and Daisy. Winterbourne, infuriated with Giovanelli, asks him how he could dare to take Daisy to a place where she runs the risk of catching " Roman Fever ".

Daisy says she does not care and Winterbourne leaves them. Daisy falls ill and dies a few days later. Key themes[ edit ] This novella serves as both a psychological description of the mind of a young woman and as an analysis of the traditional views of a society where she is a clear outsider.

Daisy Miller Themes from LitCharts | The creators of SparkNotes

Part of this influence has been through the type of realism that he employs.

Henry James uses Daisy's story to discuss what he thinks Europeans and Americans believe about each other and more generally the prejudices common in any culture. In a letter, James said that Daisy is the victim of a "social rumpus" that goes on either over her head or beneath her notice.

Daisy is a flower in full bloom, without inhibitions and in the springtime of her life. Daisy contrasts sharply with Winterbourne.

SparkNotes: Daisy Miller: How to Write Literary Analysis

Flowers die in winter and this is precisely what happens to Daisy after catching the Roman Fever. As an objective analogue to this psychological reality, Daisy catches the very real Roman fever, the malaria that was endemic to many Roman neighbourhoods in the 19th century.Henry James has had a tremendous influence on the development of the novel.

Part of this influence has been through the type of realism that he employs. On the other hand, the most frequent criticism against James has been that he is not realistic enough.

Many critics have objected that James does. Daisy Miller was an immediate and widespread popular success for James, despite some criticism that the story was "an outrage on American girlhood".

The story continues to be one of James' most popular works, along with The Turn of the Screw and The Portrait of a Lady. Daisy Miller Henry James Daisy Miller essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Daisy Miller by Henry James.

Daisy Miller herself is an image situated in the middle of contrastive opinions, she plays the part of the innocent girl, being permanently judged by society, judged by Winterbourne, although deep inside she is innocent and pure; so, an incongruity between reality and appearance is being created.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Henry James's Daisy Miller.

Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides. The last thirty years or so of the nineteenth century in the United States are known as the Gilded Age, a term coined by Mark Twain. Henry James' Daisy Miller tells the tale of a young girl, Daisy Miller, who travels around Europe unchaperoned.

The story is filtered through the narrative point of view of Frederick Winterbourne, a year-old American who resides in Geneva, Switzerland.