Daisy Miller: A Study of Changing Intentions
Author(s): Carol Ohmann
Source: American Literature, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Mar., 1964), pp. 1-11
Published by: Duke University Press
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DAISY MILLER:
A Studyof ChangingIntentions
CAROL
OHMANN
Portland,Conn.
JAMES'S mostpopularnouvelleseemsto have owed its
as muchtothecontroversy
initialprominence
itprovoked
as to
theartistry
it displayed.
DaisyMillercauseda bitter
disputein the
urbanediningroomof Mrs.LynnLinton;'it gave
customarily
a satisfying
American
writers
of etiquette
to chastise
opportunity
nativemothers
anddaughters
(Daisyshouldhavehad a chaperone;
dearreader,
takeheed);2 it brought
whilehe
HenryJames
himself,
ofa Venetiangondola,a roundscoldingfroma
satin theconfines
womanof thecosmopolitan
world.The causesof
highlyarticulate
of James's
heroineand the
of course,
werethecharacter
argument,
hercreatormadeof her. In late Victorian
judgment
eyes,Daisy
or guilty;James,
eitherall
was likelyto be eitherwhollyinnocent
forheroragainsther.
attends
heronlyin herfictional
world.
Today,Daisy'snotoriety
we invokeher,in the
We takehernow as one of our familiars;
thatshe will comeand be recognized,
as an American
assurance
ThusIhab Hassan,forexample,
bothvitalandprototypical.
figure
joinsherin his RadicalInnocencewithTwain'sHuck Finn and
andnotesthatall threeareyoungprotagoCrane'sHenryFleming,
existential
orencounter
nistsfacedwith"thefirst
ordeal,crisis,
with
experience."3
TakingDaisywithappreciation
and withoutalarm,
hercharacter
and re-evaluate
we alsore-read
hermoralstatus.We
seemto meetJames's
sophistication
withourown,byagreeing
on a
of Daisy: she is literally
mixedinterpretation
innocent,
butsheis
and incautious.Or, as F. W. Dupee writes,
also ignorant
and his
view meetswithconsiderable
agreement
elsewhere
in our criticism,"[Daisy]doeswhatshelikesbecauseshehardlyknowswhat
F[ENRY
1 B. R. McElderry,
Jr.,"The 'Shy IncongruousCharm' of 'Daisy Miller,'" NineteenthCenturyFiction,X, I63-I64 (Sept., I955).
1ElizabethF. Hoxie discussesthe use writersof etiquettemade of James'snouvellein
'"Mrs.GrundyAdoptsDaisy Miller,"New England Quarterly,
XIX, 474-484 (Dec., 1946).
'Princeton, I96I, p. 4I.
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2
AmericanLiterature
elseto do. Her willis at oncestrongand weakby reasonof the
ofhergeneralaims."4
veryindistinctness
Our nearconsensus
of opinionon Daisy Millerseemsto me
I do
it,although
do notwantto dismiss
correct.
I certainly
largely
textand
wish to elaborateupon it and groundit in Jamesian
thatourvery
I wishto suggest
method.At thesametime,however,
nouvelleandthat
is supported
byonlypartofJames's
judiciousness
andmore
certain
scenesin Rome,reallycallforfranker
otherparts,
ofbothsympathy
andjudgment.In a sense,the
intense
alignments
to
to Daisy wereadequateresponses
reactions
earlyand extreme
did at
creation.Whetherblackor white,theseresponses
James's
oftotal
wasa matter
thatthefinalissueofthenouvelle
leastperceive
withone atIn short,I thinkJamesbeganwriting
commitment.
witha secondanddifferent
andconcluded
hisheroine
toward
titude
towardher.
attitude
and largely
Jamesbeginshis nouvelleby buildinga dramatic,
to
two
of
between
experience-a
contrast
responding
ways
comic,
in theopennarrator
at oncesuggested
bythefirst-person
contrast
ingparagraph:
are extremely
numerous;it
in the monthof June,Americantravellers
may be said, indeed,thatVeveyassumesat thisperiodsome of the
There are sightsand
of an Americanwatering-place.
