Olivia Chancellor, the very high-minded and dedicated feminist main character and her rivalry with a still unreconstructerd Confederate Civil War veteran for the soul of the charismatic ingenue Verena Tarrant provides space for gentle satire. I think the target is not Olive's principles but the fervour and total lack of sense of proportion with which Olive holds them. Our Southerner Basil very much recalls Jonathan Swift. It's very difficult to judge The Bostonians as an artefact of its own period, late mid 19th century, because the characterfs' principal issues are such as today no intelligent person could find ambiguous. But however excellent her beliefs, Olive's total lack of common sense and her expectation that Verena should sacrifice her future for them shows her essentially comic nature. If there were an order of Unitarian nuns, Olive would have been the Mother Superior eager to recruit Verena to the Novitiate.

Normally I'd give any Classic five stars, but The Bostonians does not rise to the serious tragic level of Portrait of a Lady or The Wings of the Dove.

this book is simultaneously unbelievably boring, vapid, and irritating. i can handle all of these things at once but reading them all together was such a choreeeee! i hate basil ransom, i hate henry james, i hate his weird portrayal of boston marriages and lesbianism and feminism. UGH! i understand that there’s perhaps a critical way to read this as a radical text (allegedly according to my professor) but it was actually so boring it’s not worth it

Това е свят, в който навиците и вкусовете са подкрепени и изразени от множество вещи – в къщата на един от главните образи е пълно с прекрасни предмети, сякаш за да направи нейния феминистки свят още по-примамлив. Да, „Бостънци” на Хенри Джеймс е книга за феминизма – точна, безстрастно представяща течението в онези години и въпреки това изпълнена със страсти.

Хенри Джеймс е познавач на женската душевност. Неговите женски образи са развити в дълбочина и детайлност, но описанията на техните мисли и преживявания не поставят читателя в позиция на безлично съгласие или на абсолютно отрицание на идеите на двете героини – Олив и Верена. Може би затова те биват разбрани и приети. Същите тези идеи обаче са изложени с ирония към наивността, истерията, безкритичността на настървените за делата си жени, тяхното отрицание на всичко мъжко и желанието за… Всъщност спорен въпрос – какво искат жените: да бъдат равнопоставени или да доминират?

Но феминизмът в романа не е директно осъден, а по-скоро е показан. Векът на освобождаването носи своите шипове, които времето впоследствие ще изглади. Но тогава все още откровеността не е присъща на членовете на обществото, всяко случайно споделяне на рязко мнение предизвиква всеобщо мълчание. Облеклото, обичаите, предразсъдъците – нито мъжете, нито жените са освободени от старото.

Феминизмът в „Бостънци” не е разгърнат до изобразяване на хомосексуални сцени, което вероятно означава, че не това стои в основата на философията на течението. Вместо това между жените в повествованието има огромна близост. В разговорите им се забелязва женствена топлина и силна обвързаност. Но тъй като Олив покровителства Верена, техните отношения се задълбочават до забрани и ограничения. Което е един от основните аргументи на главния мъжки персонаж срещу феминисткото движение и особено срещу връзката между двете млади жени.

Образът на мъжа е разгърнат като отрицание на битката на жените за права. Обаче той не е толкова нарочно привлекателен и лъстив мъж. Той е суров, груб, недодялан и беден. И в крайна сметка печели, откъсвайки Верена от Олив; сълзите на обекта на неговата любов – младата жена с блестяща дарба, поела битката срещу мъжете – когато избира него пред своята приятелка – не са последните сълзи в живота й; но те са знак, че животът е поредица от битки и за един зрял индивид битката продължава на друго поле, където ще бъде най-близко до своята природа.

Защото – мое лично мнение – мъжът и жената са създадени, за да се допълват. Тяхната симбиоза винаги ще означава щастие, независимо от формата. Мъжете днес изказват различни мнения – за едни в света цари матриархат, а за други – жената винаги е била на почит в българските традиции, тя е била и предводител на мъжете, но винаги до тях.

Не бих препоръчала романа „Бостънци” на човек, който не си пада по четенето. Напрежението се поддържа постоянно, но е тежък и тромав и това би отблъснало хората на масовата култура. Изисква се търпение и нагласа за това иначе вълнуващо връщане към възлови явления от миналото. Но си заслужава – освен естетическото удоволствие от книгата, добре е да усвоим и настоящето, което, както е знаем, е процес, започнал отдавна.

n  

' "Just sit down here and let me ask a simple question. Do you think any state of society can come to good that is based upon an organised wrong?" '

n

This book, somewhat unfairly, has a reputation as being James' satire on the early suffragette/feminist movement in 1880s Boston - I say unfairly because while it's without doubt poking lots of pointed fun at a lot of things, I don't think the question of giving women an equal education, vote and social voice is one of them. And, just to back up a moment, yes, this is James at his mercilessly wittiest best.

