''Notes of a Son and Brother'' is an autobiography by

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

published in 1914. The book covers James' early manhood and tells of "the obscure hurt" that kept him out of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, his first efforts at writing fiction, and the early death of his beloved cousin, Minny Temple, from tuberculosis.

Summary and themes

In this second installment of his autobiography James begins to use family letters, especially those of his brother

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

and his father Henry James, Sr. Scholarship has shown that James altered the letters with revisions of his own. The book covers the Civil War years, which saw James' younger brother Wilky seriously injured and brought back to the family home in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

. James himself was exempted from service due to a back injury, the "obscure hurt" he suffered while putting out a fire with the local volunteer fire department. Meanwhile, James pursued his writing and earned his first fourteen dollars, which he looked at long and proudly. He began to place critical pieces and short stories in magazines like the ''

North American Review The ''North American Review'' (NAR) was the first literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which it was inactive until revived at ...

'', ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...

'' and ''

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''. James' older brother William vacillated between art and science but finally settled on the latter, though many years would pass before he became the philosopher and psychologist of enduring fame. James offers a vivid portrait of his sometimes whimsical father, who insisted that his children "be something" instead of going in for "mere doing." The final chapter of the book covers the ill health and death (at 25) of James' spirited and appealing cousin, Minny Temple. James quotes extensively from her touching letters and says that, for himself and William, her death was "the end of our youth."

Critical evaluation

The book is written in the densest but also the most mature and insightful prose of James' final years. Contemporary critics especially appreciated the final chapter, the heartfelt and moving memorial to Minny Temple. The last paragraph of the chapter looks back to ''

The Wings of the Dove ''The Wings of the Dove'' is a 1902 novel by Henry James. It tells the story of Milly Theale, an American heiress stricken with a serious disease, and her effect on the people around her. Some of these people befriend Milly with honourable ...

'', whose heroine Milly Theale was clearly inspired by Minny. This was one of the last books James saw through the press before his stroke in December 1915 and his death three months later. That biographical fact gives the book a special poignance that enriches James' loving memories of his family and friends.

References

* ''Henry James: Autobiography'' edited by F.W. Dupee (New York: Criterion Books 1956) * ''A Companion to Henry James Studies'' edited by Daniel Fogel (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press 1993) ;Specific

External links

Description of ''Notes of a Son and Brother'' and James' other autobiographical books

{{Henry James 1914 non-fiction books Books by Henry James