Henry James: Daisy Miller

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." -- Matthew 7:1-2 (NKJV)

Daisy Miller is the essence of a well-written novella: deep characterizations developed through a variety of interactions, minimal prose to capture a point, carefully balanced action that rounds out a message, plenty of exhibition of internal thoughts and feelings, and stark contrasts in personal philosophies. While brief, this book contains enough food for thought to provide entertaining dinner conversation for years.

Although Daisy Miller is the title character and the most appealing character in the book, Henry James uses Frederick Winterbourne to convey his points, both as narrator and as an American expatriate who is not at home entirely in either Europe or the United States. Winterbourne finds much that is appealing about Daisy Miller, but he's also concerned about maintaining his social standing in the expatriate community, a community that's filled with concerns about appearances.

Daisy Miller is what might call a 20th century woman, emancipated from concerns about money by having a rich father, free to try her hand at life because her mother is overwhelmed by her parental responsibilities, and filled with enthusiasm for life. Embracing American values of taking everyone in as a fellow human, her behavior drives the expatriates wild.

Lest you think it's all about freedom versus social snobbery, James takes pains to point out that there are real costs when freedom is misused.

So no one gets a free pass in this novella. That's a major part of its charm. All the characters have weaknesses, flaws, and vulnerabilities. That makes them, well, almost human.

While some characters are drawn in very negative terms, it's more for contrast with Daisy ... rather than as a deliberate attempt to create cartoon characters.

Some of the scenes are so beautifully written they'll take your breath away with the possibilities that they evoke. That's the brilliance of James at work. Enjoy those!

"They're very ignorant -- very innocent only, and utterly uncivilized. Depend on it they're not 'bad.'"
"They're hopelessly vulgar," said Mrs. Costello. "Whether being hopelessly vulgar is being 'bad' is a questions for the metaphysicians. They're bad enough to blush for, at any rate; and for this short life that's quite enough."

Winterbourne, the first speaker above, is an American of twenty-seven who has lived most of his life in Europe, specifically in Geneva, where he is either a career student or simply an ornamental male presence, depending on the reporter. If 'earning a living' is of any concern to him, it plays no part in his demeanor in this narrative. Mrs. Costello is his wealthy aunt (a dowager?), who 'commands' his proper familial attentions at various resorts and in Rome several weeks a year. She is the very voice of propriety and discretion -- a snooty old biddy, if you will -- while he is a dilettante, a poseur, a prig, a veritable Henry James in short. "They" are the Millers - mother, daughter, and son - sent to inspect Europe and report back on its cultural progress by their filthy rich pater familias Cyrus Miller, of Schenectady, New York. Winterbourne first meets Daisy Miller while visiting his Aunt at Vevey, in Switzerland. He is entranced both by her beauty and by her bizarre insouciance and ignorance or indifference to the social codes of the Old World. Winterbourne and his Aunt are ludicrous; it's important to grasp that they are objects of satire as thoroughly as the Millers, the prototypical "ugly Americans" of touristic prominence all over Europe then and now. In fact, everyone in this novella, Henry James's first significant success as a writer, comes in for a share of deliciously condescending satire, most perceptively James himself in the guise of Winterbourne. That's one of the redeeming qualities of Henry James, his ability to perceive and portray his own futile uselessness as a mere onlooker at life.

Henry James would possibly be more widely beloved as a writer if all readers were first exposed to him in his shorter works, his novellas and stories. "Daisy Miller" is a gem, an 80-page masterpiece of snarky ambivalence. When I read it first, decades ago, I suspect I was too 'green' myself to recognize just how deeply James's satire bit. I probably took Winterbourne seriously; after all, the tale is told over his shoulder, from his point of view. Taking himself or his fictional avatars seriously was a fault Henry James never committed. A longer exposure to James's self-observation, such as is required in his later novels especially, can challenge a reader's patience; there's only so much and no more in most of us for such meticulous ambiguity. But "Daisy Miller", along with other short works such as "The Turn of the Screw" and "The Spoils of Poynton" are eminently enjoyable.

