The Princess Casamassima

The Princess Casamassima Synopsis

First published as a serial novel in the Atlantic Monthly, Henry James' novel steers readers in a different direction than his typical works - exploring the political and violent topic of assassination. It is said that while walking the streets of London, James first conceived the central character Hyacinth. Born in a bastion of peace and tranquility, Hyacinth is corrupted by revolutionary politics and transforms into an agent of destruction on behalf of his political fervor.

Impoverished in his youth, Hyacinth has a heightened awareness of the misery that surrounds him. Against his better judgment, Hyacinth is pulled into revolutionary politics and makes a vow he may soon regret: to assassinate a major political figure. Enter the beautiful Princess Casamassima. Hyacinth becomes divided between Princess Casamassima's world of wealth and luxury and his own bleak world of staunch moral rectitude. He struggles with the gross disconnect between his political beliefs and personal desires.

From a scholarly approach, The Princess Casamassima is an interesting departure from James' other works, although his novel "The Bostonians" also dealt with political issues, albeit in a less tragic manner. This book stands out as a unique read. For the casual reader, this book explores personal conflicts and the challenges we all face when circumstances clash with our desires. Hyacinth is an outsider, and his story can connect with the common man. He can also be compared, as he frequently was by James, to some of literature's greatest characters - Hamlet and Lear. The personal struggles Hyacinth deals with are what make this book intriguing. The ultimate solution he decides upon is what makes it a tragedy. Overall, an interesting novel by James, and an interesting addition to his already massive list of literary classics.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

About This Edition