Categories: Literary Studies: C 1800 To C 1900 Literary Studies: Fiction, Novelists & Prose Writers Contemporary Fiction Classic Books & Novels


What Maisie Knew
3.42 (6,111 ratings by Goodreads)
Paperback Oxford Worlds Classics English
By (author) Henry James , Edited by Adrian Poole


What Maisie Knew (1897) represents one of Jamess finest reflections on the rites of passage from wonder to knowledge, and the question of their finality. The child of violently divorced parents, Maisie Farange opens her eyes on a distinctly modern world. Mothers and fathers keep changing their partners and names, while she herself becomes the pretext for all sorts of adult sexual intrigue.

In this classic tale of the death of childhood, there is a savage comedy that owes much to Dickens. But for his portrayal of the childs capacity for intelligent `wonder, James summons all the subtlety he devotes elsewhere to his most celebrated adult protagonists. Neglected and exploited by everyone around her, Maisie inspires James to dwell with extraordinary acuteness on the things that may pass between adult and child. In addition to a new introduction, this edition of the novel offers
particularly detailed notes, bibliography, and a list of variant readings.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford Worlds Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxfords commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


Product details

Format Paperback | 336 pages
Dimensions 127 x 195 x 15mm | 233g
Publication date 03 Aug 2009
Publisher Oxford University Press
Publication City/Country Oxford, United Kingdom
Language English
Edition Revised
Edition Statement 2nd Revised edition
ISBN10 019953859X
ISBN13 9780199538591
Bestsellers rank 67,136