In the cage Henry James 9781177561471 Books
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In the cage Henry James 9781177561471 Books
If you check out my list of books reviewed, you will see that I rarely give three-star ratings. I'm a rather "positive" reader; I find myself enjoying most of the books I read, probably because I stay away from books that I know I will not like, or perhaps because I am an author myself, and knowing what goes into the making of a text I tend not to judge other authors too harshly. Occasionally I do encounter a book that I absolutely hate, in which case I do not even do the book the honor of reviewing it. Now, I am a fan of Henry James, especially of his novellas and shorter novels, as you can tell from my reflections on _Washington Square_ and _The Pupil_. I read James mainly for his style, which I usually find to be exquisite. I was slightly disappointed, however, by _In the Cage_.This novella concerns an unnamed lower-middle-class woman who works at a post office. Being in charge of sending telegrams, she comes to know a lot about the private lives of her upper-class customers, who are also the customers of her friend, Mrs. Jordan, a floral designer. The difference between the protagonist and Mrs. Jordan is that the former "hates" the upper class, while the latter "loves" it. The protagonist is engaged to a grocer, Mr. Mudge, but she continues to postpone the next step in the relationship. She entertains herself by making up stories about her customers based on the telegrams they send, and eventually establishes contact with the young Captain Everard. The reader wonders where this relationship will lead and how it will affect the protagonist's life.
The premise, as you can tell, is excellent. It plays with two binaries--reality/fiction, wealthy/not-so-wealthy--that are loaded with narrative possibilities. Some critics have even established a parallel between the protagonist, who is a sort of storyteller, and Henry James himself. My problem, then, is not with the content but with the form. As most readers know, James is famous for his elaborate style, which in some cases became so labyrinthine that it obscured meaning. I feel that in this novella James loses the delicate balance that characterizes works like _The Aspern Papers_, _The Turn of the Screw_, and _Washington Square_. Keeping the protagonist unnamed produces further complications. I get the point: she is "nameless." But the narrator's referring to the protagonist merely as "she" is simply a pain for the reader, especially in scenes involving more than one female character.
On the positive side, _In the Cage_ features a fascinating protagonist. She is imaginative, creative, an artist of sorts. She is independent and not desperate to marry, and she considers her situation as objectively as possible. She has great self-respect. (For all of these reasons, I feel *she* should be given a name!) The story itself is quite intriguing, as the protagonist does not content herself with her role as intermediary in other people's communication, but insists in becoming personally involved. This is a great commentary on the human need for interaction and excitement. No one is happy living inside a cage.
In short, I liked the story but felt that at times the style became an impediment. James (or any author, for that matter) is at his best when he balances style and story; in _In the Cage_, the style overflows a bit. This may explain why the story is not anthologized often, though its inclusion as a companion piece to _The Turn of the Screw_ in a Modern Library paperback edition will surely acquaint more readers with it. Readers who are new to James may want to start somewhere else. I always recommend _The Aspern Papers_.
My next Henry James will probably be _What Maisie Knew_, as I wish to migrate to the novels.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!
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In the cage Henry James 9781177561471 Books Reviews
I was required to read this book for my American Lit class in college, and though I had heard that James was a bit verbose and that the plot of the novel was purportedly about the life of a telegraph-girl, I nevertheless enjoyed it thoroughly. The novel centers on a young girl who works at the sounding board of an English store. Because she is the main operator, she is privy to all of the customer's private affairs, for she transcribes all of their personal notes. Some of her insights regarding relationships and the often-intimate details of her state of mind seemed to articulate some of my own thoughts. The "hook" of the plot(as concern other female-heroines of her time) revolves around her intense fatuation with a male customer, with whom she eventually falls in love. "In the Cage" is taut, well-written, and eerily similar to the trials and tribulations of everyday life in the present era.
had to have this book for my american literature class at UGA. i love the tools that you can use such as highlighting and the insert of notes.
i tried but this book did not get my attention. not my style and i am avid reader. i rarely complain.
The unnamed main character of Henry James’ 1898 novella In the Cage is a postal clerk who reads the telegrams upper class residents send to each other – making dinner appointments, coordinating vacation schedules, arranging trysts – and has decided that one of them, the Captain – who has manners, speaks well, dresses to the nines – is simply the most attractive man she has ever seen. And, (shades of a Woody Allen movie) in spite of being engaged to one Mr. Mudge, she lets her feelings run rampant.
She begins to walk out of her way going home to pass by the apartment building of Captain Everard on the chance that they might meet.
Meanwhile, she learns more of the life of the beautiful people from her newly rekindled friendship with Mrs. Jordan the widow of a bishop, and in her youth the neighbor who shared the poverty that she, her sister and mother lived in. Now, with her booming business – taking care of the flowers in the apartments of the well to do – Mrs. Jordan is able to fill in some of the picture the heroine desperately wants to be part of, even offering her a job – which she declines.
Then, on one of her evening walks home she miraculously does meet the Captain. This chance encounter allows them to converse outside the formal confines of the postal substation in the tonier part of London that she works in – and at the end of their conversation she tells him that she would do anything (in the sense of “take a bullet”) for him.
