The Rhetorical Logic of Henry James

In this lucid, sophisticated reading of seven of Henry James's major novels, Sheila Teahan employs current rhetorical theory to strip previous criticism of some long-held assumptions and advance a new understanding of the writer's narrative technique. With insight and originality she explores James's concept of "the center of consciousness" as a rhetorical structure, and in doing so she illuminates a significant pattern of plotting and figurative language in his works.