For a man and writer whose sexuality was so peculiarly repressed, James has made his irrepressible American girl Daisy quite a luscious minx. Poor Winterbourne, stiff and epicene, can't keep his eyes off her. In the end, however, his fascination amounts merely to a kind of emotional voyeurism, and that's the core of the story, a voyeurism which in essence underlies Henry James's literary genius and personal futility. Meanwhile, nevertheless, Daisy is a brilliant 'study' of the American personality that Europeans have, then and now, found utterly appalling and naive ... and insidiously alluring.

Henry James haters, get over it! This is a snappy little story, as funny as Mark Twain, and a subtle social critique of the 'gap' of manners between Europeans and Americans that still bedevils us today.

`We are exclusive, mother and I. We don't speak to everyone - or they don't speak to us. I suppose it is about the same thing.' (No, Daisy, you are wrong there, it is not the same!)

Thus spoke Daisy months before the social glaciers became even icier and she was practically ostracized. At that time, early in her European tour, she had not yet been quite so outside the norm as she would later be, but the aristocracy of the American expatriate caste system already classified her as `common'.
This was not about wealth. Daisy's father was probably as rich as any of them. It was about the code of conduct of the upper world.

Daisy did impossible things. She was `intimate' with her family's man servant (intimate not quite meaning what it might mean now; she just talked to him as to a normal person.)
She went un-chaperoned on a tourist excursion with a man whom she had just met. She had not even been properly introduced to that man. He had just used her little brother as an entry ticket to a chat with her. (The man is our male hero Winterbourne, who is so much of a coward that he is not even the narrator of the story, though he ought to be.)

Later it got worse: she went for walks in Rome with an Italian beau, clearly a gold digger. She rejected the advice from social watchdogs as well as from her jealous American suitor. Yes, I am a flirt, she said. All nice girls are flirts.
Ha, not so, Daisy! Flirts are no nice girls by the ruling standards around here! And what she considers flirting might be seen as teasing, or leading.

By the way, Daisy is not even called Daisy, her real name is Annie.
She is pretty and talkative. One might say she chatters. Good humored, positive, garrulous, naïve, innocent, capricious, reckless, unsophisticated, ignorant, hopelessly vulgar, uncultivated, unreasoning, provincial. Her attributes depend on the social viewpoint of the observer, and as the male hero falls out of love with her, we hear more and more of the bad side. In fairness to him, he tries to remain fair, he is just jealous.

With Henry James one never quite knows if he admires unruly behavior or if he disapproves. Probably both, and the mixture depends on the individual case.

This was the very first James story that I ever read. It must have been in the mid 70s, after I watched the movie with Cybill Shepherd, who has permanently given Daisy a face in my mind. I don't remember if it was a good movie, but it was my introduction to Jamesland. I am only now spending more time with the master and I can say that I enjoy his language a lot. I find it enchanting, but I know that he will change later.

Written in the same year as An International Episode, in 1878 James was clearly very interested in the interaction of young American girls with the deeply assumed social forms of Europe. Interesting that apparently this story was the one that established his success - so clearly a lot of other people were interested in this too.

Part of his popularity may have been that he leaves room for readers to draw their own moral - a nice selling point in approaching such a divisive issue. I read it as a challenge to tradition (perhaps partly because I saw the unconventional Bessie Alden as the heroine of the recently read `International Episode), but although I'd contest it, I can see why the preface to the edition I read saw `Daisy Miller' as a cautionary tale endorsing conservatism.

Daisy is an interesting study. She constantly breaks all sorts of social rules, particularly in seeing no need for a chaperone - but much as she's a flirt, she's hardly a floosy (indeed, the conclusion of the story carefully stresses her innocence). She blithely ignores earnest remonstration to behave more appropriately, yet can be surprised and hurt by a consequent snub. It's not that she doesn't value friendship, but sees no place for worrying about appearances. I was interested that James didn't paint her as a particularly intelligent girl (unlike Bessie), yet she had the same self-possession, and the same indifference to rules she saw no value in.

The ending took me quite by surprise (spoiler), but, as I said, it lets the readers interpret it to their own preference. In his introduction to my edition Perry Meisel puts a fairy tale simplicity to the plot: "Daisy's flouting of the customs of Rome results in her dying from maleria": ignore the social rules and you'll die! While surprised by the sudden demise of both Daisy and the story, I was more aware of the deliberate irony of how the death highlighted her popularity: for a girl who by rights should have been shunned and disliked because she had no idea how to treat people, at her funeral, "Winterbourne stood there beside [her grave] with a number of other mourners: a number larger than the scandal excited by the young lady's career would have led you to expect."

