Daisy Miller

One of James's most contentious novels and one of the few to be set wholly in America, The Bostonians also stands out from James's other fictions because it focuses on a burning social issue-the woman question-and explores its ramifications both within the lives of the individual characters and in the greater context of American society.

Touching on a wealth of subjects that resonate today-including the seeming contradictions between feminism and sexuality, lesbianism, and male chauvinism-The Bostonians is at once a witty dissection of human follies and foibles and a serious contemplation of the human condition and the eternal battle of the sexes.

In addition to the Introduction, this edition includes a chronology, explanatory notes, and two appendices: an extract from De Tocqueville on democratic despotism and a chapter from James's The American Scene (1907).

Author Bio: Henry James (1843-1916) was born in New York City. In 1865, he began writing reviews and stories for American journals. 1875 found him settled in Paris, then London, where he was very popular in society. He became a British citizen in 1915. He was a highly prolific writer of novels, short stories, and letters.

Richard Lansdown is a lecturer at James Cook University in Cairns and editor of the Critical Review.