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Power Games in The Wings of the Dove—the “Worker” IS the “Worked”

Year 2014, Issue: 40, 95 - 108, 01.10.2014

Abstract

Within a multidisciplinary framework that focuses on the concept of reciprocity in Henry James’s fiction, this article’s point of departure is that in James’s fictional world society is a battlefield and social interaction a series of power games. The focus is on The Wings of the Dove, where James’s understanding of the dynamics of “give and take” can be gleaned when looking at his depiction of the system of the “worker” and the “worked.” The aim here, however, is to show that these power games yield a far more balanced exchange than critical opinion has hitherto claimed; they move along the lines of Do ut des—a Latin phrase meaning “I give so that you may give”—which beautifully corresponds with the Maussian tenet of the impossibility of a free gift. This is to say that Milly Theale’s is not a story of victimization but that of triumphant counter-manipulation; Aunt Maud the mistress of Lancaster Gate , Lord Mark, and Lionel Croy are less exploitative and therefore morally less reprehensible

References

  • Arnold, Matthew. Culture and Anarchy. The Portable Matthew Arnold. Ed. Lionel Trilling. NY: Viking, 1949. Print.
  • Becker, Lawrence C. Reciprocity. Chicago: Chicago UP, 1990. Print. Blau, Peter M. Exchange and Power in Social Life. NB: Transaction, 1964. Print.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Trans. Richard Nice. London: Routledge, 1986. Print.
  • ---. “The Forms of Capital.” Handbook for Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. Ed. and Trans. J. G. Richardson. N.p.: Greenwood, 1986. 241-58. Print.
  • ---. Outline of a Theory in Practice. Trans. Richard Nice. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print.
  • Emmons, Robert A. Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier. Boston: Houghton, 2008. Print.
  • Fluck, Winfried. “Power relations in the novels of James: the ‘liberal’ and the ‘radical’ version.” Enacting History in Henry James: Narrative, Power, and Ethics. Ed. Gert Buelens. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. 16-39. Print.
  • Fogel, Daniel Mark. Henry James and the Structure of the Romantic Imagination. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1981. Print.
  • Fowler, Virginia. Henry James’s American Girl: The Embroidery on the Canvas. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1984. Print.
  • Freedman, Jonathan. Professions of Taste: Henry James, British Aestheticism, and Commodity Culture. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1990. Print.
  • ---. “What Maggie Knew: Game Theory, The Golden Bowl, and the Possibilities of Aesthetic Knowledge.” Cambridge Quarterly 37.1 (2008): 98-114. Print.
  • James, Henry. The Ambassadors. London: Dent, 1959. Print.
  • ---. The Portrait of a Lady. Henry James: Novels 1881-1886. New York: Library of America, 1985. Print.
  • ---. The Wings of the Dove. Henry James: Novels 1901-1902. New York: Library of America, 1985. Print.
  • Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Trans. Bruce Fink. London: Norton, 2006. Print.
  • ---. The Ego in Freud’s Theory and in the Technique of Psychoanalysis, 1954- 1955. Trans. Sylvana Tomaselli. Ed. Jacques-Alain Miller. London: Norton, 1991. Print.
  • Mauss, Marcel. The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. Trans. W. D. Halls. London: Routledge, 1990. Print.
  • Nussbaum, Martha C. Love’s Knowledge: Essays on Philosophy and Literature. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1992. Print.
  • Pater, Walter.“Preface.” The Renaissance. Three Major Texts: The Renaissance, Appreciations, and Imaginary Portraits. Ed. William E. Buckler. New York: New York UP, n.d. 1-4. Print.
  • Ruskin, John. “The Wings of the Lion.” The Works of John Ruskin: Modern Painters Vol. 4-5. N.p.: Crowell, 1900. Print.
  • Simmel, George. On Individuality and Social Forms. Ed. Donald N. Levine. Chicago: Chicago UP, 1971. Print.
Year 2014, Issue: 40, 95 - 108, 01.10.2014

Abstract

References

  • Arnold, Matthew. Culture and Anarchy. The Portable Matthew Arnold. Ed. Lionel Trilling. NY: Viking, 1949. Print.
  • Becker, Lawrence C. Reciprocity. Chicago: Chicago UP, 1990. Print. Blau, Peter M. Exchange and Power in Social Life. NB: Transaction, 1964. Print.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Trans. Richard Nice. London: Routledge, 1986. Print.
  • ---. “The Forms of Capital.” Handbook for Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. Ed. and Trans. J. G. Richardson. N.p.: Greenwood, 1986. 241-58. Print.
  • ---. Outline of a Theory in Practice. Trans. Richard Nice. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print.
  • Emmons, Robert A. Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier. Boston: Houghton, 2008. Print.
  • Fluck, Winfried. “Power relations in the novels of James: the ‘liberal’ and the ‘radical’ version.” Enacting History in Henry James: Narrative, Power, and Ethics. Ed. Gert Buelens. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. 16-39. Print.
  • Fogel, Daniel Mark. Henry James and the Structure of the Romantic Imagination. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1981. Print.
  • Fowler, Virginia. Henry James’s American Girl: The Embroidery on the Canvas. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1984. Print.
  • Freedman, Jonathan. Professions of Taste: Henry James, British Aestheticism, and Commodity Culture. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1990. Print.
  • ---. “What Maggie Knew: Game Theory, The Golden Bowl, and the Possibilities of Aesthetic Knowledge.” Cambridge Quarterly 37.1 (2008): 98-114. Print.
  • James, Henry. The Ambassadors. London: Dent, 1959. Print.
  • ---. The Portrait of a Lady. Henry James: Novels 1881-1886. New York: Library of America, 1985. Print.
  • ---. The Wings of the Dove. Henry James: Novels 1901-1902. New York: Library of America, 1985. Print.
  • Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Trans. Bruce Fink. London: Norton, 2006. Print.
  • ---. The Ego in Freud’s Theory and in the Technique of Psychoanalysis, 1954- 1955. Trans. Sylvana Tomaselli. Ed. Jacques-Alain Miller. London: Norton, 1991. Print.
  • Mauss, Marcel. The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. Trans. W. D. Halls. London: Routledge, 1990. Print.
  • Nussbaum, Martha C. Love’s Knowledge: Essays on Philosophy and Literature. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1992. Print.
  • Pater, Walter.“Preface.” The Renaissance. Three Major Texts: The Renaissance, Appreciations, and Imaginary Portraits. Ed. William E. Buckler. New York: New York UP, n.d. 1-4. Print.
  • Ruskin, John. “The Wings of the Lion.” The Works of John Ruskin: Modern Painters Vol. 4-5. N.p.: Crowell, 1900. Print.
  • Simmel, George. On Individuality and Social Forms. Ed. Donald N. Levine. Chicago: Chicago UP, 1971. Print.
There are 21 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Agnes Pokol-hayhurst This is me

Publication Date October 1, 2014
Published in Issue Year 2014 Issue: 40

Cite

MLA Pokol-hayhurst, Agnes. “Power Games in The Wings of the Dove—the “Worker” IS the ‘Worked’”. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, no. 40, 2014, pp. 95-108.

JAST - Journal of American Studies of Turkey