Set amongst a group of radical thinkers (feminists, vegetarians, faith healers) with differing agendas and levels of sincerity and authenticity - some genuinely work towards social change (Miss Birdseye, Dr Prance), others merely want money without conventional work (the mesmeric healer, Seleh Tarrant) or fame (the journalist, Mr Pardon) - this sets up a typically Jamesian confrontation build around Verena Tarrant: a young, beautiful feminist with a talent for charismatic speech-making.

On one side she is adopted by Olive Chancellor: a wealthy young woman who hates men and wants revenge on the sex for their oppression of women; on the other she is pursued by the handsome and charming southerner ('the Mississippian') Basil Ransome, fresh from the Civil War, whose southern 'gallantry' hides a pernicious view of gender relations: 'he had shown her a great deal while he sat there, especially what balderdash he thought it - the whole idea of women being equal to men.' Basil rounds off his ultra-reactionary views by denouncing the idea of universal education ('he thought the spread of education a gigantic farce') and pontificating on the effete way in which women are effeminising men: "the whole generation is womanised; the masculine tone is passing out of the world; it's a feminine, a nervous, hysterical, chattering, canting age". Anyone who thinks James is agreeing with or enforcing Ransome's views, perhaps needs to read this again.

What is up for exposure here are ideas of exploitation - many people want to 'own' Verena for differing reasons - even from those supposedly speaking out against it. Olive's motives are suspect, to some extent (though I'm not completely sure that I agree with readings which have her as a closet lesbian), but so are those of the supposedly progressive young Harvard students, and the more distasteful ways in which her family want to 'run' her (shades of the Kardashian parents here, perhaps?).

And what of Verena herself? It's a little hard to 'get' her - on one hand she's committed to her role as charismatic spokesperson of the suffragette movement; on the other, she falls in love with Ransome - a wonderfully Jamesian clash that mimics his more typical one between the values of 'old' Europe and 'young' America.

Ultimately, though, the ending leaves us in no doubt where James stands: 'But though she was glad, he presently discovered that, beneath her hood, she was in tears. It is to be feared that within the union, so far from brilliant, into which she was about to enter, these were not the last she was destined to shed.'

Within the sharp satire of the charlatans and hangers-on who gravitate towards radical politics, is a return to James' perennial interests in the vagaries and problems of how to build and sustain authentic personal relationships, how to live a 'fine' life in the face of all its problems.

Gonna stop reading and get out while I can. Silly me for thinking a satire of the women's rights movement would be cleverly written and not a shallow portrayal of feminism. Also: edit, James.

Από τη μια πρόκειται για ένα βαρύ πολυσέλιδο έργο, από την άλλη, μέχρι και η εξάντληση πρέπει να είναι μέρος του ιστού του Χένρι Τζέιμς.

Όλα ξεκινούν στο τέλος του εμφυλίου στην Αμερική, με τρεις μορφες, τον ευγενικό αγενή σεξιστή ετοιμόλογο Basil Ransom, τη μαχητική κτητική ομοφυλόφιλη φεμινίστρια Olive και την κορυφή του ερωτικού τριγώνου, το κέντρο των ομόκεντρων κύκλων, την αφελή Verena. Αυτή η συνταγή από μόνη της έχει ενδιαφέρον, ωστόσο το πιο εκπληκτικό είναι το ταλέντο του Τζέιμς να δημιουργεί μια ολόκληρη κοινωνία πολύπλοκων ανθρώπινων σχέσεων, συχνά με μόνο μια παράγραφο φήμης, αλλά είναι σαφές πως δεν δημιουργήθηκαν για να καλύψουν κάποιο κενό· πράγματι πείθουν πως είναι ολοζώντανοι και παράλληλα με την πλοκή του έργου, ζουν κι εκείνοι τις ζωές τους με τις δικές τους ίντριγκες και υποθέσεις. Θα είχε πραγματικό ενδιαφέρον ένας κατάλογος όλων αυτών.

Σχετικά με τους Basil, Olive και Verena, φαίνεται πως τα πράγματα ξετυλίγονται αργά αλλά ο συγγραφέας αποζημιώνει με εξαιρετικό χιούμορ (θυμίζει Ουάιλντ σε κάποια σημεία) και πολιτικά σχόλια, όπου οι πρωταγωνιστές συμβολίζουν τη σύγ��ρουση των διαφορετικών ομάδων-συμφερόντων της εποχής, στοχεύοντας στο να επιβληθούν με κάθε νόμιμη διάσταση, και έτσι να επικρατήσουν.

