Inexorable Yankeehood: Henry James Rediscovers America, 1904-1905

Abstract

In Inexorable Yankeehood: Henry James Rediscovers America, 1904-1905, Robin P. Hoople explores the complex interactions between Henry James and American journalism during his ten-month visit to the United States in 1904-1905. Returning after a two-decade absence, James found an America transformed by industrialization, immigration, and cultural shifts. His travels across the country were marked by public lectures, meetings with friends and family, and encounters with journalists who portrayed him as both a literary celebrity and an outsider. Hoople's study meticulously examines how American newspapers and periodicals framed these events, offering insights into James’s reception and his evolving relationship with his homeland. By analyzing press coverage alongside James’s own writings in The American Scene (1907), Hoople reveals the tensions between James’s Europeanized perspective and the emergent American identity. This cultural historical investigation highlights the significance of media representation in shaping public perceptions of both James and America, contributing to a deeper understanding of transatlantic literary exchanges at the turn of the twentieth century.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)