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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does May Bartram think she has met John Marcher before?

2. How does Dr. Hugh create a reason to meet Dencombe?

3. What does Dencombe expect when he opens the package he has received?

4. Why does Dencombe feel this way?

5. With whom does the main character become infatuated?

Short Essay Questions

1. Under what conditions does Spencer Brydon meet Miss Staverton again?

2. What is the irony in the secret Marcher has been keeping all these years?

3. Describe Spencer Brydon's encounter with his alter ego.

4. Describe the relationship between Marcher and Bartram.

5. How does James address the formal rules prescribed for fiction?

6. Describe Dencombe's feelings about his own work.

7. Where is 'In the Cage' set?

8. Describe Marcher's lifestyle.

9. What is the significance of the title?

10. Describe the meeting of Captain Everard and the telegraph operator.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

James' stories sometimes delve into hidden psychological motives and urges. How does James represent things that cannot be seen or felt, but are real to the characters? Does he use symbolism, personification, fantasy, metaphor? What other methods does he use to present the uncanny self inside the self?

Essay Topic 2

Money is an issue for many of the characters in James' stories. Where does money come from, and who produces it? Which, if any, characters, have earned their freedom by making money themselves, and what kind of freedom do the other characters come by or struggle to attain?

Essay Topic 3

Which critical insight do you find most useful to understanding Henry James' work? Make an argument for one critical view of his stories. Tell why other critics were not as useful to your view of James.

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This section contains 805 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample