Confidence

The first fully annotated edition of this neglected Henry James novel, providing rich sociohistorical context and textual history.

The first fully annotated edition of one of Henry James's least-known novels. A compelling portrait of a deracinated group of leisured Americans in a new era of global travel, Confidence traces the twists and turns of a moral-psychological experiment in the balance of relations between the sexes.The Cambridge Edition of the Complete Fiction of Henry James provides, for the first time, a scholarly edition of a major writer whose work continues to be read, quoted, adapted and studied. Confidence is one of James's least-known novels, but its handling of point of view and the ethics of observing other people, its succession of often vividly-evoked settings – Siena, Baden-Baden, New York City, Paris, London – and its fascinating similarities to other of James's works make it deserving of serious attention. The story of its composition, publication and reception is also told here, illuminating how James negotiated his establishment as a major writer, including a readiness for radical revision at the manuscript stage. At its heart, Confidence offers a compelling portrait of a deracinated group of leisured Americans in a new era of global travel, tracing the twists and turns of a moral-psychological experiment in relations between the sexes.