Perspectives on Henry James’ Extreme Dramatization in The Awkward Age
Perspectives on Henry James’ Extreme Dramatization in The Awkward Age

Summary/Abstract: Acknowledged as Henry James’ most experimental novel due to its emphasis on ‘showing’, which is achieved through the overwhelming use of dialogue and a restrained focalization on the part of the narrator, The Awkward Age has received both criticism and praise. The current article looks at several perspectives on James’ extreme dramatization, in particular that of Lubbock in 1921 and that of Rimmon-Kenan in 1983, with a view towards establishing the relevance of this option from a narratological standpoint. The Awkward Age is shown to be the starting point for a theoretical discussion that weaves through the twentieth century; the novel itself represents thus a signpost in the development of the novel as a genre and its narratological analysis.

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