Το πιο κουραστικό είναι πράγματι η ταχύτητα της εξέλιξης, μετά τη σελίδα 200 ένιωσα ψυχική επένδυση αλλά και κάποια απογοητευτικά κλισέ χαρακτηριστικά των ηρώων. Ο Τζέιμς ζωγραφίζει την Olive με τα χειρότερα χρώματα, ως μια λεσβία που βρίσκεται σε φριχτούς όρους με τη σεξουαλικότητά της (δεκτό αλλά γιατί να μην αναλυθεί παραπάνω το γιατί;) και φυσικά η Verena φέρεται ως πάπετ, που ο φεμινισμός χρησιμοποιεί χαράζοντας πορεία, αναγκάζοντας άντρες σαν τον Basil να αναθεωρήσουν για τη γυναικεία σιωπή και τους σφιχτούς κορσέδες, ως μονόδρομο για να απολαύσουν την Verena και την κάθε Verena.

Το αγαπημένο μου σημείο, είναι η καταλάθος διάνα, όπου η επιθετική/χειριστική/ζηλιάρα Olive ζητάει από το μικρό της προτεζέ, την Verena, όχι ακριβώς να μην παντρευτεί ποτέ και να αφιερωθεί στις ομιλίες της γυναικείας χειραφέτησης, αλλά να το κάνει μόνο εάν είναι ευτυχισμένη με τον μελλοντικό σύζυγο.

Verena Tarrant, a talented mouthpiece for whoever’s views, falls in with rabid proto-feminist sourpuss Olive Chancellor and her circle of female-emancipating spinsters, much to the mirth of her crooked parents. Into this awkward tableau walks Mississippian antihero Basil Ransom, a classic republican who prefers his women shutting up and looking cute in corsets and praising the thickness of his whiskers. Across the sprawl of this incisive and engorged masterpiece, the power dynamic between the sexes and the setting is explored in riveting waves of plump, pristine over-explanatory prose.

Mixed feelings about this one. Fundamentally it was too long and I got bored. I think I’d have got more out of it if I had a better knowledge of the satire/political backdrop. But James really can draw characters, they all felt very real and quite timeless to me. Although not very likeable.

I'm not usually one to complain about a dearth of likable characters, but I have to admit that was the main problem with this book. James writes beautifully, as always, but the story becomes something of a chore without anyone to root for. The hero, Basil has the kind of condescending charm that quickly begins to irritate, and any sympathy for his rival Olive is undermined by her unforgiving and holier-than-thou attitude. Finally, the woman they're fighting over, Verena, a slip of a woman with a talent for public-speaking, is not only passive but insipid in her desperate desire to please. She's a woman of so little will of her own that she does nothing but cling to the dominating personalities who are incomprehensibly fighting over her, first one and then the other. Rather than being endearing, her passivity and the ease with with she's manipulated and persuaded to do whatever is demanded of her by the strongest person in the room, is downright infuriating. Perhaps the one redeeming feature of the narrative is that, in spite of his own rather conservative leanings, James portrays the triumph of the patriarchy as ultimately tragic.

Doctor Prance is so underrated. The true MVP of The Bostonians.

Literally responds to the garbage situationship developing in front of her like: Absolutely not. I'm going fishing. Do not contact me unless it is a medical emergency.

"Men and women are all the same to me[...] I don't see any difference. There is room for improvement in both sexes. Neither of them is up to the standard' [...] And she went on to declare, further, that she thought they all talked too much."

Ransom's the name -Basil Ransom. Status, bachelor. Occupation : general brokerage, whatever the hell that means. Occupation at the moment - just having fun. Let me tell you about my evening. It was last evening. The one before this one.

What a politico-literary gathering that was. The drinks were loaded and so were the dolls. I narrowed my eyes and poured a stiff Manhattan and then I saw...Verena Tarrant! What a dame, a big, bountiful babe in the region of 38-23-36. One hell of a region. She was talking up some of that feminism thing like they do these days, and she was giving out that sexy librarian vibe. She was so hot I had to stand back for fear of being burned. My cousin Olive Chancellor introduced us. "I’ve heard of you” she said. “They say you're wanted in fifteen states.” “Could be” I quipped. “But notwithstanding, as of this particular instant in time I want to be wanted in just one state, the state I’m in now, this one, right here, right now, you dig sister?” I hoped she followed the complicated syntax of my sentence. Some of these feminists don’t. I’ve noticed that. There was a hint of first edition Proust coming off of her underclothing. It was driving me crazy. She said, "Johnny, feminism is a deadly game. You have a few laughs and you go home. You can’t win." My eyes narrowed even further (they were narrow to begin with, but women like that. I’ve noticed.) “I like a challenge” I said. I felt my way towards another subjunctive clause. I was sure I'd find Verena somewhere in the middle of it.

