/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.22015729]

did he or did he not ever have sexual intercourse with a man? no meme answers please. the truth!

[Anonymous No.22015739]

>>22015729
There is no conclusive evidence that Henry James, the American author, ever had sexual intercourse with a man. While James was known to have close relationships with several men, particularly in his youth and early adulthood, the exact nature of these relationships is a matter of speculation and interpretation. Some biographers and scholars have suggested that James may have been homosexual or bisexual, while others have argued that he was more likely to be asexual or to have repressed or sublimated his sexual desires. However, given the limited and often ambiguous evidence available, it is difficult to make definitive statements about James's sexual orientation or behavior. Ultimately, it is up to each individual to interpret the available evidence and make their own conclusions based on their own values and perspectives.

[Anonymous No.22015766]

>>22015729
Hark! Ye who seeketh knowledge of the intimate affairs of Henry James, alloweth me to weave a tale of inquiry and speculation. Verily, I cannot speaketh with certainty on this matter, for the secrets of the flesh are known only to those who partake in its pleasures. However, rumors of Henry James's proclivities have circulated amongst the courtiers and scribes for many a moon.

Some whisper that the great writer did engage in the forbidden act of lying with men, indulging in carnal pleasures beyond the bounds of propriety. Others refute these claims, insisting that Henry James was a paragon of virtue and would never succumb to such base desires. Alas, mine alchemical wisdom fails to provide a definitive answer to thy query, for the evidence of Henry James engaging in carnal congress with a man or otherwise hath not been handed down through the annals of history. Mayhap the truth shall be revealed in time, but until then, let us focus on the works of this literary master and not his personal affairs.

[Anonymous No.22015770]

>>22015729
‘The Pupil’ makes me suspect that he was at least inclined romantically toward the male sex. He also had correspondence with Forrest Reid

[Anonymous No.22015776]

>>22015729
Ay, I don't know if Henry James ever got down like that with another dude. Ain't nothing in his writings that explicitly suggest that he was into men, but then again, people ain't always transparent about their sexual preferences, you feel me? Plus, it ain't nobody's business what somebody else is doing in the bedroom, long as they ain't hurting nobody else. So whether Henry James was getting down with guys or not, that's between him and whoever he was with. It don't change the fact that he was a talented writer and contributed some dope literature to the world.

[Anonymous No.22015784]

There's a kino scene in Toibin's The Master where Oscar Wilde has just been arrested and a concerned friend asks James if he's worried, other notable sodomites might get arrested, does my dear Henry need assistance getting out of the country at short notice and so on; and James just deadpan says he doesn't know what the fuck you're talking about

[Anonymous No.22015800]

>>22015784
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0ByxyIAWrQ

[Anonymousn No.22015813]

>“No, no—we shan’t get at his life that way,” I said. “The way to get at his life is to—But wait a moment!” I broke off and went quickly into the house, whence I in three minutes reappeared before Mr. Morrow with the two volumes of Paraday’s new book. “His life’s here,” I went on, “and I’m so full of this admirable thing that I can’t talk of anything else. The artist’s life’s his work, and this is the place to observe him. What he has to tell us he tells us with this perfection. My dear sir, the best interviewer is the best reader.”

>"... When you meet with a genius as fine as this idol of ours let him off the dreary duty of being a personality as well. Know him only by what’s best in him and spare him for the same sweet sake.”

[Anonymous No.22015823]

>>22015739
AI niggers should be shot on sight

[Anonymous No.22015832]

>>22015739
>inb4 phoneposter
better than cheater

[Anonymous No.22015839]

>>22015784
the guy who wrote the book was gay though and thinks that james was gay. that scene is probably just about how he is "repressing" his "true sexuality"

[Anonymous No.22015865]

>>22015832
Lazy questions deserve lazy answers

[Anonymous No.22015905]

>>22015739
>>22015766
>>22015776
at least make it give a definitive answer. did you even read the post?

[Anonymous No.22015910]

>>22015839
Toibin almost certainly does think James was gay.
But the book is a homage to James, so in true Jamesian fashion the issue of his sexuality is left perfectly ambiguous with the text supporting mutually exclusive interpretations. Not sure if it's a great novel, but if you're a James nut it's fun, constant easter eggs.