I see this story as suggesting that in its concern for appearance the European gentry is missing out on the substance of a girl like Daisy Miller. And the very fact that she doesn't care about appearances is what makes her morally superior - more innocent than those who are careful to appear so. As an American Daisy hasn't absorbed all the assumptions of European society - one of which is that this lack of education and breeding is a huge disadvantage. James loves the idea of dropping someone with totally different assumptions into this world, and playing with what this reveals.

It's also interesting that events are largely seen from the view of a young European society man infatuated with Daisy (much as `International Episode' starts from a similar perspective). James is perhaps deliberately making it easier for readers who share his old world assumptions about form to be similarly infatuated, and to journey with him to doubt the validity of old world values which require Daisy Miller's blithe dismissal.

Written in 1878, the attitudes on display in Daisy Miller may now appear to be rather dated in relation to modern social behaviour, but at the same time, Henry James's delightful little novella departs from his earlier conventional depictions of European and American female protagonists, marking a significant change not only in the changing social attitudes, but also in the acuteness of observation that James would innovate particularly in regard to the female psychology.

That wouldn't appear to be the case from the early observations that Frederick Winterbourne, an American travelling in Europe makes about a "completely uncultivated ...but wonderfully pretty" fellow American young lady, the daughter of a rich businessman, that he encounters in Vevey in Switzerland. This hopelessly forward and vulgar young lady, who scandalously admits that she enjoys the society of gentlemen, not only allows Winterbourne, whom she scarcely knows, to take her to see a famous Chateau, but she goes with him alone, unaccompanied and without a chaperone. Despite the warnings of his aunt and other influential members of society, Winterbourne pursues his interest of the fascinating Daisy Miller in Rome, without being quite prepared for what he is letting himself in for, finding her behaviour "an inscrutable combination of audacity and innocence".

It's all doomed to end in tragedy, but despite having all the appearances of a cautionary tale, Henry James makes some fine observations on a new breed of woman and the declining influence that society holds over their thoughts, actions and behaviour that would be expanded through Catherine Sloper in Washington Square (1880) through to some of his most celebrated work in The Portrait of a Lady (1881) and The Bostonians (1886).

This is one of Henry James's earliest works, a charming novella of high-society manners and attitudes. Some reviewers focused on the differences between American and European social standards, but that seemed to be only a sub-set of issues; the main theme involved the eternal struggle of free-spirited youth, abutting the structures of a well-entrenched establishment. For the timid, the book is a wonderful introduction to James, who, as one reviewer put it, is famous for his dense, convoluted prose. I found only one sentence that would hint of the later James, a sentence replete with classic James qualifications: "At the risk of exciting a somewhat derisive smile on the reader's part, I may affirm that with regard to the women who had hitherto interested him it very often seemed to Winterbourne among the possibilities that, given certain contingencies, he should be afraid- literally afraid- of these ladies."

The central character, the young American woman, with the title's name is judged by some, as James dryly asserts, to possess a "...certain laxity of deportment." By today's standards she would be judged to have an excessive amount, by either European or American measures. In an exchange with Winterbourne, who is an American contemporary infatuated with her, but whom she judges "stiff," and who has charged her with being a "flirt," which is not appropriate for "young unmarried women" she retorts: "It seems to me much more proper in young unmarried women than in old married ones." It is an attitude which results in her rejection by the society matrons of the time.

The entire novella involves characters from the very elite, a tiny flake of humanity, that move from hotel to hotel, the ultimate in the leisure class unconcerned by financial matters. No, almost certainly this is not the manners and morals of our own ancestors, who were scraping by in the factory and the fields to make this lifestyle of the modern day "sun-kings" possible. Still, it is this "flake" that draws the disproportionate attention of the rest of us, just like the entire sections of the news devoted to the lifestyles of the famous in Hollywood.

