Daisy Miller
January 17, 1986
A review of "Daisy Miller" by Henry James.
Copyright © 1997 Property of Deborah K. Fletcher. All rights reserved.
Daisy Miller is a novel written by Henry James and published in 1878. The story takes place in Vevey, Switzerland, and Rome, Italy.
This novel traces the unusual relationship between Mr. Winterbourne and Miss Daisy Miller. They meet in the garden of the Trois Couronnes in Vevey. He is visiting his aunt; she is travelling in Europe with her mother and brother.
Very soon after meeting, Mr. Winterbourne and Miss Miller travel to the Chateau de Chillon. Throughout the trip, Miss Miller flirts with and chides Mr. Winterbourne.
The following winter, Mr. Winterbourne travels to Rome to see his aunt. He finds that Miss Miller is there as well. He also finds that she is "going about" with several Italian men, and that there is one whom she particularly likes. Mr. Winterbourne becomes jealous and watches them, trying to see her whenever he can.
The story ends tragically with Miss Miller contracting a fever in the Colosseum, and, eventually, dying.
David Galloway, who outlined the life of Henry James in the Encyclopedia Americana, said of Daisy Miller:
"Daisy repeatedly challenges convention, and although she dies in consequence, her role in the novel is essentially comic. James delightfully exploits the contrast between Daisy and her European acquaintances, and while, like them, he often seems to deplore her behavior, he endows her with an innocence and naturalness that clearly establish what he regarded as the 'poetry of her type.'"
(Galloway, David. Encyclopedia Americana. "James, Henry." Vol. 15, pp. 678-681. Grolier Incorporated. Connecticut. 1985.)
The dialogue in Daisy Miller helps to give Miss Miller the innocence and naturalness which Galloway cited. Her speech is simple, with commonly accepted grammatical errors giving it an American colloquialism. The use of the word "ain't" at judicious intervals gives her a subtle humanity.
The description which James used in Daisy Miller is beautiful. As I read it, I found myself picturing the scenes with wonderful clarity. One example of this is as follows:
"... he encountered her in that beautiful abode of flowering desolation known as the palace of the Caesars. The early Roman spring had filled the air with bloom and perfume, and the rugged surface of the Palatine was muffled with tender verdure."
The story begins rather slowly, but it is not long before the reader finds himself enjoying it. The introduction of Randolph Miller brings a bit of humour to the story, and makes the reading more pleasant.
Daisy Miller is a novel worthy of placement among the modern classics. Unlike many "great literary works" which are often assigned reading in English and American literature classes, this novel will capture the reader.
Neither the title of the novel, nor the section titles (i.e.: "Part I," "Part II: Rome") are gauged to entice the reader, unless their very simplicty can count as enticement.
DAisy Miller is a light, yet somewhat serious, story of the contrast between American and European cultures of the Nineteenth Century. Sallie Sears, in her article in Collier's Encyclopedia, said of Daisy Miller:
"... concerns generous but naive Americans who are defeated by a corrupt European environment."
(Sears, Sallie. Collier's Encyclopedia. "James, Henry." Vol. 13, pp. 441-445. Macmillan Educational Company. New York. 1984.)
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