Henry James's New York

James, when he contemplated human behavior, was not a typical Victorian prude. He found treachery and greed and straying from the narrow too interesting, too intrinsically dramatic, to be debased by mere judgment. This article explores James evolution in his thinking about art. It is possible to read between the lines of his work, seeking moments in which he comes close to unmasking himself. Many of his stories give more away than he intended. James's writings about New York disclose an anger at what has been lost to commerce and material progress of a place he knew.