I loved this story and the thought provoking battle of the sexes written before suffrage. Wonderfully written. Henry James is a wonderful writer.

--This is my third novel that I have had the pleasure reading by Henry James & I was absolutely drawn into this story. I first heard about him many years ago when I had heard that the movie "The Heiress" was based on his novel Washington Square. This movie is a favorite of mine & Olivia de Havilland was so expressive playing the dowdy young old maid, her best performance IMO. Like most movies I have seen I find out later they were based on a book & I will continue even though I know the story want to read them & understand all the author wanted to convey. . Since then I wanted to read this story to see if I would feel the same way, so I finally decided to give it a try & I was hoping it would not be a difficult read. The kindle edition I had was the 1886 first edition that was revised by James & in 3 separate book. It first appeared in a magazine chronicle. The first book is a little tough because it is an introduction to the characters & the cause which is women's rights, mostly suffrage. What makes this story so interesting is having a male writer write about the movement, the women & having a Southern male character post Civil War & reconstruction of the South. The Bostonian is a story about a triangle & who will win Verena Tarrant to his/her side. Will it be her new found friend Olive Channcellor or Olive's southern cousin Basil Ranson be the possessor of the lovely Verena. There is a struggle throughout the book & not until the very end is the reader aware of the winner in this quest. Even after I read a book, I try not to get carried away with reading about the themes of a book which when I google many of the thoughts are looking through a modern eye of the world. It is not that I am not using my experiences of the present & applying it to what I read but I am extra cautious not to be aware of that effect which may not be the author intention. We all read to have an understanding ourselves & life in general which is a great way to enjoy a book but I like to try to put myself in that time when it was written & try to understand the people of the past. I comment on this because of the modern eye saying that Olive's attraction to Verena is lesbian relationship wanted on her part. I don't think James had that intention & what I saw and think makes the most sense is Olive being a young old maid & not attractive found a friend for life in young vibrant Verena. They both are interested in the cause & having a friendship that would promote their beliefs. I also think modern society is too sex focused which plays into their evaluation. When reading this story it brought back my late teenage years & my feelings about the opposite sex. This was a time were I wanted to be independent & making my way in life without any male hindrance, so even though Olive was quite extreme I could relate to her dislike of the opposite sex because I went though that phase. I was never into ERA & knew next to nothing about the women's movement except reading Erica Jong's Fear of Flying. What I wanted is to be myself & be as successful as I could be with all my own efforts. This period of being by myself last several years & changed into my wanting to find my other half & my present views. I find no sex superior but each sex has its elements which are superior to that sex. There are always exceptions to the rule & some women can be as equal or above certain men's ability & vice versa. I feel that today's modern society tries to change the intrinsic essence of the female & male being. James predicted the feminization of the male to a certain extent & I quite see that being present in society, not saying all males are such but more so then in James' time which in my opinion is a shame. I am not saying that I think men should be brutes but something definitely male with an understanding of his opposite. This book has quite a discussion on the roles of the sexes & it is interesting seeing the perspective of the late 1800. This is a romantic, humorous & political read which also has an interesting perspective of the Southern male trying to make his life up North because his home of Mississippi has no opportunities & only extreme poverty. Excerpts-"One of them was to the effect that the simplest division it is possible to make of the human race is into the people who take it hard and the people who take it easy.""The most secret, the most sacred hope of her nature was that she might some day have such a chance, that she might be a martyr and die for something.""He, too, had a private vision of reform, but the first principle of it was to reform the reformers."" 'Don't you care for human progress?' Miss Chancellor went on. 'I don't know -- I never saw any. Are you going to show me some?' "" 'Men and women are the same to me,' Doctor Prance remarked. 'I don't see any difference. There is room for improvement in both sexes. Neither of them is up to the standard.' "" 'The suffering of women is the suffering of all humanity,' Ransom returned. 'Do you think any movement is going to stop that - or all the lectures from now to doomsday? We are born to suffer - and to bear it, like decent people' "" 'From the most damnable feminisation! I am so far from thinking, as you set forth the other night, that there is not enough women in our general life, that it has long been pressed home to me that there is a great deal too much. The whole generation is womanised; the masculine tone is passing out of the world; it's feminine, a nervous, hysterical, chattering, chanting age, an age of hollow phrases and false delicacy an exaggerated solicitudes and coddled sensibilities, which, if we don't soon look out, will usher in the ring of mediocrity, of the feeblest and flattest and the most pretentious that has ever been. -