Author-Reader Relationship In Henry James’s "Stories Of Writers"

With a writing career spanning over50years, Henry James’s special experience as a writer facilitates him to create many "stories of writers". James deeply explores author-reader relationship in four stories "The Aspern Papers","The Figure in the Carpet","The Death of the Lion" and "John Delavoy". Through these stories James represents the reading habits in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and reveals his ideals about author-reader relationship.This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter One gives a general review of studies on James’s short stories at home and abroad. Meanwhile, it explains the structure and focus of this thesis.Chapter Two analyses author-reader relationship in the appreciation of literary works. The narrator’s relentless search for Aspern’s private letters in "The Aspern Papers" becomes his best imaginary contact with the poet. The narrator in "The Figure in the Carpet" tries to discover the secret meaning and intention within the author’s works. The reader’s involvement in the author reflects the reading habits of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. James criticizes the typical intrusive readers, and at the same time implicates that his ideal readers should respect the author’s privacy and value the author’s works.Chapter Three analyses author-reader relationship in the construction of readership illustrated in "The Death of the Lion" and "John Delavoy". The mass media promote the author and his works, which, on the one hand, results in readers’ getting to know the author and his works quickly, contributing to the construction of the readership. On the other hand, magazines and newspapers tend to reveal the author’s privacy like publishing the author’s portrait to catch the public’s attention and increase the circulation. As a result, readers’attention is directed toward the author rather than his works; thus author-reader relationship is estranged.Based on the discussions in the previous chapters and combining with analysis of James’s literary techniques, Chapter Four further reveals James’s ideals about author-reader relationship. In all four stories, James adopts the first-person narration of a person who is both a writer and a reader. As a reader, he wants to be close to the author, but as a writer, he wants to keep a proper distance from the reader. His double needs reflect James’s ideals about author-reader relationship. As a living individual, he wants to keep the reader at a distance. As a writer, he needs the reader to read his works and provide intelligent responses.Chapter Five is the conclusion. It summarizes the previous discussions, and emphasizes again that the contents related to author-reader relationship in the four stories reflect James’s concern and contemplation about the ill reading habits of his time. It also draws a clear conclusion about James’s ideals about author-reader relationship.