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The Diary Of A Man Of Fifty

By Henry James
The Diary Of A Man Of Fifty by Henry James digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

The poignant and insightful short tale "The Diary of a Man of Fifty" by Henry James explores aging and coming to terms with one's history. The narrator returns to Italy, where he previously spent some time, and revisits recollections of a love relationship that finally ended in failure. Some of these memories are unpleasant, while others are enlightening. This story is one of James' lesser-known works, and the 24-volume New York Edition of his Novels and Tales omitted it entirely (1907-09). It's written in the style of a journal, which makes it rather unusual as well. James typically preferred to use a first-person or omniscient third-person narrator to closely control the narrative and point of view. The general begins to question his own judgment in light of this and begins to wonder if he might have erred. An English army general of fifty-two returns to Florence after a romance with Countess Falvi. He meets Edmund Stanmer, a young English traveler of twenty-five who is acquainted with the Countess's daughter Bianca. The General warns Stanmer that Bianca is an actress and coquette, just like her mother.

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5 Reviews

3.0
“**3.5 stars** "When a man has reached his fifty-second year without being, materially the worse for wear- when he has fair health, a fair fortune, a tidy conscience and a complete exemption from embarrassing relatives-I suppose he is bound, in delicacy, to write himself happy." This story is among the least famous works of Henry James, whom I sincerely believe to be an underrated author. Not like Poe, who at least received his fame after death. I hardly know someone who’s familiar with any of James’ work other than “The Turn of The Screw”, and that too heavily criticized. As for this one, James neglected it himself and never included it in his collected works. Err…why?? The a-little-short-to-be-novella plot revolves around a quinquagenarian, who was revisiting Florence after around twenty-seven years, after retiring from the army, and came across a familiar name which belonged to the-the late Contessa Salvi, for whose hand he once craved. While enquiring about her daughter he came across a man in his twenties who was a suitor, and in whom he could see himself of that age. The rest of the story is all about how he tries to convince the unsuspecting suitor that the daughter is the same as the mother, a flirtatious “coquette”. (All because they are apparently identical in looks and personality). He felt the analogy too strong, and he himself felt betrayed back at his time, and simply didn’t want another “kid” to be “heartbroken”. The story is oddly resonant, actually. In India, out of ten you will meet eight elderly people who are convinced that since they have seen more of the world, they are far more knowledgeable (not just experienced) than any random youth. And seven will remain convinced of the same even after being proved wrong, maybe more than once. The colonel here, as many other prominent characters of James, probably is “ a man who is so blinded by his own past experience and lack of real perception that he is unable to correctly interpret the world he inhabits. ” And also, he ending is ambiguous in the sense we aren’t sure of the purpose of the colonel, which is further made confusing by his meddled thoughts. The state of matrimony, in here is depicted as an area of altercation and potential death, though somehow that’s a bit irrelevant. All in all, not at all a masterpiece, (obviously) but reading it is like looking at the combined elements of a thoughtful work through a translucent window. "And I might have made it-eh?"”
“Interesting novella in the form of diary entries. No way near as great as anything else by James that I have read, but worth exploring anyhow.”

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