well, calamares, do you know? I used to feel the same. What happened was - someone I respected said, "O, Henry James - clearly the greatest English novelist... " - and I thought, well, I'm up for that. After a bit of rootling around I found that the last three novels were deemed to be the deepest, most difficult - so again, I said to myself, well, I'm up for that - and went forth and found a copy of The Golden Bowl. What was to deter me, me with a brain the size of a planet, me the beneficiary of an eddication at Britain's premier university, tralala - and plunged in. I gave up at about page seven. Hadn't a clue as to what was going on - what was it all about? - couldna make head nor tail of it. Fortunately - after a cold shower or equivalent - I bethought myself how to tackle this - 'cos I knew that people whom I respected thought he were well good - and yet weren't necessarily brainier than me - so I went about and acquired le tout Henry James - and started chronologically - some of the short stories - Roderick Hudson - The American - The Europeans - and I thought - I like this; I can understand it - on to middle period - Portrait of a Lady, Spoils of Poynton etc - lovely, richer, deeper - and thus slowly slowly through all the works until, yes, The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove, The Golden Bowl. Glorious. They aren't easy to read - and if you lose your way you have to backtrack page after page to work out what's going on - but I assure you - it's worth it!Originally Posted by Caliban
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