Judging the book by James's standards, in its time and place, I would still only give it only a 4-star. How could Daisy's younger brother, who moves in these elite hotels with her family, be wandering unsupervised, and be judged an "urchin," while losing most of his teeth? Would the strains of malaria extant in Europe at the time have dispatched the patient that quickly? And "opacity" would be an understatement in James's treatment of the relationship between Winterbourne and Mrs. Walker, and in turn, the latter's concern with Daisy's "deportment."

Still, the book might rate a plus on the "4" for the Rumsfeldian lines from Daisy's younger brother, Randolph: "My father ain't in Europe; my father's in a better place than Europe... My father's in Schenectady."

Daisy Miller is a free-spirited American girl from a wealthy family who is enjoying her sojourn in Europe, flirting with men (including foreigners!) and attending society functions. She captivates Winterbourne, another expatriate American about whom we learn little but are led to believe that he is a bit of a kept man. With generally sympathetic eyes, he observes how Daisy is ostracized from the "better" social circles due to her fraternization with the Italian Giovanelli.

The greatest achievement of Henry James's novella is the character of Daisy herself, a bright, quick-witted young woman who shows either great foolhardiness or commendable courage (depends on the observer's perspective) in remaining loyal to her foreign friend despite widespread condemnation. James's dialogue sparkles and Daisy is given many delightful lines. The problem comes at the end. Winterbourne's disillusionment is perfectly understandable if unfortunate due to his conformity to the popular mores of his social class, but Daisy's fate puzzles me. James had seemed sympathetic toward her, but the end suggests that she was required to "pay" for her "sins." Nevertheless, this is well worth reading and provides food for thought afterward.

One of Henry James's earliest novellas, Daisy Miller (1878) follows the activities of a wealthy, and brashly confident, young American woman as she audaciously challenges European society in Vevey, Switzerland, and in Rome, having fun, doing what pleases her, and leaving staid European society gasping in her wake. Daisy Miller, whose father is in the US and whose mother is her ineffectual "chaperone," is a free spirit in a society bound by unstated but rigid "rules," determined to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, with whomever she chooses.

Frederick Winterbourne, an ex-patriot who has spent most of his life in Geneva, is attracted to Daisy, but his bonds with his stuffy aunt, Mrs. Cosgrove, and her friend, Mrs. Walker, both of whom govern ex-patriot society in Europe, leave him ill-equipped to deal with Daisy's flouting of society's conventions. When she is obviously attracted to Mr. Giovanelli, a singer/musician of no social standing, and when she is seen with him publicly in places that a "nice" girl would not grace at night, her reputation is threatened, and anyone associated with her is tainted. Winterbourne is uncertain how to protect her, while, not incidentally, protecting his own reputation.

Developing his most famous theme, James considers the conflicts between American and European values and the naivete of the Americans and their spontaneity as it contrasts with the old world formality of the Europeans. Daisy, who is often foolishly naive, is also seen as brash and ego-centric, a young woman whose destiny cannot be avoided (or even predicted) because of the strength of her own, often wrong, willfulness.

James focuses on two characters here--both Daisy and Winterbourne--and though the story is told from Winterbourne's point of view, Daisy is often the more vibrant of the two characters. Though she is shallow and assertive, he is hidebound by convention, leaving both characters with limits in terms of reader identification. When a night-time dalliance leads to serious consequences for Daisy, the reader is neither surprised nor shocked.

Filled with trenchant observations about Americans and their differences from Europeans, the novel incorporates significant symbols--the Coliseum (associated with innocent Christian martyrs), malaria (to which Americans are particularly susceptible), Randolph (Daisy's rude and undisciplined 10-year-old brother, the ugliest of Americans), and Mrs. Cosgrove and Mrs. Walker (converts to the European way of life). Carefully observed and critical of American naivete, Daisy Miller is the "preface" to Portrait of a Lady and many of James's more fully developed novels. Mary Whipple

One of Henry James's earliest novellas, Daisy Miller (1878) follows the activities of a wealthy, and brashly confident, young American woman as she audaciously challenges European society in Vevey, Switzerland, and in Rome, having fun, doing what pleases her, and leaving staid European society gasping in her wake. Daisy Miller, whose father is in the US and whose mother is her ineffectual "chaperone," is a free spirit in a society bound by unstated but rigid "rules," determined to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, with whomever she chooses.

