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A review by spyralnode
An International Episode (Dodo Press) by Henry James
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Complementary to 'Daisy Miller', 'An International Episode' shows the experience of people from Europe, this time from the UK, as they visit the US. Two men are introduced into the society there by the wife of a distance acquaintance, in this lighthearted, comedic short story.
Unfortunately I will have to repeat several of my comments from 'Daisy Miller' here as well - it focuses too much on generalities, it feels like the characters are just represented by their place of origin, which is ridiculed and made generic, losing all their personal touch. The humour reads try-hard to me, with expressions such as 'I say' being used liberally to the point where it's very obvious he's mocking a way of speaking rather than creating realistic characters that can stand on their own.
Towards the end there is an attempt to heighten the stakes, bring about more significance and consequence to the characters' actions, but this again reads forced rather than continuous or well-crafted.
It's funny, Henry James' short stories don't work for me at all, including 'The Turn of the Screw', yet his novels have been very successful for me. I know that short stories aren't my cup of tea with other writers too, but here it's incredibly obvious. I find that in novels he constructs more the characters and the settings, two elements I really appreciate being taken slowly and with attention to detail, whereas in short stories he seems to rush to prove a point, and he ends up falling flat and delivering superficiality.
Unfortunately I will have to repeat several of my comments from 'Daisy Miller' here as well - it focuses too much on generalities, it feels like the characters are just represented by their place of origin, which is ridiculed and made generic, losing all their personal touch. The humour reads try-hard to me, with expressions such as 'I say' being used liberally to the point where it's very obvious he's mocking a way of speaking rather than creating realistic characters that can stand on their own.
Towards the end there is an attempt to heighten the stakes, bring about more significance and consequence to the characters' actions, but this again reads forced rather than continuous or well-crafted.
It's funny, Henry James' short stories don't work for me at all, including 'The Turn of the Screw', yet his novels have been very successful for me. I know that short stories aren't my cup of tea with other writers too, but here it's incredibly obvious. I find that in novels he constructs more the characters and the settings, two elements I really appreciate being taken slowly and with attention to detail, whereas in short stories he seems to rush to prove a point, and he ends up falling flat and delivering superficiality.