Daisy Miller Character Analysis

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The personal novel I chose was called “Daisy Miller” by Henry James. The publishers were Harper & Brothers, which was published in 1879. There are a total of 43 pages. The way James’ novels are structured is that he begins it with a situation and a character. James would then, in effect, sit back and simply observe what would happen when a character was confronted with this new situation. This allowed him more freedom and allowed him the opportunity of "getting to know" his character by observing him in a series of scenes. Summary N/A The setting (time) took place was in the 1870s. The setting (place) was at Vevey, Switzerland (Chapters 1 and 2); Rome, Italy (Chapters 3 and 4). The time and place were essential as they show all the magnificent…show more content…
I believe she is a dynamic character since she’s indecisive and moody. The symbolism is that Daisy is as an American girl and America's ideals. She is unsophisticated and self-centered, but also innocent and unaware of social levels. "But this young girl was not a coquette in that sense; she was very unsophisticated; she was only a pretty American flirt." the protagonist, Winterbourne, is often ambiguous in his association. There are various ways in which the characters in the novella can be compared including “American” versus “European,” “old money” versus “new money” and active versus passive. Interestingly, the groups of characters associated with each trait system essentially remain the same in each comparison. Those who fall under the heading of “European” also tend to fit into the categories of “old money” and passive. Conversely, the characters that are considered “American” are also associated with “new money” and active traits. Winterbourne is the sole character who cannot be easily defined and it is that lack of definitive characterization which leads to his choices, actions, and omissions toward Daisy Miller which is what the story is…show more content…
He was a citizen of the world and moved freely in and out of drawing rooms in Europe, England, and America. He was perhaps more at home in Europe than he was in America, but the roots of his life belong to the American continent. Thus, with few exceptions, most of his works deal with some type of confrontation between an American and a European. The James family made frequent and extended visits to Europe during Henry James's childhood, and some of his education occurred in places such as Paris and Geneva. His father scorned material pursuits, and James's education was often unorthodox, including public schooling, private tutoring, and some training as a painter. James spent a year studying law at Harvard, though he quickly left to pursue writing. James published his first short story, in late 1861, and he soon acquired an important friendship with William Dean Howells, the rising young editor of the Atlantic Monthly. James became a successful journalist quite quickly because of his social connections with the Boston and New York elite. His relationship with Howells became an important connection between two public intellectuals and writers. They read each other's work and promoted each other, and the two are considered prominent exponents of American literary Realism-though James would later become something other than a Realist. James took his first trip to Europe as an adult in 1869. It was during this trip that his close friend and

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