Frederick Winterbourne, an ex-patriot who has spent most of his life in Geneva, is attracted to Daisy, but his bonds with his stuffy aunt, Mrs. Cosgrove, and her friend, Mrs. Walker, both of whom govern ex-patriot society in Europe, leave him ill-equipped to deal with Daisy's flouting of society's conventions. When she is obviously attracted to Mr. Giovanelli, a singer/musician of no social standing, and when she is seen with him publicly in places that a "nice" girl would not grace at night, her reputation is threatened, and anyone associated with her is tainted. Winterbourne is uncertain how to protect her, while, not incidentally, protecting his own reputation.

Developing his most famous theme, James considers the conflicts between American and European values and the naivete of the Americans and their spontaneity as it contrasts with the old world formality of the Europeans. Daisy, who is often foolishly naive, is also seen as brash and ego-centric, a young woman whose destiny cannot be avoided (or even predicted) because of the strength of her own, often wrong, willfulness.

James focuses on two characters here--both Daisy and Winterbourne--and though the story is told from Winterbourne's point of view, Daisy is often the more vibrant of the two characters. Though she is shallow and assertive, he is hidebound by convention, leaving both characters with limits in terms of reader identification. When a night-time dalliance leads to serious consequences for Daisy, the reader is neither surprised nor shocked.

Filled with trenchant observations about Americans and their differences from Europeans, the novel incorporates significant symbols--the Coliseum (associated with innocent Christian martyrs), malaria (to which Americans are particularly susceptible), Randolph (Daisy's rude and undisciplined 10-year-old brother, the ugliest of Americans), and Mrs. Cosgrove and Mrs. Walker (converts to the European way of life). Carefully observed and critical of American naivete, Daisy Miller is the "preface" to Portrait of a Lady and many of James's more fully developed novels. Mary Whipple

One of Henry James's earliest novellas, Daisy Miller (1878) follows the activities of a wealthy, and brashly confident, young American woman as she audaciously challenges European society in Vevey, Switzerland, and in Rome, having fun, doing what pleases her, and leaving staid European society gasping in her wake. Daisy Miller, whose father is in the US and whose mother is her ineffectual "chaperone," is a free spirit in a society bound by unstated but rigid "rules," determined to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, with whomever she chooses.

Frederick Winterbourne, an ex-patriot who has spent most of his life in Geneva, is attracted to Daisy, but his bonds with his stuffy aunt, Mrs. Cosgrove, and her friend, Mrs. Walker, both of whom govern ex-patriot society in Europe, leave him ill-equipped to deal with Daisy's flouting of society's conventions. When she is obviously attracted to Mr. Giovanelli, a singer/musician of no social standing, and when she is seen with him publicly in places that a "nice" girl would not grace at night, her reputation is threatened, and anyone associated with her is tainted. Winterbourne is uncertain how to protect her, while, not incidentally, protecting his own reputation.

Developing his most famous theme, James considers the conflicts between American and European values and the naivete of the Americans and their spontaneity as it contrasts with the old world formality of the Europeans. Daisy, who is often foolishly naive, is also seen as brash and ego-centric, a young woman whose destiny cannot be avoided (or even predicted) because of the strength of her own, often wrong, willfulness.

James focuses on two characters here--both Daisy and Winterbourne--and though the story is told from Winterbourne's point of view, Daisy is often the more vibrant of the two characters. Though she is shallow and assertive, he is hidebound by convention, leaving both characters with limits in terms of reader identification. When a night-time dalliance leads to serious consequences for Daisy, the reader is neither surprised nor shocked.

Filled with trenchant observations about Americans and their differences from Europeans, the novel incorporates significant symbols--the Coliseum (associated with innocent Christian martyrs), malaria (to which Americans are particularly susceptible), Randolph (Daisy's rude and undisciplined 10-year-old brother, the ugliest of Americans), and Mrs. Cosgrove and Mrs. Walker (converts to the European way of life). Carefully observed and critical of American naivete, Daisy Miller is the "preface" to Portrait of a Lady and many of James's more fully developed novels. Mary Whipple

One of Henry James's earliest novellas, Daisy Miller (1878) follows the activities of a wealthy, and brashly confident, young American woman as she audaciously challenges European society in Vevey, Switzerland, and in Rome, having fun, doing what pleases her, and leaving staid European society gasping in her wake. Daisy Miller, whose father is in the US and whose mother is her ineffectual "chaperone," is a free spirit in a society bound by unstated but rigid "rules," determined to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, with whomever she chooses.

