Audiobook · read by volunteers
International Episode
Henry James (1843–1916)
Read by Alex Foster, Gord Mackenzie, Paula Berinstein, Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023), Neal Foley, Chris Goringe · 6 chapters · 3 h 00
About the book
Two Englishmen visiting the United States meet a pair of charming American women. The following year, the women return the visit and come to London, where the two nations, so alike in language, find just how different they are in manners. Expectations go astray, remarks are misunderstood, and romantic hopes are caught between politeness and pride.
Henry James’s International Episode is a short, delightful novella about the comedy of cross-cultural encounters. In six sections and about three hours, the recording offers a witty and subtle portrait of two societies observing each other, each sure it understands the other. It is a good place to start for anyone who has wondered about the reputation of Henry James as a difficult writer, because here the pleasure is quick and the humour clear.
Introduction
Henry James (1843–1916) was born in New York and spent much of his adult life in Europe, eventually becoming a British subject. He is one of the great novelists in English, known for works such as The Portrait of a Lady and The Turn of the Screw, and for a style that grows more intricate over time. A recurring theme in his writing is the encounter between Americans and Europeans, the so-called international theme, in which innocence and experience, directness and refinement, come into friendly or painful contact.
An International Episode was first published in 1878, the year of Daisy Miller. It follows two English visitors to America and their American acquaintances, who later visit London. James looks closely at the small misunderstandings that arise from different customs, and at the way each group tends to form a flattering or unflattering picture of the other. At the start the Englishmen are the visitors, charmed and puzzled by American ways; when the women cross the Atlantic, the roles are reversed, and now it is English manners that seem strange. The tone is light, ironic and affectionate, and the story is one of the author’s more accessible works.
The recording has six sections and lasts about three hours. It is read by volunteers for LibriVox.
Why listen today? Because the comedy of national stereotypes remains familiar, and because James observes it with such grace. The story is also short enough to enjoy in a single evening, a handy entry point for those who have never tried the author. It rewards those who like characters whose conversation says more than they intend.
Public domain
Henry James died in 1916: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text