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Henry James Website
Evaluators
Denise Feldman - Berkeley College, New Jersey
Ann Gann - Clinton High School, Tennessee
Chris Huber - on leave, Missouri
Shoshana M. Knapp - Virginia Tech, Virginia
Lori McCall - Kennesaw State University Student, Georgia
Julie Moore - Monroe High School, Wisconsin
Dr. Nancy Price - University of Texas at Arlington, Texas
Alice Watts-Richmond - Southern Hills Career Center, Ohio
Matthew S. Weeks - St. Mary's High School, California
Website Reviewer and Compiler
Charles R. Sanders - San Pedro High School, California
Site Ratings
1 = Poor 2 = Fair 3 = Good 4 = ExcellentDaisy Miller
http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/hjj/james.html
This e-text of Henry James's novel, Daisy Miller,
"is a pleasure to read in this form," not only because of the "beautiful black and white" illustrations, but "because of the on-line notes designed to explain to students various cultural and historical allusions." One unique feature allows readers to "click on a word and go to a sort of glossary." Many of the on-line notes "are relevant to
The American as well."
Overall Rating: 3French Culture
http://www.france.com:80/culture/index.html
This "nicely organized, easy to use" site has "a wealth of information about French culture." Researchers will find articles about "social customs, modern
life and modern politics." One link leads to a review of "all the major periods in French history," and another link "contains a short definition of each period in French architecture along with color photos of
structures that fit that definition." In addition, there is an opportunity "to ask questions about the French culture and get them answered." This site would be "a great place to just let students explore."
Overall Rating: 3Hawthorne by Henry James
http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/nh/nhhj1.html
This site is simply
the e-text version of Henry James' biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne. While "not particularly helpful" for the study of James, it "makes accessible" a text that may not be available elsewhere, and it "does contain
a lot of useful information about Nathaniel Hawthorne." Links that lead the reader to pictures of Hawthorne, a timeline, characters and people in his writings and life, and textual notes, "would be helpful for an
American literature class wanting to do an in-depth study of Hawthorne."
Overall Rating: 3Henry James Review 16.3, Fall 1995: Race Form Special Issue
http://chaos.press.jhu.edu/demo/henry_james_review/
If you are considering a subscription to the Johns Hopkins University's
Henry James Review, you should first read this demonstration taken from volume 16. You will find a wide range of topics "from the political and social views of James in South and North America to racial theater in
the American Scene to sex role in literature to romance of old clothes. In other words, a wealth of information can be found at this site."
Overall Rating: 3Paris: Tours
http://sunsite.unc.edu/wm/paris/
If you want your students to "visualize the setting" of Henry James's
The American, this site offers "very high quality" tours of Paris. One has the option of "either walking around on his/her own, or a scenic tour...of all the important sights of Paris," including a
"visit (to) the catacombs." Although the "Paris of 1877...is not the same as the Paris of today," this site may be "helpful for students who wanted to really get a feel" for the city of The American.
Overall Rating: 3The Immaculate Conception by Bartolome Esteban Murillo
http://museoprado.mcu.es/prado/html/i73.html Here is a "wonderful opportunity" to see Murillo's painting, The Immaculate Conception, which begins Henry James' novel, The American.
Along with a "full, screen-sized shot" of the masterpiece is a "full paragraph about the painting's history and symbolism." There is one important link to a virtual tour of the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, the current home of
The Immaculate Conception.
Overall Rating: 3The Henry James Scholar's Guide: Movie and Other Reviews http://www.newpaltz.edu/~hathaway/#about james In this scholar's guide to web sites, one will find not only movie reviews, but "other writing about (and by) Henry James," including his "deathbed notes, a review
of Hawthorne's notebooks by James, an account by James of his meeting with Charles Dickens, and seven texts of published work by James as well as scholarly commentary on his work." Teachers and college students
may find some use for the links to "syllabi and course materials, resources for writers and writing teachers," and an online discussion group. Please be aware, however, that discussions include topics of a sexual
nature.
Overall Rating: 3Henry James at the Movies
http://www-polisci.mit.edu:80/bostonreview/BR23.1/stone.html
"If films are used to study Henry James, this is a good place to get opinions on which ones are most true to James and how they deviate
from the source." This article by Alan Stone from the Boston Review is mostly concerned with the recent film, The Wings of the Dove, but his writing could serve as "a model for essay-writing
for AP classes, and the site would entice students to read more than any assignment called for." In addition to the James material, reviews of several recent movies based on novels can be found at this site.
Overall Rating: 3The Marriage at Cana by Paolo Veronese
http://sunserv.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/v/veronese/religion/cana.html This site features Paolo Veronese's painting, The Marriage at Cana,
which appears in Chapter 2 of Henry James' novel, The American. The biography explains how the artist mixed "a biblical scene with real people of Veronese's acquaintance and an imaginary
setting." A link to the Web Gallery of Art "contains an extensive artist index and wonderful guided tours of painters, sculptors, and churches." Not only is the site is "a perfect enrichment for
James," it is also "a whole humanities unit," or a "very good source" for teachers of Renaissance literature.
Overall Rating: 3 The Louvre: The Web Museum, Paris
http://sunsite.unc.edu/wm/paint/
Exploring the "world of art in the
times of Henry James is only one use for this site." It could also prove "helpful to any class looking at not only literature, but the art and architecture that accompanied the many periods in literature."
In this visual tour of the Louvre Museum, students have the opportunity to investigate "all the various periods and movements," along with all the artists who created the works. "Artistically, this is a great
site."