Frederick Winterbourne, an ex-patriot who has spent most of his life in Geneva, is attracted to Daisy, but his bonds with his stuffy aunt, Mrs. Cosgrove, and her friend, Mrs. Walker, both of whom govern ex-patriot society in Europe, leave him ill-equipped to deal with Daisy's flouting of society's conventions. When she is obviously attracted to Mr. Giovanelli, a singer/musician of no social standing, and when she is seen with him publicly in places that a "nice" girl would not grace at night, her reputation is threatened, and anyone associated with her is tainted. Winterbourne is uncertain how to protect her, while, not incidentally, protecting his own reputation.

Developing his most famous theme, James considers the conflicts between American and European values and the naivete of the Americans and their spontaneity as it contrasts with the old world formality of the Europeans. Daisy, who is often foolishly naive, is also seen as brash and ego-centric, a young woman whose destiny cannot be avoided (or even predicted) because of the strength of her own, often wrong, willfulness.

James focuses on two characters here--both Daisy and Winterbourne--and though the story is told from Winterbourne's point of view, Daisy is often the more vibrant of the two characters. Though she is shallow and assertive, he is hidebound by convention, leaving both characters with limits in terms of reader identification. When a night-time dalliance leads to serious consequences for Daisy, the reader is neither surprised nor shocked.

Filled with trenchant observations about Americans and their differences from Europeans, the novel incorporates significant symbols--the Coliseum (associated with innocent Christian martyrs), malaria (to which Americans are particularly susceptible), Randolph (Daisy's rude and undisciplined 10-year-old brother, the ugliest of Americans), and Mrs. Cosgrove and Mrs. Walker (converts to the European way of life). Carefully observed and critical of American naivete, Daisy Miller is the "preface" to Portrait of a Lady and many of James's more fully developed novels. Mary Whipple

When Henry James published his novella "Daisy Miler" back in 1878, his story won immediate and popular success despite some criticism that the story was "an outrage on American girlhood." But neither the critics nor Henry James himself could imagine the new life his book and his characters would acquire at the pen of Gabrielle Vigot. And the new kind of outrage it would create, in an exciting way.

In Vigot's version, Daisy Miller is no longer just flirtatious, she is a wild and wanton young woman who is defying the set morals of the late 1800's, the limitations of time and society, and expectations of women. This novella is hot, steamy, and sexy, but what appeals to me the most is the rebellious and feisty nature of Daisy Miller.

An engaging read. You won't be disappointed.

I recently read the Henry James novel, Daisy Miller, as an assigned reading for my high school English class. Although, I tend not to like the classics that much, I would recommend this book, especially to high school students. This book appears to build on the author's interest with psychology. While the theme is pretty obvious, the clash between reality and appearance, it holds the readers attention. In fact, this could be compared to many movie plots or the Real World TV show on MTV. The "ugly" American that travels to Europe. In the process, offending many because of their lack of knowledge of the culture. The Europeans never look beyond the surface. The theme seems like an everyday occurrence.
The story is the difference between appearance and reality. The Europeans, represented by his aunt, only see the superficial and are overly judgmental. They do not see the innocence in Daisy. They regard her as vulgar. Frederick is torn between his friends and relatives who are critical of the apparent loose morals of Daisy. She socializes with men unescorted and stays out very late. She disregards the social mores of the time and the culture she is visiting. Daisy doesn't care about appearances while Frederick cares a great deal about the matter. He has to leave for his home in Geneva, and promises to see Daisy in Rome that winter. In late January, Frederick arrives in Rome to be told by his aunt that Daisy has not changed and is associating with Italian men! Her comments are unflattering towards Daisy. The tone is one of disapproval and suggests immoral behavior.
Isn't this one our main faults of judging people on the appearance? An online reviewer of Daisy Miller commented "...The unreliable narrator is here in his full glory. I say "his" because in Daisy Miller, the masculinist bias of the narrator is the only reason for the story to exist. There is no plot. The standard critical drivel about "American" vs "European" girls is absurd...." