THE CLASSICISM OF HENRY JAMES: HIS HELLENISM & CONNECTION TO ROME
In one study on Henry James and the classics, Michael Clark duly notes “James’s lifelong preoccupation with ancient Greek culture” (210). In another, Aladár Sarbu claims that “Hellenism for James, may not be the most appropriate phrase, as his classical background is overwhelmingly Roman in character” (258). Both scholars represent the current dichotomy in Jamesian criticism concerning the Master’s relationship with Greece and Rome. As would be expected from such research, much analysis focuses on his fiction, yet a closer look at the American’s education and travels in addition to new evidence from personal letters only recently published can shed more light on this topic. By taking all of these factors into consideration, it becomes evident that the classicism of the novelist is not particular to one culture or the other. Rather, his art contains a more balanced outlook with regards to the ancients, one incorporating Greek ideals as they were perceived through Roman eyes.