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A review by avicos
The Aspern Papers by Henry James
4.0
The Aspern Papers offers a very disagreeable beginning for the modern reader. Although one could be remiss to not mention that it does escalate in the tamest ways. It's a classic story of the manipulator being manipulated. The unnamed narrator is a critic whose monomania nearly brings him to throw away his life, in a sense and it is only prevented by fate, as it were.
Once the reader gets a whiff of what's going on, the crux of the story, it's a breezy read. The sentences might take longer to read, but the reader will find themselves acclimated to them after a few pages. The characters are very drawn out. It essentially involves three characters and all of them don't turn out to be what the reader might expect of them. The Critic, who is supposed to be ruled by reason, gives in to the whims of emotions. Miss Tina, the niece, who begins as a provincial, simple young woman takes a turn and shows her cunning nature by the end. It is so subtle one might almost believe her intentions to be pure. Julia, a 150-year old woman, who begins as a frail old lady worn out by age and ends with a show of strength.
But it is the end that makes the story worth the reader's time. The entire book is a setup to justify the existence of the final scene. 'Now, this is a story,' readers might exclaim. There is pyrotechnics of 'stratagems and spoils.' Of course, none of it could stand up to the shock and horror of the modern story. But once you settle into this small tale, it does seem immensely gratifying.
Once the reader gets a whiff of what's going on, the crux of the story, it's a breezy read. The sentences might take longer to read, but the reader will find themselves acclimated to them after a few pages. The characters are very drawn out. It essentially involves three characters and all of them don't turn out to be what the reader might expect of them. The Critic, who is supposed to be ruled by reason, gives in to the whims of emotions. Miss Tina, the niece, who begins as a provincial, simple young woman takes a turn and shows her cunning nature by the end. It is so subtle one might almost believe her intentions to be pure. Julia, a 150-year old woman, who begins as a frail old lady worn out by age and ends with a show of strength.
But it is the end that makes the story worth the reader's time. The entire book is a setup to justify the existence of the final scene. 'Now, this is a story,' readers might exclaim. There is pyrotechnics of 'stratagems and spoils.' Of course, none of it could stand up to the shock and horror of the modern story. But once you settle into this small tale, it does seem immensely gratifying.