Culture Clash - American Expatriates in Europe in: Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Marble Faun and Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady

Thèse de Bachelor , 2004 , 37 Pages , Note: 1,0

Philologie Américaine - Littérature

When Henry James first travelled to Europe on his own in 1869, for the purpose of improving his education and his health, he was considerably young. With twenty six years of age he was independent of any family restrictions and could freely enjoy the intellectual life of Europe’s metropolises. Even though he was already determined to become a writer it was in fact the European experience that launched his career and supplied him with ideas throughout his life (Wright 199). Nathaniel Hawthorne, in comparison, was nearly fifty years old when the opportunity to go to Europe was offered to him. In 1853 he left for Liverpool with his family to take over the office as American consul. He was already an established writer back then, having chiefly used New England settings for the composition of his stories. During the nineteenth century journeys through Europe became increasingly popular with Americans. Travelling the Old World belonged to the educational program for young men of the upper classes. By the 1850s the European experience was also affordable for the middle classes thus giving way to the phenomenon of commercial tourism. Accompanied by this movement was the growing popularity of travel literature by American writers. Among those who returned and wrote fiction or essays inspired by their journeys were Margaret Fuller, James Fenimore Cooper, and Washington Irving, to name but a few. So, both Hawthorne and James followed an American literary tradition. Europe constituted in these days an inseparable part of the American consciousness. Political independence had long been achieved but the fascination with and the orientation towards the “mother” continent in the east failed to cease. Everything rendered culturally or artistically important was an European import or imitation, no matter if in architecture, painting, or dressing style. This dependence resulted in ambivalent feelings. Great admiration mixed with feelings of inferiority, reverence with repudiation. The cultural density and the historical richness of metropolises like London, Paris, and Rome attracted thousands of American tourists each year. At the same time Americans were shocked by the – at least from an American point of view – obvious moral decadence of the Europeans. These circumstances provoked James and Hawthorne into dealing with themselves as Americans in Europe, with their emotions, opinions, and prejudices, experiences which were fruitful for their creative outpouring. [...]

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• The Relationship between the Continents
  • The Evolving of the Stereotypes
  • The Europe Reception in the Nineteenth Century
• The Literary Methods of James and Hawthorne
  • Romanticism and Realism
  • The Different Approaches to the Topic
• Transferring the Topic into a Story
  • Character Constellation
  • Setting up the Conflict
  • Characterization of the Heroines
  • Inferiority and Superiority
  • The Developments of the Characters
  • Developing into Opposite Directions
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper aims to analyze the differences in how Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry James portray the experiences of American expatriates in Europe, specifically focusing on the female characters Hilda and Isabel. The paper explores the stereotypes associated with America and Europe during the nineteenth century, the distinct literary methods employed by both authors, and how they depict the cultural conflict between the two continents.

• Stereotypes of America and Europe in the 19th century
• The impact of European culture on American identity
• The literary methods of James and Hawthorne
• The representation of cultural conflict in both novels
• The development of the female protagonists

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter introduces the context of American expatriate experiences in Europe during the 19th century, highlighting the growing popularity of travel literature and the evolving stereotypes surrounding America and Europe. It discusses the fascination with European culture and the simultaneous feelings of inferiority and admiration among Americans.

The second chapter explores the evolution of stereotypes about America and Europe, emphasizing the historical connection between the two continents. It examines the impact of European ancestry on American identity and the lingering influence of European culture on American society.

The third chapter delves into the literary methods of James and Hawthorne, contrasting their approaches to the theme of American expatriation in Europe. It explores the influence of Romanticism and Realism on their writing styles and how they each represent the cultural clash between America and Europe.

The fourth chapter examines how James and Hawthorne utilize character constellations, conflict, and characterization to depict the cultural conflict between the American protagonists and their European surroundings. It highlights the recurrent themes of inferiority and superiority that emerge from the interactions between American and European characters.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The core themes and concepts of this paper include: American expatriates, European culture, nineteenth century stereotypes, literary methods, cultural conflict, female protagonists, inferiority, superiority, Hawthorne, James, *The Marble Faun*, *The Portrait of a Lady*.

• Université: Ruhr-University of Bochum
• Note: 1,0
• Auteur: Tonia Fondermann (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2004
• Pages: 37
• N° de catalogue: V39357
• ISBN (ebook): 9783638381468
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: Culture, Clash, American, Expatriates, Europe, Nathaniel, Hawthorne, Marble, Faun, Henry, James, Portrait, Lady