The Heritage Of Puritanism In Henry James's Early Novels

This paper focuses on the puritan heritage in Henry James's early novels, of which Washington Square, the Europeans, and the Portrait of a Lady are the representative works. Puritanism is a cultural phenomenon deriving from a formerly popular sect of religion, which had overwhelming influence on the American fabric of thinking. The very essence of Puritanism survives in the literatures of later times in spite of the passage of time and this sect's waning position as a sect of religion. Instead, it has become a form of culture, which has shaped and is shaping the American morals and values. It is the main purpose of this paper to examine such a cultural phenomenon and its influence in the three books mentioned.This thesis examines the puritan heritage in the three books from different yet relevant perspectives, namely, the sense of morality in Washington square, the self-introspection in the Europeans, and the saint complex in the Portrait of a Lady.All the three types of personality are common with the puritans and in consequence, the puritan descendants of American naturally take on that trait. From the detailed analysis, there comes the conclusion that the puritan ideology has become a form of general unconsciousness, so that Henry James takes it for granted in his creating of the protagonists. It comes from nowhere but his born ideology and it is part of the American culture.