[Gutenberg 2425] • A Bundle of Letters

Henry James (1843 - 1916) was one of the leaders in the school of realism in fiction. He is known for his series of novels in which he portrayed the encounter of Americans with Europe. James is considered to be the master of the novel and novella. James wrote about personal relationships and the power within these relationships. He explored consciousness and perception from the point of view of a character within a tale. This 1878 comic story was originally published in The Parisian magazine in 1878, which is also when the story takes place. Several people in a Paris boarding house write letters home filled with anecdotes about their fellow boarders. The characters' undercutting of each other's lies and pretensions provide much of the humor. The boarders are not aware that the others are writing about them, only the reader is privy to this knowledge.