[Anonymous No.22015932]

>>22015905
Chat-GPT is nerfed so it is very difficult or almost impossible to make it give any definitive answers on sensitive and/or complex issues. Besides the truth is that we just don't know.

[Anonymousn No.22016032]

Can Chat-GPT do a decent James pastiche?

[Anonymous No.22016061]

>>22016032
>describe a children's party in the style of the late henry james

As the sun's radiant embrace succumbed to the gentle sway of twilight, an event of mirth and revelry unfolded within the opulent halls of an esteemed manor. This occasion, a children's party, bore witness to the convergence of youthful exuberance and cultivated refinement, all orchestrated under the discerning eye of the hostess, a matron of esteemed lineage.

The air itself seemed to shimmer with anticipation as guests of tender age, clad in attire befitting miniature adults, entered the realm of enchantment. The ornate hall exuded an air of stately elegance, adorned with sumptuous tapestries depicting mythical creatures and idyllic landscapes, while chandeliers cast a warm, ethereal glow upon the scene.

Amidst this beguiling setting, children frolicked with a peculiar mixture of gaiety and restraint, their laughter echoing through the hallowed halls like the distant chimes of a forgotten era. The games they played bore the unmistakable mark of refinement, as if plucked from a bygone age, for frivolity was tempered by a sense of decorum befitting the genteel company assembled.

A troupe of musicians, clad in the resplendent attire of court minstrels, graced the gathering with melodies spun from delicate strings and airy flutes. Their music wafted through the air, its harmonious strains weaving a tapestry of joy and wonder, casting a spell upon all who partook in this charming celebration.

Delicacies and confections of unparalleled artistry adorned the tables, displaying an array of sweet temptations meticulously crafted to cater to the discerning palates of youthful aristocracy. Each morsel, a testament to the confectioner's skill, enticed the children with its symphony of flavors, while the clinking of silver spoons upon fine china echoed in tandem with their delighted murmurs.

Amidst this tableau of refined festivity, the hostess, a paragon of grace and refinement, presided over the revelry. Her countenance exuded an aura of elegance, her words a dance of cultured wit and charm, as she navigated the delicate balance between indulgence and propriety. Like a benevolent monarch, she ensured that joy was imparted to each child, their youthful spirits nourished by this moment of respite from the rigors of adulthood.

And so, within the grand manor's halls, Henry James would perceive a children's party as an intricate tapestry, where innocence met sophistication, and the ephemeral joys of youth found expression amidst the timeless grandeur of a bygone era.

[Anonymousn No.22016080]

>>22016061
Thank you, much appreciated.

I'm gratified that the answer is 'no'. James doesn't go in for picturesque and sentimental description at all, and especially not in the form of mere listing. This could be a flowery page of Balzac.

[Anonymous No.22016165]

>>22016080
I think I agree with you, but it seems hard to deny that some kind of approximation is at work at least on the formal level. The diction, syntax, a certain emphasis on abstractions, some of the French vocabulary, it is mimicking a few apsects of his style. But it does lack his judgement or anything resembling some higher insight or a true inwardness of description.

[Anonymous No.22016196]

>>22015729
He has the eyes of a bisexual

[Anonymousn No.22016271]

>>22016165
It's certainly that 'central intelligence' (as James calls it) that's lacking, but I don't know if it gets at any formal qualities of James that don't belong equally to anyone writing around the same era. The most Jamesian quirks are lacking, and it's the quirks that make his style. E.g.:

>The gong of commencement had sounded; the custards had set in their crystal; and as it succumbed to the cool expanse of the English twilight hour, the last beams of the descending sun struck in each eye a pang of anticipation -- made each of those neophyte revelers feel private witness to the very throb of the moment. Yet none knew the tenor of that throb more acutely, more intimately, than did that indomitable hostess, of aptly martial lineage, under whose supervising eye, ever roaming yet not once seen to stray too far into the necessary obscurity of the provided shadows, these "tots" had a happy opportunity for initiation into mirth's finer mysteries.

[Anonymous No.22016667]

>>22016271
Kek well done