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miriamricher 's review for:
Roderick Hudson
by Henry James
A fascinating character study of the artist archetype; touches on the fickleness of creative inspiration, financial barriers to artistic enterprise, the question of innate talent versus mastery through discipline. James walks a tightrope between humour and pathos in his portrait of Roderick Hudson, inviting us to laugh at the sculptor's capricious egotism while at the same time reminding us of the pressures implicit in living up to the label of "genius", and of being bet on by the wealthy leisure class like a horse in a race. The romance plot is gripping; it subverted my expectations at every turn. This feels like a more personal book for James, given its emphasis on the moral and existential quandaries of a life lived in service to one's craft.