Typewriter Psyche: Henry James’s Mechanical Mind

In this article, I show that the mental model found in Henry James’s late works derives from his switch to typewritten dictation. While dictating to the typewriter, James says that words are effectively and unceasingly “pulled out” of him by what he calls the “music” of the machine. The “click” of the Remington actually acts as a “positive spur” to his speech, resulting in a diffuseness that makes keeping any text within the length specified by the publisher virtually impossible for him. Critics have left these material effects of the writing machine largely unexamined. But through careful investigation, it can be demonstrated that the properties of typewritten dictation play a crucial role in forming the dynamic system of drives, compulsions, repetitions, and displacements for which James’s late works are famous.