characteristics
soundswhichevokea vision,an echo,of Newportand Saratoga.There
ofmuslin
younggirls,a rustling
of"stylish"
andthither
hither
is a flitting
in themorning
hours,a soundof higha rattleof dance-music
flounces,
of thesethings
pitchedvoicesat all times.You receivean impression
in fancy
andaretransported
innofthe"TroisCouronnes,"
attheexcellent
Hall. But at the"TroisCouronnes,"
to theOceanHouse or to Congress
thataremuchat variancewith
it mustbe added,thereareotherfeatures
of
neat Germanwaiters,who look like secretaries
thesesuggestions:
little
Polish
boys
in
the
garden;
sitting
Russian
princesses
legation;
walkingabout,heldbythehand,withtheirgovernors....r
to James's
'Henry James:His Life and Writings(New York, 1956), p. 95. References
qualifiedapprovalof his heroinealso appear in the followingstudies:Osborn Andreas,
HenryJamesand the ExpandingHorizon (Seattle,1948); PeterBuitenhuis,"From Daisy
XI,
Millerto lulia Bride: 'A Whole Passage of IntellectualHistory,'"AmericanQuarterly,
Leon Edel, Henry James,Vol. II: The Conquest of London,
136-146 (Summer, I959);
z870-I88x (Philadelphiaand New York, I962); CharlesG. Hoffman,The ShortNovels of
Henrylames (New York, 1957); JosephA. Ward, The Imaginationof Disaster:Evil in the
Fictionof Henrylames (Lincoln,Neb., I96I).
' This quotation,and unless otherwisenoted every one subsequent,appears in the
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DaisyMiller:A Studyof ChangingIntentions
3
visitors
oftheAmerican
thenoisyfrivolity,
The carefree
exuberance,
who
Europeans,
the
of
andrestraint
thequietformality
is setagainst
holdeventheirlittleboysin check.
everypieceof
in virtually
Jamesrepeatshis openingcontrast
is
Winterbourne
dialoguethatfollows.WhiletheheroFrederick
the
iGeneva,
by birth,he has lived"a longtime"in
an American
the"darkoldcityattheotherendof
ofCalvinism,"
"little
metropolis
theextent
modeofspeechsuggests
thelake." And Winterbourne's
himself
finds
he
Vevey,
In
Europeanized.
has
become
to whichhe
on a littleholidayfromGeneva.He takesa daring
"at liberty,"
withno morethana verycasualintroplungeintoexperience;
he speakstoDaisyMiller.6
Randolph,
fromherlittlebrother
duction
he says. Daisy
"This littleboy and I have made acquaintance,"
tries
Winterbourne
glancesat himand turnsaway. In a moment,
again."AreyougoingtoItaly?" heasks.Daisysays,"Yes,sir,"and
no more."Areyou-a-going overthe Simplon?"Winterbourne
to ignorehim,
as Daisycontinues
continues.Shortlyafterwards,
uponthebeautyoftheview."
Winterbourne
"risk[s]an observation
and of "risk"and, later,of
feelingsof "liberty"
Winterbourne's
withhis speech.For all
conjunction
in
ironic
become
"audacity"
formal,his opening
his languageis studiously
his holidayspirit,
and conventional.
bits,unimaginative
conversational
to Winterbourne,
Daisyoftenspeaksin thelanIn opposition
In her opinion,
enthusiasm.
if
guageof extravagant,unoriginal,
friends
sweet....Shehadeversomanyintimate
Europeis "perfectly
thathadbeenthereeversomanytimes....shehadhadeversomany
dressesand thingsfromParis."She wantsto go to theCastleof
again,Daisyspeaks
Or,unlikeWinterbourne
Chillon"dreadfully."
WhenWinterbourne
in an idiomthatis homelyandmatter-of-fact.
she
in ancientmonuments?"
is notinterested
asks,"Yourbrother
and sayssimply,
"[Randolph]sayshe
rejectshis formalphrasing
don'tcaremuchaboutold castles."
and Daisymaystillbe
Winterbourne
For all theirdifferences,
Towardtheend ofPartI, Daisyteases
capableof rapprochement.
and makeshim,fora moment,
outofhisformality
Winterbourne
originalversion,"Daisy Miller: A Study," CornhillMagazine, XXXVII, 678-698 (June,
I878) and XXXVIII, 44-67 (July,I878).
