Henry James was one of the greatest literary figures of the 19th century and his works are considered mini masterpieces of the time. He was born in New York City in to a wealthy and intellectual family. Young James was tutored in the many learning centers of Europe and also studied at the Harvard Law School for some time. But he liked his literary pursuits to the study of law. James preferred living in Europe than in America and even renounced his American Citizenship for its refusal to enter in to World War I. He was a regular contributor to literary magazines and started his first novel “Watch and Ward” in his early twenties. His masterpieces like “Daisy Miller” and “Portrait of a Lady” quickly followed. His protagonist are complex individuals battling personal and provincial prejudices and many a time bring about the complexities of American and European lives. Henry James died at the age of 65 and his ashes are interred at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
How does one come up in society which values class, birth and money? For the poor whose very existence is tough and are reviled by the rich, the gulf is too much to bridge. So is revolution an answer where the poor are mere myrmidons to carry out the orders of their masters? These are the questions which shoots out in this politically charged novel by Henry James.
Hyacinth is born out of wedlock, a byproduct of a relationship between a French prostitute and a English lord. His mother stabs the Lord when he refuses to accept the paternity and is subsequently jailed. He is brought up by Amanda Pynsent, an impoverished seamstress who is his mothers dear friend. Pynsent feels a fire inside Hyacinth and gets him educated and he becomes a skilled book binder. Well in to his youth he meets his dying mother in prison and is filled with revulsion at his own state of affairs and the perfidy of the rich.
The coarseness of his existence forces Hyacinth to struggle to get out of the rut, but is prevented from doing so because of his low station in society which places too much premium on birth. He finds a date with Millicent Henning who loves him unreservedly. But Hyacinth in his angst rejects her love and falls for the beauteous princess Cassamassima. Princess Cassamassima is a bored aristocrat separated from her husband and Hyacinth reminds her of her own humble origin before her marriage. She encourages his attention and he too falls for her charms. Hyacinth also mistakenly believes that the Princess's attention will catapult him in to her society ultimately redeeming his social standing.
Hyacinth meets the shadowy political revolutionary, for whom revolutionary ideals are a stepping stone to fulfill his ambitions of power. Paul Munificent recruits Hyacinth and assigns him the task of assassinating a capitalistic aristocrat. Meanwhile the Princess too comes under the influence of Munificent and his charm and bed room prowess makes her discard Hyacinth. Caught in a bind between committing murder and rejection Hyacinth realizes the futility of revolution. But it is too late to turn back, as failing to do his duty would bring him the wrath of revolutionaries and the success would put him in the cross-hairs of the law. Hyacinth turns the gun on himself understanding the futility of either course.
This melancholy book would not be much relevant today where upward mobility is possible through hard-work and talent. But in Victorian England and many societies of today where birth is a premium, this story holds true. I found the work a very poignant tale of a man caught in the class war where redemption would have been a miracle. Princess Cassamassima is one of Henry James's less successful books, but I feel it is a much needed reality check too.
No comments:
Post a Comment