A Study Of The Image Of Rome In Henry James’ "International Theme" Novels

Henry James was a famous British-American novelist,literary critic,playwright,and essayist.He devoted his life to writing “international theme” novels,in which he depicted many European countries and cities,showing the conflicts and integration of European and American cultures.Of all the European cities in his works,James reserved a special fondness for Rome,with many of his works set in the city.The author mentioned in his travelogues and novel prefaces that Rome was one of the sources of inspiration.As Italian-American literary scholar Giorcelli has noted,Rome in James’ works represents “a state of mind [...] that evokes his long-past youth.”However,despite the extensive research on Henry James’ texts and theoretical studies,few scholars have focused on the issue of the image of the cities in his works.Additionally,in previous studies on James’ works and interactions between European and American literature,researchers tended to analyze European culture as a whole,while to some extent ignoring the differences between different countries and cities.In the realm of International comparative literature,this thesis selects four of James’ “international theme” novels set mainly in Rome: Roderick Hudson,The Portrait of a Lady,“Daisy Miller”,and “Adina” as research subjects.Using the comparative imagology as a framework,this thesis comprehensively analyzes the image of Rome in Henry James’ literary works.The image of Rome will be analyzed in two aspects: visible and invisible.The visible aspect is the image of Rome reflected in the artistic works and historical buildings in the city,while the invisible aspect is the image reflected in the subconscious of Italian residents and American visitors living in Rome.Thus,based on systematic analysis of the image of Rome with comparative imagological framework,the image of Rome in James’ literary works is an outdated,oppressive and corrupt city concealed beneath a captivating camouflage of art.This inconsistency accentuates the contradictory and complex nature of the image of Rome.Having established this idea,this thesis analyzes how such a complex and contradictory image of Rome-is constructed under the influence of ideology and various cultural factors.Hereby the causes of this image will be explored tentatively.Chapter One analyzes the visible aspect of the image of Rome,focusing on the classical art and historical buildings.It highlights the contradictory and complex nature of the image of Rome in James’ works: The city’s magnificent artistic beauty serves as a facade concealing its outdated and oppressive core.Chapter Two studies the image of Rome from its invisible attribute,exploring the image in Italian residents and American visitors’ subconscious.To achieve this,their feelings and understanding of the city and major life decisions made in Rome are analyzed.The thesis concludes that the decadent and oppressive essence of the image of Rome in James’ novels cannot be concealed by the magnificent appearance.Chapter Three explores the causes of the image of Rome in James’ works from two perspectives: collective imagination and personal experience.From the former perspective,American imaginations of Rome at that time can be divided into three categories: as an artistic and cultural sanctuary worthy of unconditional learning;as a dystopia lacking democracy and freedom;and finally,as a city that embodies complexity.Influenced by the third one,Henry James constructed the image of Rome in consideration of its complexity.From the latter perspective,the personal experience of social disorder and rampant destruction of historical relics in the late 19 th century also had a significant impact on his shaping of the image.The image of Rome in James’ works is an organic combination of American collective imagination of Rome at that time and the author’s own personal experience.In the meanwhile,by shaping an image of Rome that is outwardly beautiful but essentially corrupt and oppressive,Henry James expresses his understanding of the cultural construction of America at that time.To sum up,this thesis analyzes the image of Rome represented in four of Henry James’ international novels,revealing the complexity,contradictions,and negative essence embodied in the image of Rome.On this basis,the contributing factors of this image is further analyzed,in order to clarify that the image is a fusion of American collective imagination and the author’s personal experience,and is thus a reflection of the author’s profound thoughts on America’s own cultural construction.This thesis’ approach of studying the image and its contributing factors not only provides readers with insights into the cultural value contained in James’ works,but also highlights the unique role of the image of Rome in his works.This avoids the tendency,prevalent in Jamesian research,to view European culture as an inherently unified entity,and hereupon attracts critical attention to the individual specificity of the image of different European cities and urban culture in this certain field.In terms of the methodological aspect,by introducing the theoretical framework of comparative imagology,this thesis not only scientifically analyzes the image of Rome itself but also delves into the factors that shape this complex image.Guided by imagological theory,this thesis critically discusses the notion that James only pursued the integration of European and American cultures as recognized by previous commentators.It then further presents a comprehensive study on James’ views and attitudes on America’s cultural construction.