6 JamesW. Gargano ("Daisy Miller: An AbortiveQuest forInnocence,"South Atlantic
LIX,
Quarterly,
114-120,
Winter,I960)
with
association
also notesthatWinterbourne's
an adventure,a departurefromconvention,for him.
Daisy represents
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4
Literature
American
expresshimself
speakher language-makeshim,fora moment,
Winterbourne
you
a
row,"
give
let
me
"Do,
then,
enthusiastically.
"It'squitelovely,thewayyousaythat!"And
says.Daisyreplies,
"Itwillbestillmorelovelytodo it."WinterWinterbourne
answers,
He is notquite,orat
bourneis,andDaisynoticesthis,a "mixture."
Europeanized.
leastnotyet,thoroughly
byDaisy,buthe is alsosubject
maybe influenced
Winterbourne
to theswayofhis aunt.Mrs.Costellois a womanof fewwords.
Mrs.
asksher,in Vevey,if shehas observed
WhenWinterbourne
Miller,Daisy,and Randolph,she rapsout thereply:"Oh, yes,I
them-andkeptoutoftheir
haveobserved
them.Seenthem-heard
way of speakingand
way." Epigramis Mrs. Costello'sfavorite
of herapproachto experience.
theinflexibility
expresses
perfectly
of valuehavelongbeenset-she need onlyapply
Her principles
out
shecondemns
is improper,
whatever
is vulgar,
them.Whatever
of the Americanset
of hand,and shuns. Sage and spokesman
limitof
abroad,she guardsa styleof lifeand revealsits furthest
"I am an old woman,butI am
emotion
byexclaiming,
permissible
nottooold-thankHeaven-tobe shocked!"
The opening,
then,and indeedthechieffocusof DaisyMiller
manners.
of different
is a comicportrayal
waysof living,different
in theways
withwhichtheyare identified,
In thesocialsettings
characters
range
theyspeak,as wellas in whattheysay,thevarious
alongan axisthatrunsfromthenaturaltothecultivated,
themselves
totherestrained.
fromtheexuberant
thereis, I
betweenGenevaand Schenectady,
In the conflict
Jamesgivesour sympathies.
think,littledoubtof the direction
and thenatural,
betweentheartificial
withthecollision
Presented
withDaisy. We
and thefree,we sideemotionally
therestrained
withWinterbourne,
too,to the extentthathe seems
sympathize
capableof coming"alive"and to theextentthathe speaksup in
favorof Daisyto Mrs.Costelloin Veveyand,later,in Rome,to
whohas
American
Mrs.Costelloand alsoto Mrs.Walker,another
alliancewith
ouremotional
livedin Geneva.Fortherest,however,
or interrupted
is disturbed
byhis Genevanpenchant
Winterbourne
withDaisyin Vevey,WinterAt his firstmeeting
forcriticism.7
7
eyes. This is
For the mostpart,of course,we see the actionthroughWinterbourne's
sees. He is a centralintellinot to say, though,that we see no more than Winterbourne
to the judgmentshe makes at each
gence who is less or more trustworthy-according
particularmoment.
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Intentions
DaisyMiller:A StudyofChanging
5
a want of
bournementallyaccusesher-"very forgivingly-of
thatshehasalwayshad
announces
finish."ButwhenDaisyblithely
is morealarmed.
Winterbourne
society,"
"a greatdealofgentlemen's
inconduite,
ifhe mustaccuseherof"actualorpotential
He wonders
as theysaidat Geneva."
DaisytotheAmerican
defends
Winterbourne
In Rome,although
shockedby her
increasingly
colonypublicly,he is, privately,
ItalianGiovanelli.Her walkswith
withthe"third-rate"
friendship
in herown
her tete-a-tetes
her rideswithGiovanelli,
Giovanelli,
He
Winterbourne.
worry
drawingroom with Giovanelli-all
himself
Daisy.Andso he removes
Mrs.Walkerin scolding
imitates
comesuponherwith
fromher.Whenhe finally
andfarther
farther
thatshehascertainly
he thinks
atnight,
in theColosseum
Giovanelli
feelings
herself.And he is relieved.Forhispersonal
compromised
by his intellectual
for Daisy have graduallybeen overwhelmed
in the problemof Daisy. He is relievedand "exinvolvement
become"easyto read."He
thatthe"riddle"hassuddenly
hilarated"
Mrs.Costelloand Mrs.
