Daisy Miller is an 1878 novella by Henry James. It portrays the confused courtship of the eponymous American girl by Winterbourne, a compatriot of hers with much more sophistication. His pursuit of her is hampered by her own flirtatiousness, which is frowned upon by the other expatriates they meet in Switzerland and Italy. Her lack of understanding of the social mores of the society she so desperately wishes to enter ultimately leads to tragedy. For other uses of this name, see Henry James (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A novella is a short novel; a narrative work of prose fiction somewhat longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. ... The Cornhill Magazine was a Victorian magazine and literary journal named after Cornhill a street in London. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A novella is a short novel; a narrative work of prose fiction somewhat longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. ... For other uses of this name, see Henry James (disambiguation). ... Caricature of courtship rituals in 1805 England Youth conversing with suitorsYoung men courting a youth in a garden. ... In general usage, a tragedy or tragoedy is a drama, movie or sometimes a real world event with a sad outcome. ...

Plot summary

The pair first meet in Vevey, Switzerland, where Winterbourne is vacationing from his studies. They are brought together by young Randolph Miller, Daisy's irrepressible brother. Randolph considers his hometown of Schenectady, New York to be far superior to all of Europe, particularly in the quality of candy available. Daisy, though, is absolutely delighted with the Continent, especially the high society she wishes to enter. Location within Switzerland Vevey is a city in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, at , not far from Lausanne. ... Schenectady is a city located in Schenectady County, New York, of which it is the county seat. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven continents of the Earth. ...

Winterbourne is at first confused by her attitude, but determines that she is nothing more than a young American flirt. He continues his pursuit of the fair Daisy in spite of the disapproval of his imperial aunt Mrs. Costello, who spurns any family with so close a relationship to their courier as the Millers have with their Eugenio. She also thinks Daisy is a shameless coquette for agreeing to go site-seeing with Winterbourne after a mere half hour's acquaintance. The two have a fine time touring the old castles in the area, then Winterbourne informs Daisy that he must go to Geneva the next day. Daisy extracts a promise from him to meet her in Rome, and they part. Geneva (pronunciation //; French: Genève //, German:   //, Italian: Ginevra) is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich), and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ...

Winterbourne and Daisy do meet in Rome, unexpectedly in the parlor of Mrs. Walker, a fellow American. Daisy shocks the local society by walking out with Mr. Giovanelli, a handsome young Italian of no status. Daisy is undeterred by the open disapprobation of the other Americans in Rome, and her ineffectual mother seems quite oblivious to underlying tensions. Winterbourne attempts to extricate Daisy from her situation, but she refuses to take any of it seriously.

One night, Winterbourne takes a walk through the Colosseum and finds the couple sitting there. He concludes that Daisy is too common for him to love, and lets her know it. Daisy is heart-broken, and so takes no precautions with her health in spite of Winterbourne's warnings about the deadly "Roman fever" (malaria) that is caught by wandering in the unhealthy night air. Daisy falls ill and dies a few days later. Winterbourne finally realizes that she did reciprocate his feelings for her, in spite of her playful denials, and that she was just an innocent flirt. He goes back to Geneva and resumes his studies and his interest in a "clever foreign lady." The Colosseum by night: exterior view of the best-preserved section. ... Malaria is an infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. ...

Key themes

This short story serves as both a psychological description of the mind of a young woman, and an analysis of the traditional views of a society where she is a clear outsider. Henry James uses Daisy's story to discuss what he thinks Europeans and Americans believe about each other, and more generally the prejudices common in any culture. In a letter James said that Daisy is the victim of a "social rumpus" that goes on either over her head or beneath her notice.

