What Maisie Knew (Oxford World's Classics)

What Maisie Knew (Oxford World's Classics)

by Adrian Poole (Editor), Adrian Poole (Editor), Henry James (Author)

Synopsis

What Maisie Knew (1897) represents one of James's finest reflections on the rites of passage from wonder to knowledge, and the question of their finality. The child of violently divorced parents, Maisie Farange opens her eyes on a distinctly modern world. Mothers and fathers keep changing their partners and names, while she herself becomes the pretext for all sorts of adult sexual intrigue. In this classic tale of the death of childhood, there is a savage comedy that owes much to Dickens. But for his portrayal of the child's capacity for intelligent `wonder', James summons all the subtlety he devotes elsewhere to his most celebrated adult protagonists. Neglected and exploited by everyone around her, Maisie inspires James to dwell with extraordinary acuteness on the things that may pass between adult and child. In addition to a new introduction, this edition of the novel offers particularly detailed notes, bibliography, and a list of variant readings. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Edition: 2
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Published: 14 Aug 2008

ISBN 10: 019953859X
ISBN 13: 9780199538591

Author Bio
Adrian Poole is Reader in English and Comparative Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Book of Classical Verse in Translation, and he is the editor of The Aspern Papers and Other Stories in World's Classics.