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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What warning does Miss Vernham give Dencombe?

2. Whose life does John Marcher think his life should have resembled?

3. How does James characterize the main character's feelings for her fiancee?

4. What happens to Dencombe before he can tell Dr. Hugh that he is a writer?

5. How does Spencer Brydon encounter the city he moves to at the beginning of 'Jolly Corner'?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the meeting of Captain Everard and the telegraph operator.

2. What did James study before he took to writing, and how did this influence his writing?

3. Who is Dr. Hugh?

4. What is unique about the narration of 'In the Cage'?

5. Describe Spencer Brydon's encounter with his alter ego.

6. What is the significance of the title?

7. What is the significance of the title of this story?

8. What does Dencombe realize in the end of 'The Middle Years'?

9. What rules does James lay out for writing?

10. How does James address the formal rules prescribed for fiction?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of women in James' stories? How are they distinguished from men? Are their roles distinct, or is there much overlap or ambiguity? What is the purpose or use of this interrelation?

Essay Topic 2

Where is the climax of this book? Are there different climaxes? What questions does each climax resolve? What questions does each climax leave unanswered?

Essay Topic 3

How does James' stories describe the difference between America and Europe? What does each civilization stand for? How are they distinguished? What kind of drama is created when they come into conflict?

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