The Death and Letters of Alice James: Selected CorrespondenceAlice James (1848-1892) was the sister of Henry and William James, as literary as her more famous brothers, but as was typical for a Victorian woman, never formally educated and thus deprived of any opportunity for a normal "career." In her introductory biographical essay, Professor Ruth Bernard Yeazell of Yale University argues that Alice James instead made a career of her lifelong neurasthenic illness and anticipation of death. In this selection of letters, many written from the invalids bed, one finds Alice James witty and lyrical, but always deeply morbid: an artist of the deathbed, reminiscent of Kafkas fictional Hunger Artist. Susan Sontag was inspired by this book to write her play, Alice in Bed. And critic Elaine Showalter has said that The Death and Letters of Alice James is, "A book everyone interested in womens history and literature will want." |
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afraid AJ's Alice Howe Gibbens Alice James Alice's amusing Annie Ashburner Aunt Kate Bolton Row Boott Boston Bournemouth brother Cambridge Catharine Catharine Walsh course cousin creature daughter dearest death December delightful diary doctor Ellen England Europe Fanny Morse father feel Frank Duveneck Gibbens James give glad Godkin going gout guarana Gurney HAMILTON TERRACE Harry Harvard hear heard Helen Henry James HJ Sr.'s HJ to WJ HJ's hope imagine invalid Jameses Kath Katharine Loring lady later LEAMINGTON Leon Edel letter live Lizzie London look March married Mary Mary Walsh mind Miss months mother nervous never novelist one's pain Parnell Commission Phoenix Park murders poor Sara Sedgwick seems simply sorry Stanley Clarke summer suppose tell thank thing thro told Vaux Warwick Castle week wife William James WJ's woman wont write wrote