The Master

Henry James (1843-1916) is a British American author who is known for his psychologically complex novels, which provide an in-depth window into his characters’ lives. Like the fictionalized version that Tóibín has created, Henry James struggled with his sexuality, his social anxiety, and the tension that he felt between his American identity and the more European cosmopolitanism that his father introduced into his life. He is considered one of the greatest novelists of the Western canon, and his works remain popular more than a century after they were written. 

James published his novels at the tail end of the realist movement, which promoted art and literature that represent real life. In the case of his later works, he became influenced by the rising trend of literary modernism. Although his work is primarily realist in nature, his writing is also viewed as a bridge between the two movements because he habitually focuses on the complexities of human nature, individual consciousness, and subjectivity. His novels are character-driven rather than plot-driven, and although they do explore the society of his day, they are more concerned with examining individual characters’ experiences of society than with relating detailed descriptions of the novel’s events.