her
manners-as
judgesDaisyby
promptly
Walkerhave alreadydone-and condemnsher. "Whata clever
sheplayed
shewas,"he thinks,
"and how smartly
littlereprobate
at injuredinnocence!"
at the
toolate. He knows,fora moment
He learnsotherwise
thathe has madea mistake;he knowshe has
endofthenouvelle,
wrongedDaisybecausehe has stayedtoolongabroad,has become
doesnotchangehim.
too rigidin his values.Yet his knowledge
Winterbourne's
thetalebymocking
voiceconcludes
The authorial
andprejudice:
tothenarrowsocialcodeofrestraint
return
he wentbackto liveat Geneva,whencetherecontinue
Nevertheless,
of sojourn:a reof his motives
accounts
to comethemostcontradictory
thathe is muchinterested
hard-an intimation
portthathe is "studying"
lady.
in a verycleverforeign
Winterbourne
has lostthecapacity
heroes,
Like so manyJamesian
to cometo life.
forlove,andhe has losttheopportunity
and comAs Winterbourne
judgesDaisy,judgesherunfairly,
in
the
American
set
sympathy
from
Rome,
our
her
expulsion
pletes
for her naturallyincreases.But I thinkJamesdoes not-save
of symbolic
to whichI wishto
a certainpattern
imagery
through
us toanysuchsimpleintellectual
alignin a moment-guide
return
heroine.
his
American
with
ment
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6
AmericanLiterature
we
limitations
has veryobviouslimitations,
Daisy'ssensibility
sweet."
thatEuropeis "perfectly
hearveryclearlyin thestatement
alivethananyoneelsewe meetin Veveyor
Daisyis moreintensely
of
Rome. ButJameshintsfromtimeto timeat a possiblerichness
thatis beyondDaisy'scapabilities-arichness
experience
aesthetic
orthecultivated,
oftheartificial,
thatwouldincludean appreciation
but
bythe"splendid
of
Geneva
bythemores
notas itis represented
of
portrait
ofSt.Peter'sandbythe"superb
chantsandorgan-tones"
InnocentX. by Velasquez."
oftheAmerican
The members
AndDaisyhasotherlimitations.
existence.
another's
of
one
aware
abroadareverymuch
community
to no good purpose-they
True,theyuse theirmutualawareness
foranypossible
forvulgarity,
oneanother
watching
arewatchbirds
as
so primitive
is
But
social
awareness
from
Daisy's
propriety.
lapse
scarcelyto exist. At Rome,in the Colosseum,Winterbourne's
to includethenotionofunsophisticated
cannotstretch
imagination
to include
stretch
can Daisy'simagination
innocence.Butneither
the idea thatmannersreallymatterto thosewho practicethem.
she causesin Rome. "I don't
She neverrealizestheconsternation
to
"Theyareonlypretending
believeit,"shesaystoWinterbourne.
to thenatureof theAmerican
colony
be shocked."Her blindness
and Giovanellias
is equalledby her blindnessto Winterbourne
fails to "read" her "riddle"
individuals.While Winterbourne
in Rome,
shefailsto "read"his. She feelshisdisapproval
rightly,
forher. Neitherdoes she
but she is not awareof his affection
of her impacton Giovanelli.To
revealany adequateperception
Daisy,goingaboutwithMr. Giovanelliis verygood fun. Giowe learnattheend,havebeenmuchmoreseriousvanelli's
feelings,
lyinvolved.
intellectual
handsa reallyfavorable
judgment
Jamestherefore
He giveshis full approval
to neitherGenevanor Schenectady.
norto thoseof freedom.His
of restraint
neitherto themanners
And
Americans.
ironytouchesDaisyas well as theEuropeanized
freedom
an
ideal
of
at
hints
ironies
ofhisspecific
theaccumulation
thatis noand socialawareness
andalsoofaesthetic
and ofvitality
to
in thenouvelle.To be fromSchenectady,
wherefullyexemplified
ofGeneva.
be fromthenewworld,is tobe freefromtherestrictions
tobe freeis notenough.
