Description
Book SynopsisOne of Henry James''s main achievements as a novelist was his ability to demonstrate how the notions of masculinity and femininity are socially constructed, depending on a variety of contradictory factors: social, political, sexual, and economic. His unique capacity to understand the ideological function of relationships often accepted as natural in late nineteenth century culture resulted in works of fiction that impress upon readers the oppressiveness inherent within them. Most adaptations of literary classics, however, tend to be influenced by Hollywood conventions that tend to reinforce dominant notions of gender and heterosexual relations. Adapting a novel for cinema or television is first and foremost a business enterprise, where the screenwriter has to take into account the wishes of conflicting interest groups: producers, stars, directors, and spectators. In Adapting Henry James to The Screen: Gender, Fiction and Film, author Laurence Raw suggests that most James adaptations h
Trade ReviewAn extensive bibliography and index round out this scholarly, in-depth literary and cultural analysis of the tenuous media transition of immortal stories. * Wisconsin Bookwatch, January 2007 *
Raw's analyses are lucid, plausible, and informed by a range of theorists....Recommended. * CHOICE, June 2007 *
James fans will appreciate Raw's efforts in this book and find it useful in introducing James not only to new viewers but perhaps to new readers as well. * English Literature In Translation *
In this intriguing study of both Henry James and Hollywood film conventions, Raw (American culture and literature, Baskent U., Turkey) suggests that most film adaptations of James' novels have sought to shift attention away from the classical narrative to the audience's interaction with the narrative. He demonstrates that, although several adaptations have critically engaged the subject of gender relations, they often reinforce accepted norms, rather than following James in examining the social construction of gender. * Reference and Research Book News *
Table of ContentsPart 1 Acknowledgments Part 2 Introduction Chapter 3 1 Berkeley Square (1933) Chapter 4 2 The Lost Moment (1947) Chapter 5 3 The Heiress (1949) Chapter 6 4 I'll Never Forget You (1951) Chapter 7 5 The Innocents (1961) Chapter 8 6 The Nightcomers (1971) Chapter 9 7 Daisy Miller (1974) Chapter 10 8 On a Clear Day You and See Forever (1970) and Somewhere in Time (1980) Chapter 11 9 The Turn of the Screw (1974) Chapter 12 10 The Portrait of a Lady (1968) and The Golden Bowl (1972) Chapter 13 11 The Jolly Corner (1975) Chapter 14 12 The Europeans (1979) and The Bostonians (1984) Chapter 15 13 The Turn of the Screw (1989) Chapter 16 14 The Turn of the Screw (1992) Chapter 17 15 Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady (1996) Chapter 18 16 The Wings of the Dove (1997) Chapter 19 17 Under Heaven (1998) Chapter 20 18 The Turn of the Screw (1995 and 1999) Chapter 21 19 The American (1998) Chapter 22 20 Washington Square (1997) Chapter 23 21 The House by the Cemetary (1981) and The Haunting of Hell House (1999) Chapter 24 22 Presence of Mind (1999) Chapter 25 23 The Golden Bowl (2001) Part 26 Conclusion Part 27 Bibliography Part 28 Index Part 29 About the Author
