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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 John Marcher meet May Bartram?

2. What did the old superstition say about fiction?

3. What was terrible about the event John Marcher waited for?

4. What does James say a damsel in a small village can write about, if she is someone on whom nothing is lost?

5. How long ago did May Bartram and John Marcher meet?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does James address the superstition that fiction is diabolical?

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

3. How does Spencer Brydon react to the changes that took place in New York over the last 33 years?

4. What rules does James lay out for writing?

5. Where had John Marcher and May Bartram met previously, and what had happened then?

6. What happens to bring May Bartram and John Marcher into closer friendship?

7. What is the tragedy of 'The Middle Years'?

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

9. What is the significance of the setting in 'The Middle Years'?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Henry James' views about social class, as represented in his stories. Is he someone who believes in the value of class, or does he seem to believe that every human being is inherently equal?

Essay Topic 2

How does James' stories describe the difference between America and Europe? What does each civilization stand for? How are they distinguished? What kind of drama is created when they come into conflict?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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This section contains 828 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample