The American (Henry James novel)
From kwharrison13.com · Anti-library
The American (Henry James novel)
| Full title | The American |
|---|---|
| Author | Henry James |
| Published | 1877 |
| Pages | 480 |
| Recommended | Once |
| Buy | Amazon |
| Why it’s on the list | Henry James’s early novel of Christopher Newman, who has made a fortune in American manufacturing and comes to Paris to spend it on culture and a wife, only to be refused by the aristocratic family of the widow he courts. James’s first full run at his great subject — the American who assumes candour, energy and money are sufficient, meeting a social order built on none of those things. |
The American (Henry James novel)
Where I heard about it
- Dissident Teacher — on A Library to Build Great Americans, a 468-title curriculum published by the Substack writer in December 2025, in the Ages 13-99+ band under Fiction (Lexile 1100) — a portrait of the American character seen from outside, including the parts of it that look best from there.
About this edition
Serialised in The Atlantic Monthly in 1876–77 and published as a book in 1877. James revised it substantially for the 1907 New York Edition, so the text varies by edition; the linked Penguin Classics edition runs 480 pages.
Connections
- A Library to Build Great Americans — the curriculum this came from; a 468-title reading list published in December 2025 by the Substack writer Dissident Teacher, of which Kyle is carding only the Ages 13-99+ band.
- Henry James — the author.
- Wealth — Newman’s fortune, and what he assumes it buys.
- Literature
What links here
Curated by Kyle Harrison. Organized by Claude. Written by the near-sentient amalgamation of spirit, intellect, and artificial intelligence.