Overall Rating: 3Musee du Louvre
http://www.paris.org/Musees/Louvre/
For the student who wants to "study art in
the times of Henry James," this site is organized in such a way that the user feels that he/she is actually in the Louvre Museum in Paris. One gets a virtual ticket at the entrance, studies the floor plan, reads a
"short history of the museum and building," and then selects which of the Louvre's treasures he/she wishes to view. "There is a lot of color on this website."
Overall Rating: 3
Women in the Jamesian Eye
http://www.bookpage.com/themerc/womeninthenovels.html
This rather limited site
does present some "wonderful information about the female protagonist in the novels of Henry James." Although the article is "a rather difficult read," students researching "James' characterizing of women" will
find a discussion of Daisy Miller, Isabel Archer and Kate Croy "as females who are victims of the 'role' women are destined to play." Additionally, "the concept of James' homosexuality is handled very nicely."
Overall Rating: 3The Women in the Life of Henry James
http://www.bookpage.com/themerc/womeninthelife.html
In an "entertaining and thought-provoking essay," Yale University
professor, R.W.B. Lewis, discusses the women in the life of Henry James. In a discussion that "ranges from the women in (James') family to those in social settings," the professor makes a "strong case for the
influence of each woman in one or more of (James') books." There are no graphics and no links, but "for advanced critical thinkers, this might be a good starting point for more in-depth research."
Overall Rating: 3The Women Writers Henry James Influenced
http://www.bookpage.com/themerc/womennovelists.html
Here is a "very nice paper on feminist theory" and Henry James's influence on Edith Wharton, Willa Cather and Ellen Glasgow. In addition
to presenting a "balanced view of James and his ideas about women and writing," the essayist "also creates interest in the female authors' works." Easy enough "for high school students to grasp on their own," the
site could be used as a "transition from James to one or more of the female authors mentioned."
Overall Rating: 3The Romance of Certain Old Clothes
http://www.demon.co.uk/review/library/james01.html
Here is one source for the "relatively hard-to-find" The Romance of Certain Old Clothes, a "spooky story" by Henry James. There are no other resources and the only links are to commercial book
sellers, but it "would be helpful for students or teachers who want to read additional Henry James."
Overall Rating: 2Henry James
http://www.inform.umd.edu:8080/EdRes/ReadingRoom/Fiction/James/
Here is a collection of eleven novels of Henry James: The Turn of the Screw, The American, Daisy Miller, The Europeans, The Aspern Papers,
An International Episode, The Alter of the Dead, The Ambassadors, Roderick Hudson, Confidence, and The Death of the Lion.
"Texts are available chapter-by-chapter" and can be "downloaded onto a zip drive." Although there are no other resources for teachers and students, nor any links, it might be "convenient to have accessible texts, especially for school libraries that may have small James collections."
Overall Rating: 2Johns Hopkins University: The Henry James Review
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/henry_james_review/
Provided you're willing to pay a subscription fee, this site from Johns Hopkins
University could prove to be "wonderful for the student who wants to research Henry James." This collection is "predominantly a database of scholarly articles on various aspects" of the author and his works, and
is probably more suitable for university level work. Although the essays are "well-written and well-researched," the density of the language and the discussion of some controversial issues make
"discretion...necessary for any use of this site."
Overall Rating: 2Renaissance Art: Veronese to Verrocchio
http://online.anu.edu.au/ArtHistory/renart/pics.art/Part41.html
For those who want a more detailed look at Veronese's painting, The Marriage at Cana (featured in Chapter 2 of Henry James' novel, The American), this site presents one view of the entire
painting and "three different details...presented separately." As an added bonus, "other paintings by Veronese as well as other Renaissance artists are here to enjoy."
Overall Rating: 2
Henry James Filmography
http://us.imdb.com/Name?James,+Henry If you are a collector of Henry James trivia, this site is for you. Here is "a long list of James'
novels and stories that have been made into movies" (from 1947-1997). "Year, director, writer, and cast are identified." In addition, one "can find out what James film is on TV this week."
Overall Rating: 2Murillo, Bartolome Esteban
http://sunsite.unc.edu/wm/paint/auth/murillo/ If you need a "short homework assignment" before
beginning a study of Henry James' novel, The American, this page from the WebMuseum, Paris might be just what you are looking for. This site features a "good quality graphic" of Murillo's
The Immaculate Conception, the painting which appears at the beginning of James' novel. A biography of Murillo points out that he "painted three versions of The Immaculate Conception.
" Links provide "much resource material in terms of artists of the period."
Overall Rating: 2The Screening Room: The Wings of the Dove
http://www.timesbooks.com/everymans/screen/wings.html Although this site is "little more than film publicity," it does offer a short
biography of Henry James and a brief description of "plots and characters in The Wings of the Dove and The Portrait of a Lady."
Overall Rating: 2 Personal Best: The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
http://www.salonmagazine.com/weekly/james960930.html
If you are looking for a way to interest reluctant readers in Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady, this site may have some influence. "One in a series of articles...which feature well-known
contemporary writers writing personal essays on their favorite classics," this review could "help entice students to read the novel with a more open mind."
Overall Rating: 2
The Portrait of a Lady video is listed in our video listing. To check prices, click here.Welcome to the Louvre
http://mistral.culture.fr/louvre/louvrea.htm
Here is
another chance to tour the Louvre Museum in Paris -- in three languages! The "museum is split into different locations that one can tour." Links lead one to the "collections," which are "broken further into
types of art." Guided tours and workshops are available, "but this information is only available in French." Although limited, the site is "very colorful and appealing."
Overall Rating: 2
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