| | 1 | Author: | Wharton review: Moss, Mary | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Mrs. Wharton's "Madame de Treymes"  | | | | Published: | 1996 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text | | | | Description: | Since such crude early attempts as Theodore Fay's preposterous
Norman Leslie deserve scant consideration, Mr. Henry James
may safely claim to have discovered the international episode as a
motive for American fiction. In spite of many competitors, he has
hitherto kept an easy supremacy in this field, with such
masterpieces as Daisy Miller, The American, The Princess
Casamassima, The Ambassadors, The Golden Bowl, not to mention
a host of short stories. But among this brilliant company, Mrs.
Wharton's Madame de Treymes must instantly take undisputed
place. In fact, the author fairly challenges comparison by
choosing a theme almost identical with that of The American—
the clash between a spirited outsider and the intangible
resistance of Old World traditions and standards. And to be frank,
her latest story excels Mr. James's early one in the matter of
probability. For my part I have never been quite satisfied that a
man of Newman's imaginative force would not have broken through the
network of obstacles, if only by not appreciating them, and have
ended by carrying off the object of his homage. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
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