Butmerely
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DaisyMiller:A Studyof ChangingIntentions
7
II
Such, then,in some detailare the Jamesiandynamicsof social
contrastthat give us our prudentestimateof Daisy-a heroine
and insensible
innocentand exuberantand free,butalso unreflective
of theworldaroundher. But,as I have alreadysuggested,thisestimate does not receivesupportfromthe whole of the story. To
to theconclusionthatDaisy dies
beginwith,prudenceleads straight
What began as a comedyof manas a resultof social indiscretion.
ners,ends in the pathos,if not the tragedy,of a lonely Roman
deathbedand burial. And thereis, it seemsto me, in thisprogress
cemeterya change in
fromthe Trois Couronnesto the Protestant
so wide,
effect
a breachin causeand appropriate
toneso pronounced,
of
artistry.
James's
disruption
a
as to amountto puzzling
To be sure,Jamestriesto make Daisy's deathinevitable,and to
make it so within,as it were, the boundariesof his comedyof
manners. Early in Part II, at Mrs. Walker's late one afternoon,
Daisy remarksthatshe is goingto take a walk on thePincianHill
with Giovanelli. Mrs. Walker triesto dissuadeher fromthe impropriety-awalk at sucha timein sucha place withsucha dubious
companion. It isn't "safe,"Mrs. Walker says,while Mrs. Miller
adds,"You'll get the feveras sureas you live."And Daisy herself,
alludesto
as shewalkstowardsthePincianHill withWinterbourne,
thefever:"We are goingto stay[in Rome] all winter-ifwe don't
die of thefever;and I guesswe'll staythen."
Daisy's death,and links
With theseremarks,Jamesforeshadows
of themannersof restraint.But these
herfatewithher carelessness
eitherof tone
solve his difficulties
do not successfully
preparations
or of cause and effect.They croak disasterfar too loudly,far too
no morefitsthe crimethanit
obviously,and, still,thepunishment
tale.
does in a typicalcautionary
In Part I, Jameshas alreadyused thewords"natural,""uncultivated,"and "fresh"to describehis heroine.And in thechoiceof the
name,Daisy, he may have suggestedher simplicityand her spontaneousbeauty. In Part II, just afterthe opening scene at Mrs.
Walker's, Jamesfollows up the implicationsof these epithets"fresh"-andof thenameDaisy and gives
"natural,""uncultivated,"
significance.
thema somewhatdifferent
In Rome, after Winterbournehas been taken up in Mrs.
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8
AmericanLiterature
Walker's carriage and set down again, he sees Daisy with Giovanelli
in a natural setting-a settingthat James describesin brilliant and
expansive terms. Daisy and Giovanelli are in the Pincian Garden
overlookingthe Villa Borghese:
saw no one; theyweretoo deeplyoccupiedwitheach other.
They evidently
When theyreachedthelow garden-walltheystooda momentlookingoff
oftheVilla Borghese;thenGiovanelli
pine-clusters
at thegreatflat-topped
upon thebroadledge of the wall. The western
seatedhimself,familiarly,
sun in theoppositeskysentout a brilliantshaftthrougha coupleof cloudbars, whereuponDaisy's companiontook her parasolout of her hands
and openedit. She came a littlenearerand he held theparasoloverher;
then,stillholdingit,he let it restupon hershoulder,so thatbothof their
heads were hidden from Winterbourne.This young man lingereda
moment,thenhe began to walk. But he walked-not towardsthe couple
withtheparasol; towardstheresidenceof his aunt,Mrs. Costello.
This scene links Daisy with the natural world, and links her with
that world more closelythan any otherscene Jameshas so far given
us. And it suggests that the distance between Winterbourne and
Daisy is greatereven than the distance that separates artificialfrom
natural manners, greater than the distance that separates restraint
from free self-expression.