The highpoint of her life – far exceeding the proposal of marriage that she gets from Mr. Mudge while on a week’s vacation in the autumn of the year – is the appearance of the Captain at the postal substation who asks her to retrieve a telegram he sent sometime in August. With a feeling of complete control over the fate of the Captain, she is able to tell him the content he is so interested in.
Later, Mrs. Jordan tells her about the Captain who, it turns out, has been blackmailed, apparently, into marrying one of his consorts whose husband has just died; and, most likely hers and the Captain’s paths will never cross again.
She now accepts her fate – a life of marriage to the dependable and devoted Mr. Mudge.
In the Cage illustrates clearly why James is called the novelist of the psychological.
He draws with superb detail
The infatuation the heroine has for an essential stranger.
Perhaps you remember sitting on your bicycle parked in front of the house of the schoolgirl you thought was perfection but who never acknowledged your existence (except years later when she offers you a ride home from church in her brand new Chevrolet Impala – and you don’t ask her for coffee – some chances really only do come once in a lifetime).
The superiority she feels toward her fiancé, her friend and her coworkers.
Everyone knows the feeling of intellectual – even moral – superiority to the guy standing in front of you on line to the theater who strikes up a conversation with you and you immediately realize that this person is not someone who has been or ever will be part of your world.
The envy she has of the upper class people who patronize the postal substation.
Who hasn’t wished they were walking into their office, with a handful of messages and a sign on the door that says “See my secretary for an appointment.”
Her control when she is able to repeat from memory the message that Captain Everard needs to retrieve.
Who has not felt the power knowing you have what someone wants – a word, a key, a nod, a gesture pointing them to the service others must still wait for; or, the relief when
someone solves your problem, like the cook’s pass to pay for your breakfast tomorrow because you forgot your wallet today when he says “I know you – you’re in here all the time.” And, you thought he never even saw you let alone remembered you.
The ennui when Mrs. Jordan reveals the Captain’s true story.
Who has not been punched in the gut of learning the truth about someone that is not the truth you had constructed in your mind – maybe a growing relationship that is suddenly cut off, leaving you with no address, no missive, no nothing – literally falling off the face of the earth (and you thought she liked you, wanted you, enjoyed your company but, in fact, you were probably just a diversion).
The impression you get as you read some of the longest sentences you will ever read is that to take out even a single word would somehow detract from the whole which is indeed great. It is James’ perfect sense of the human condition that makes the story so appealing. In the Cage is nothing more or less than a perfect mirror.
Look at it and smile.
If you check out my list of books reviewed, you will see that I rarely give three-star ratings. I'm a rather "positive" reader; I find myself enjoying most of the books I read, probably because I stay away from books that I know I will not like, or perhaps because I am an author myself, and knowing what goes into the making of a text I tend not to judge other authors too harshly. Occasionally I do encounter a book that I absolutely hate, in which case I do not even do the book the honor of reviewing it. Now, I am a fan of Henry James, especially of his novellas and shorter novels, as you can tell from my reflections on _Washington Square_ and _The Pupil_. I read James mainly for his style, which I usually find to be exquisite. I was slightly disappointed, however, by _In the Cage_.
This novella concerns an unnamed lower-middle-class woman who works at a post office. Being in charge of sending telegrams, she comes to know a lot about the private lives of her upper-class customers, who are also the customers of her friend, Mrs. Jordan, a floral designer. The difference between the protagonist and Mrs. Jordan is that the former "hates" the upper class, while the latter "loves" it. The protagonist is engaged to a grocer, Mr. Mudge, but she continues to postpone the next step in the relationship. She entertains herself by making up stories about her customers based on the telegrams they send, and eventually establishes contact with the young Captain Everard. The reader wonders where this relationship will lead and how it will affect the protagonist's life.
The premise, as you can tell, is excellent. It plays with two binaries--reality/fiction, wealthy/not-so-wealthy--that are loaded with narrative possibilities. Some critics have even established a parallel between the protagonist, who is a sort of storyteller, and Henry James himself. My problem, then, is not with the content but with the form. As most readers know, James is famous for his elaborate style, which in some cases became so labyrinthine that it obscured meaning. I feel that in this novella James loses the delicate balance that characterizes works like _The Aspern Papers_, _The Turn of the Screw_, and _Washington Square_. Keeping the protagonist unnamed produces further complications. I get the point she is "nameless." But the narrator's referring to the protagonist merely as "she" is simply a pain for the reader, especially in scenes involving more than one female character.
On the positive side, _In the Cage_ features a fascinating protagonist. She is imaginative, creative, an artist of sorts. She is independent and not desperate to marry, and she considers her situation as objectively as possible. She has great self-respect. (For all of these reasons, I feel *she* should be given a name!) The story itself is quite intriguing, as the protagonist does not content herself with her role as intermediary in other people's communication, but insists in becoming personally involved. This is a great commentary on the human need for interaction and excitement. No one is happy living inside a cage.
In short, I liked the story but felt that at times the style became an impediment. James (or any author, for that matter) is at his best when he balances style and story; in _In the Cage_, the style overflows a bit. This may explain why the story is not anthologized often, though its inclusion as a companion piece to _The Turn of the Screw_ in a Modern Library paperback edition will surely acquaint more readers with it. Readers who are new to James may want to start somewhere else. I always recommend _The Aspern Papers_.
My next Henry James will probably be _What Maisie Knew_, as I wish to migrate to the novels.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!
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