The names of the characters are also symbolic. Daisy is a flower in full bloom, without inhibitions and in the springtime of her life. Daisy contrasts sharply with Winterbourne, who is more ambivalent and unwilling to commit to any relationship. Flowers die in winter and this is precisely what happens to Daisy, after catching the "Roman Fever" or, to put it more bluntly, the attention of foreign men. As an objective analogue to this psychological reality, Daisy catches the very real Roman fever, the malaria that was endemic to many Roman neighborhoods in the 19th century. Roman fever refers to a particularly deadly strain of malaria that affected Rome, Italy, throughout various epochs in history; an epidemic of Roman fever during the fifth century AD may have contributed to the fall of the Roman empire. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Critical evaluation

Daisy Miller was an immediate and widespread popular success for James, despite some overheated criticism that the story was "an outrage on American girlhood." If the Amazon.com sales ranks are any guide, the story continues to be one of James' most popular works, along with The Turn of the Screw and The Portrait of a Lady. Critics have generally praised the freshness and vigor of the storytelling, though the point of the narrative has gotten somewhat lost. Not too many people nowadays would care about Daisy's flirtations, after all. Amazon. ... The Turn of the Screw is a novella written by Henry James. ... The Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillans Magazine in 1880-1881 and then as a book in 1881. ... The word critic comes from the Greek κριτικός, kritikós - one who discerns, which itself arises from the Ancient Greek word κριτής, krités, meaning a person who offers reasoned judgement or analysis, value judgement, interpretation, or observation. ...

Despite changes in times and customs, the forthright if naive Daisy can still cast a spell on today's readers. The touches of humor help offset the pathos of the tale, and the supporting cast is vividly portrayed. While some may feel that James tries to overload a simple story with too many trappings of tragedy, few readers will be unaffected by Daisy's fate.

In 1909 James revised Daisy Miller extensively for the New York Edition of his fiction. He deepened the tone of the story but some feel he robbed the original version of its color and immediacy. Fortunately, both the early and late versions of the tale are available online (see below) so readers can compare for themselves. 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Volume 16 of the 1960s Scribners reprint of theNew York Edition The New York Edition of Henry James fiction was a 24-volume collection of the Anglo-American writers novels, novellas and short stories, originally published in the U.S. and the U.K. in 1907-1909. ...

Derivative works

James converted his story into a play that failed to be produced, much to his chagrin. He published the play in The Atlantic Monthly in 1883, and it shows many changes from the original story. In particular, a happy ending was inserted to please what James believed to be the preferences of theater-goers. The Atlantic redirects here; for the ocean, see Atlantic Ocean. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle &#8212...

In 1974 Peter Bogdanovich directed a film version of the story, starring Cybill Shepherd as Daisy. The movie got generally harsh reviews, with Cybill Shepherd's performance coming in for particular criticism. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (born July 30, 1939) is an American film director and writer, born in Kingston, New York. ... Cybill Lynne Shepherd Cybill Lynne Shepherd (born February 18, 1950 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American actress and singer, best known as the character Maddie Hayes on the groundbreaking ABC show Moonlighting. // Early success Named after her Grandfather Cy and Father Bill, at age sixteen Cybill Shepherd won the 1966...

References

• Tales of Henry James: The Texts of the Tales, the Author on His Craft, Criticism edited by Christof Wegelin and Henry Wonham (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003) ISBN 0-393-97710-2
• The Complete Plays of Henry James edited by Leon Edel (New York: Oxford University Press 1990) ISBN 0-19-504379-0
• The Tales of Henry James by Edward Wagenknecht (New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1984) ISBN 0-8044-2957-X

Cover of volume one of Leon Edels five-volume biography of Henry James, Avon Books paperback edition 1978 Joseph Leon Edel (9 September 1907 – 5 September 1997) was a North American literary critic and biographer. ... Edward (Charles) Wagenknecht (March 28, 1900 - May 24, 2004) was a U.S. literary critic and teacher, who specialized in 19th century American literature. ...

External links

• Daisy Miller, online at Ye Olde Library
• First book version of Daisy Miller (1878)
• The New York Edition version of Daisy Miller (1909)
• Magazine publication of James' dramatic version of Daisy Miller (1883)
• IMDb page for the movie version of Daisy Miller (1974)