The Figure In The Carpet

henry james

The Figure In The Carpet is a novel by the renowned American author, Henry James. The story revolves around a literary critic named Hugh Vereker, who is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant writers of his time. However, his work is also shrouded in mystery, as he claims to have hidden a secret ""figure"" in all of his writings that only a select few can decipher.The protagonist of the story, an aspiring young writer named George Corvick, becomes obsessed with uncovering this secret figure and sets out on a mission to meet Vereker and learn the truth. Along the way, he becomes romantically involved with a woman named Gwendolen, who also happens to be a fan of Vereker's work.As George delves deeper into Vereker's writing and tries to unravel the mystery of the secret figure, he becomes increasingly frustrated and disillusioned. The novel explores themes of obsession, artistic integrity, and the nature of literary criticism, as George grapples with the idea that the secret figure may be nothing more than a figment of Vereker's imagination.The Figure In The Carpet is a thought-provoking and complex work of fiction that showcases James' masterful prose and his ability to delve into the intricacies of human relationships and the creative process. It is a must-read for fans of literary fiction and anyone interested in exploring the mysteries of the creative mind.RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light. This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place. One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker's I renounced my ridiculous attempt. I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres classicsshort storiesfictionamerican19th centuryliteratureschoolmysteryhorrorvictorian

null pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1896

This edition

Format: null pages, Paperback
Published: June 17, 2004 by Kessinger Publishing
ISBN: 9781419162213
ASIN: 1419162217
Language: English

About the author

henry james

Henry James 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 Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl 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 compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw 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".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, 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."