The title for this post comes at the end of one of the greatest sentences in this course. Select a sentence (such as the one referenced above) from The Aspern Papers and account for its greatness in terms of how it reflects a character, issue or idea. Type the sentence first, put it in context and then discuss James's specific word choice.
(The image is from a theatrical production of the novel.)
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“She said your apartments ought to be very distinct.” (41)
ReplyDeleteThis sentence, though short and simple, is great, like a diminutive Olympic athlete. It contains the germ, the nub, the very soul of many of the central issues of the novel. It occurs near the beginning of The Aspern Papers; Miss Tina says it to the narrator as he is finalizing his rental arrangement with the “She” of the statement, Tina’s aunt Juliana. And Tina’s role as dutiful mouthpiece of her aunt is significant, as is the prissy phrasing—even in Henry James, the phrase “ought to” is tinged with the cautious, the formal. The idea is inherent within it of the necessity of acting a certain way in order to avoid the disapprobation of some higher authority or force. In this case, the loneliness and isolation in which the Misses Bordereau live make that idea ironic, as absolutely no one is watching them. The idea of the narrator’s apartments being “very distinct” is a further irony, when the impetus behind his move to live in the house is so that he can invade Juliana’s history and past and make it the property of everyone.
--Kate
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