That suggestionbecomes a certaintyon the Palatine Hill:
A few daysafterhis briefinterviewwithher mother,[Winterbournej
desolationknownas
herin thatbeautifulabode of flowering
encountered
thePalace of theCxsars. The earlyRoman springhad filledthe air with
bloom and perfume,and the ruggedsurfaceof the Palatinewas muffled
with tenderverdure.Daisy was strollingalong the top of one of those
greatmoundsof ruin thatare embankedwith mossymarbleand paved
with monumentalinscriptions.It seemedto him that Rome had never
been so lovelyas just then. He stoodlookingoffat the enchantingharmony of line and colour that remotelyencirclesthe city,inhaling the
of the yearand the antiqsoftlyhumid odours and feelingthe freshness
uity of the place reaffirmthemselvesin mysteriousinterfusion.It
seemedto him also thatDaisy had neverlooked so pretty;but thishad
been an observationof his wheneverhe met her. Giovanelliwas at her
side,and Giovanelli,too,wore an aspectof even unwontedbrilliancy.
Here Daisy is not identifiedwith a particularsociety,as she was with
the gay American visitors by the lakeside and in the garden of
Vevey, but simply and wholly with the natural world, which has
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Daisy Miller:A Studyof ChangingIntentions
9
bydeath,
Birthis followed
rhythms.
itsowneternaland beautiful
againbybirth.Andthebeautyofthenatural
anddeathis followed
world-theworldto whichDaisybelongs-issupreme.Romehas
withtender
neverbeenso lovelyas whenits relicsare "muffled
ofcivilization,
ofmen,theachievements
The monuments
verdure."
whentheyare sweptagainintotheroundof
are mostbeautiful
Daisyseemsto sharethenatural
naturalprocess.At themoment,
withGiovanelli.Butat
in
Garden,
Pincian
world,as shedid the
the end of the nouvellethat"subtleRoman"is quite awareof
that
Daisy'sdistanceevenfromhimself.He knew,beforehand,
wouldnotbe forhim,as it was forDaisy,a "fatal
theColosseum
"I hadnofear."
he saystoWinterbourne,
place.""Formyself,"
withtheworldof nature,we see that
Once Daisyis identified
she is subjectto itslaws of process.Her verybeautybecomesa
So thesceneon thePalatine(unlikethe
ofhermortality.
reminder
scenesat Mrs.Walker'sand on thewayto thePincianHill) does
it
cemetery;
forDaisy'sburialin theProtestant
us effectively
prepare
us thatherdeathis inevitable.
doesconvince
III
is at oncea gain
naturalimagery
YetJames's
useofhissymbolic
difficulties
hour,certain
almostattheeleventh
anda loss.Ifitsolves,
Daisy'sdeath,it alsoleaves
regarding
oftoneandofcauseandeffect
breaksin thenouvelle's
unityofstructure.
us withsomepermanent
in theendintoa purely
natural
ortransfigured
If Daisyis translated
has
thenwhatrelevance
and innocence,
idealofbeautyandvitality
ortoGeneva?IfDaisy'sdeathis "fated,"
thatidealto Schenectady,
does? And whatsortof
doesit matterat all whatWinterbourne
agentis Giovanelli?Or can we evencall him an agent? Hasn't
by the end of his tale,the dramatic
Jamesmade inconsequent
he set
two kindsof manners-that
between
conflict
conflict-the
seemsto suggest,
to
The contrast
in manners
up in thebeginning?
to life.Thisideal
wayofresponding
holdup as an ideal,a certain
awareness
andvitality
witha sophisticated
freedom
wouldcombine
of
the
the
Yet
Palatine
Hill
and
imagery
ofculture society.
symbolic
andinnocence
andvitality
intoan
seemsto elevatenaturalfreedom
thatall otherconsiderations
pale
ideal so moving,so compelling,
and
besideit. Or, if I rephrase
my questionsaboutSchenectady
of
andanswerthemin terms
andGiovanelli,
Geneva,Winterbourne
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Literature
American
Io
beganwriting
theycometo this:James
experience,
creative
James's
it as a symbolic
and finished
DaisyMilleras a comedyof manners
Daisy
ideal. He beganbycriticizing
ofa metaphysical
presentation
her.
