The Golden Bowl

Adam is a rich American living in England with his daughter Maggie. Prince Amerigo is a penniless nobleman who marries Maggie, egged on by Adam and by a friend, Fanny Assingham (and if you think that this old man didn't giggle frequently at that name, think again). But just before the wedding, Amerigo is thrown together with Charlotte, a woman from his past; they loved each other but considered themselves too poor to make a married life together. Charlotte was a close friend of Maggie's and is in town for the wedding. At some point (it's not clear, as much in this book is not clear), Charlotte and the Prince begin an affair, made possible in part by the fact that Adam and Maggie spend so much time together. To some degree, a hothouse foursome develops.

I like Henry James and his long sentences and his ambiguous plot points. I did not like the experience of reading this, his last completed novel. In some ways, it feels like self-parody. In his previous books, he had sentences that went on for a paragraph, and paragraphs that went on for pages. But he always came back to ground. Here, it seems sometimes like all he gives us is chapter-long paragraphs during which nothing happens except characters (through the words of the narrator) think about things that have happened but which we have not seen happen--a kind of early version of stream of consciousness, I guess. I admit I skimmed many of these paragraphs and even chapters.

A thick dust layer of James's words seems to stand in the way of total comprehension of the plot and of character motivations. Those words are often lovely but still frustrating. Most critiques of the novel say that the important theme is knowledge: who knows what about what's going on, when do they know it, and how does it affect the power they hold over others. I can buy that. But even on the last page (page 443, for heaven's sake) I don't think I know what has happened and who has come out on top. I have since watched the movie (from 2000) in which things are simplified, but I'm not sure that James would agree that Merchant and Ivory have interpreted him correctly.

Of course, I'm not in school, as a student or a teacher, so I don't need to come up with definitive answers for an essay test. Honestly, I don't feel too bad about the ambiguity I was left in by the end. Despite the adulterous behavior of Amerigo and Charlotte, I can't help but think of Maggie and Adam as the "bad guys," to put it far too simply. But I'm not sure that's how James wanted me to think. As much of a chore as it felt at times to read this, I am inclined to revisit it some time in the future, and certain passages have stuck with me. In particular, there is a delicious chapter in which Fanny and her husband are trying to communicate about the central situation and completely fail to understand each other. I was laughing out loud (would James have approved?). If you've never read James, for God's sake don't start with this one. Only for hardcore fans.