Date of Award

11-1968

Degree Type

Master's Essay - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

First Advisor

Joseph Schwartz

Abstract

"EVERYTHING TAKES PLACE BEFORE MAISIE." (N, 238) With these words Henry James offers the key to an understanding of Maisie's varied and often ambiguous function in What Maisie Knew. She is the "central consciousness" through whom the story is told, and at the same time she is the subject of the story. She is the "register of impressions" (P, 142) that conveys the whole narrative, and yet her tender age and even her involvement in the story disqualify her as a reliable narrator, a role which the author himself assumes. She seems at times to be a passive spectator and at other times an active agent in the action. She seems to be the only moral element to combat the overwhelming evil, except for possibly her governess, Mrs. Wix; and yet she seems to be the abettor, and even begetter, of evil.

Comments

An Essay Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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