bypraising
waysand endedsimply
in certain
gondolawas,at leastin a general
in theVenetian
friend
James's
her
ofDaisy. AndJamesrecords
way,awareofhistransfiguration
her scolding-inhis prefaceto theNew York
opinion-ineffect
ofhisnouvelle:
edition
so sorrya type
to havetransmuted
"[Daisy's] onlyfaultis touchingly
not
girl]and to have,bya poeticartifice,
American
[as theuncultivated
quiteimbutmadeanyjudgement
of it astray,
onlyled ourjudgement
bytheturnyougaveit,the
possible....You knowyouquitefalsified,
thethingyouhadhad,to
in
mind,
with
having
thingyouhadbegun
ofit,or your
perversion
pretty
of
your
thechance 'observing':
satiety,
toomuch
it
of
does
really
our
sense
of
it,
mystification
unprincipled
"8
honour....
acceptshis friend'scriticism.Elsewherein the
Jamesvirtually
in hisownvoice,he saysthat,whenhisnouvelle
speaking
preface,
thefulltitleran:DaisyMiller:A Study.Now,
wasfirst
published,
"in viewof
theapposition
he subtracts
fortheNew Yorkedition,
to
tohavebeenapparent
whichoughtfromthefirst
thesimpletruth,
in
is made to no degreewhatever
me, thatmy littleexhibition
in poeticalterms."
andextravagantly,
critical
but,quiteinordinately
andhistransimagery
natural
symbolic
It appears,
then,thatJames's
figurewereunconscious
lationof his heroineintoa metaphysical
Onlyafterhe wrotehisnouvelledid Jameshimself
developments.
terms."
hisown"poetical
andacknowledge
discover
he choseto emphasize
those"terms,"
Once he had discovered
butalsoin histextfortheNew York
them,notonlyin hispreface,
edition.Viola R. Dunbarhas alreadynotedthatin a numberof
ofDaisyMillerJameseaseshis criticism
placesin thefinalversion
Amerion theEuropeanized
ofDaisyandbearsdownmoreheavily
andinnocence,
on Daisy'sbeauty
he placesmorestress
cans.9Briefly,
withnature,and more
and he associatesher more frequently
tothejudgments
hegivesmoreasperity
Atthesametime,
pointedly.
and Mrs.Costelloand Mrs.Walker.And it is
of Winterbourne
veryearlyin PartI
to noteas well thatJamesinserts
interesting
(New York, I922), XVIII, vii.
"The Revisionof Daisy Miller,"ModernLanguageNotes,LXV, 311-3I7
8 The Novels and Tales of Henry James
9
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(May, I950).
Intentions
DaisyMiller:A StudyofChanging
II
She looksat
of Daisy'sfinaltransfiguration.
at leasttwo suggestions
;1" she strikeshim as a
Winterbourne"with lovely remoteness"
"charmingapparition.""1
These revisions,though,are occasionaland do not essentially
changeDaisy Miller. In the New York edition,as well as in the
unity,a work
originalversion,it remainsa narrativeof imperfect
that shows unmistakablesigns of shiftingauthorialintentionand
James'sidealizationof
attitude.And yet,as I havealreadysuggested,
his heroineis a matterof gain as well as loss. It resolvescertain
it adds to the
problemsabout Daisy's death. More importantly,
emotionalappealof thesecondpartof thenouvelle.In otherwords,
even if Jamesmay have lost somethingin intellectualconsistency
by introducingthe poetryof Daisy, even if he does to some
extentthrowaway his originalcomedyof manners,his symbolic
our responseto his story.
naturalimagerynonethelessintensifies
Again,I returnto the articulatelady in the gondola: "As anything
charmingor touchingalwaysto thatextentjustifiesitself,we after
you."
a fashionforgiveand understand
The ideal of a purelynaturalvitalityand freedomand innocence
attractiveideal. It is attractive,
is a strongly,and persistently,
and in one variationor anotherwe
to Americanwriters,
especially,
have, of course,met it before-in Melville,for example,in Hawthorne,in Fitzgerald,in Faulkner. We take James'sDaisy Miller,
as prototypical.
My purposehere has been to suggestthat
rightly,
is
to certainmajorareasof our Americanexperience
herrelationship
have thought.
evenmorevariousthanwe maypreviously
The Novels and Tales of HenryJames,XVIII, 9.
11lbid.,p. 17.
10
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