The aspern papers analysis. The Aspern Papers Summary 2022-10-05
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The Aspern Papers is a novella by Henry James, first published in 1888. The story centers around a young man named Jeffrey Aspern, who is obsessed with obtaining letters written by a famous poet named Juliana Bordereau. Aspern is willing to do whatever it takes to get his hands on the letters, including manipulating and deceiving the elderly Juliana and her spinster niece, Miss Tina.
One of the main themes of The Aspern Papers is the corrupting influence of obsession. Aspern's desire for the letters consumes him and drives him to behave unethically and deceitfully. He becomes so fixated on obtaining the letters that he is willing to betray the trust of the two women, who have allowed him to live in their home under false pretenses.
Another theme of the story is the power dynamic between the young and the old. Aspern is a young, ambitious man who is eager to make a name for himself in the literary world. In contrast, Juliana and Miss Tina are elderly, isolated women who are struggling to maintain their independence and dignity. Aspern uses his youth and charm to manipulate and deceive the two women, ultimately leading to their downfall.
The Aspern Papers also touches on the theme of the dangers of idolizing celebrities. Aspern idolizes the poet Juliana and is willing to go to great lengths to obtain the letters, even though they may not be of much value to anyone else. This idolization of celebrities and the pursuit of fame can often lead to unethical behavior and a lack of empathy towards others.
In conclusion, The Aspern Papers is a thought-provoking novella that delves into themes of obsession, power dynamics, and the dangers of idolizing celebrities. It serves as a cautionary tale about the corrupting influence of desire and the importance of maintaining one's integrity.
The Aspern Papers Analysis
Analysis As the weeks drag into months during which time the narrator does not see anything of either Juliana or Miss Tina, the frustration of no progress toward his goal brings out the paranoia. He learns that she has no idea of the affair between her aunt and the poet; she merely believed that they were friends. At sunset he stands before the equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni, the cruel Venetian mercenary, again, ironically, because though also cruel and greedy the narrator is both dwarfed by the lofty statue and unsuccessful in his mission. Although Tita herself doesn't make many appearances, the narrator gradually cultivates a friendly relationship with her. The second is the date of publication online or last modification online. The narrator has no ill intentions, but one thing leads to another and he finds himself in her room.
The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. It is left to see if she is tarnished by the immorality and amorality surrounding her, or if she will remain pure, even though it might destroy her in some way in the end. At first he feels he can never accept the proposal, but gradually he begins to change his mind. The narrator admits that he was initially drawn to Aspern's poetry for its ability to embody an American perspective on nature and literature, and is motivated to seek out Juliana in part to understand why Aspern would abandon his homeland and venture to Europe. Buy Study Guide An unnamed narrator—a literary biographer and scholar who is devoted to investigating the life and work of deceased American Romantic poet When he arrives at the Bordereaus' palazzo, the narrator is stunned by its grand size and its state of decay. The Narrator overcomes all of the obstacles he faced in his quest to get the papers, however when presented with the opportunity to discover them, he is unable to meet the request of marrying Tina. He makes the fateful step of revealing that he is seeking material for his writings on the poet.
His biggest fear is that the old woman will burn the letters when she knows she is about to die. The next morning he visits her again to ask about the fate of the letters. And now she had the force of soul—Miss Tita with force of soul was a new conception—to smile at me in her humiliation. She holds onto the past in the form of the love letters and a portrait of the late poet. Buy Study Guide The Ethics of Literary Scholarship A central question in The Aspern Papers on an incident involving letters exchanged between the poet Lord Byron and his former lover, Claire Clairmont, who was also the subject of the plot of a fan Captain Edward Augustus Silsbee to obtain letters exchanged between the two in order to learn more about his poet-idol of choice, Byron's close friend Percy Shelley. However, she decides she will only let him see them if he marries her, which he is unwilling to do, and so she destroys them.
It starred Margaret Tyzack as Miss Tita, Beatrix Lehmann as Juliana Bordereau, and John Carson as Charles Faversham, the narrator. Miss Tita is ashamed of her marriage proposal to the narrator, but James implies that she does exactly the right thing by depriving him of the papers. Regardless of the reason for his loss, the reflection and honest statement that he can scarcely bare the loss makes it clear that he has suffered greatly through these endeavors. He asks Miss Tina why all of a sudden she has requested this audience. A unique perspective from an Italian professor of Anglo-American literature. The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material.
Before he can speak, Miss Tina wishes him good-bye, as she will see him no more. Ownership of the letters is worth intimacy with a person who is less plain than he once thought. Over the course of the novella, she goes back and forth and often voices her uncertainty aloud in short bursts of dialogue that manifest her internal conflict to the narrator. Juliana's desire for money is the driving factor in allowing the researcher to rent a room in her house and disrupt the women's seclusion. The latter half of her statement about a lack of poetry in the world appears to be a hidden criticism of the narrator, who is also not a poet, and instead of poetry, writes biographies about poets. In order to do so, he begins to try and disenchant her understanding of her own isolated lifestyle, perpetually casting it in a poor light in order to lure her away from her unwavering loyalty to Juliana. Her subtle hinting keeps the researcher's attention focused on her.
The third episode, "Miss Tita", was a fairly close adaptation of The Aspern Papers. The Length of the Papers The Aspern Papers is a short novel, or novella. His friend a fellow scholar had written to the woman, named Juliana, about the letters and received a harsh reply stating that they did not exist. The narrator is good on his word and takes Miss Tina out one evening. He gradually befriends Tita, who will do anything within reason to preserve the letters for him after Juliana's death. He asks himself if, perhaps, she has been shielded from the true nature of the relationship between Aspern and Juliana, which emboldens him to be more direct about his interest in the poet.
Lastly, James leaves little question as to whether the Narrators actions are warranted. All of his work and deception has led him to the very moment where all he needs to do is accept, but he slips. He contemplates taking an ice home to Miss Tina, but decides it would be too presumptuous. She tells the narrator that he must pay for several more months' rent up front in order to continue staying at the mansion. GradeSaver, 14 August 2022 Web. In fact, Tina reveals that Miss Bordeaux fondly talked Of Aspire twenty years ago and Tina mentions that she did not believe anything in the papers would be painful to Miss Bordeaux. On arriving at the door of the palazzo, he is met by his servant who informs him that Juliana has died and was buried two days previously.
The end justifies the means only if the end is worth the price of the means themselves. She humiliates him in return as her final act of rebellion against the narrator. He may have gotten in, but actually acquiring the letters proves to be much more difficult. He asks Miss Tina to help him get the letters. When he realizes this unstated condition, the narrator flips out.
