In the Cage: A Quick Read edition
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This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 3 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 21 minutes
"In the Cage" is a novella by Henry James, published in 1898, that centers on an unnamed London telegraphist who deciphers clues to her clients' personal lives from the cryptic telegrams they submit to her. The telegraphist gets involved with a pair of lovers named Captain Everard and Lady Bradeen, and she manages to reassure Everard that their secrets are safe from detection. Later, she learns that Lady Bradeen is forcing Everard to marry her, as he is heavily in debt and not interested in her. The telegraphist eventually decides to marry her fiancé, Mr. Mudge, and reflects on the unusual events she was a part of. James got the idea for the story from his experiences at the telegraphist's office, and the protagonist can be seen as a version of the Jamesian artist. Critics have generally been kind to the story, praising the detailed and convincing portrait of the telegraphist. Some have compared the story to "The Turn of the Screw," but the telegraphist seems much better grounded in reality. The story is not one of class conflict, but rather a reflection on the protagonist's lively imagination and nearly photographic memory.
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This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 3 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 21 minutes
"In the Cage" is a novella by Henry James, published in 1898, that centers on an unnamed London telegraphist who deciphers clues to her clients' personal lives from the cryptic telegrams they submit to her. The telegraphist gets involved with a pair of lovers named Captain Everard and Lady Bradeen, and she manages to reassure Everard that their secrets are safe from detection. Later, she learns that Lady Bradeen is forcing Everard to marry her, as he is heavily in debt and not interested in her. The telegraphist eventually decides to marry her fiancé, Mr. Mudge, and reflects on the unusual events she was a part of. James got the idea for the story from his experiences at the telegraphist's office, and the protagonist can be seen as a version of the Jamesian artist. Critics have generally been kind to the story, praising the detailed and convincing portrait of the telegraphist. Some have compared the story to "The Turn of the Screw," but the telegraphist seems much better grounded in reality. The story is not one of class conflict, but rather a reflection on the protagonist's lively imagination and nearly photographic memory.
Henry James
Henry James ((1843-04-15)15 April 1843 – (1916-02-28)28 February 1916) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of theologian Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
James's novels deal with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady (1881). His later works, such as The Wings of the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903), and The Golden Bowl (1904) were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been described as Impressionist.
His novella The Turn of the Screw (1898) has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner" (1908).
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, he spent much of his life abroad. James largely relocated to Europe in his thirties, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said, "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
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![ebook cover of Le tour d´écrou [édition intégrale revue et mise à jour], by Henry James](https://mysmartbook.fr/media/7b/a3/29/1775562130/le-tour-decrou-edition-integrale-revue-et-mise-a-jour-henry-james-9791023203301-cover.jpg?ts=1790064676 "ebook cover of Le tour d´écrou [édition intégrale revue et mise à jour], by Henry James")
