What is the author's style in The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James?

"The Beast in the Jungle" turns on its irony. John Marcher professes to expect an exceptional fate, but its exceptionality is that he is mistaken in his conviction. Literary critic Allen Tate deems James's irony in "The Beast in the Jungle" "classic irony." By this, Tate means that Marcher's disappointment comes as no surprise to the reader, who is fully aware of the story's irony all along. If not after the first section, then probably after having read the second, the reader anticipates the story's (anti-)climax, and realizes that Marcher's perception is flawed. Thus the story's interest for the reader lies not so much in reading about Marcher's final revelation, but rather in watching him make his way to this final disappointment.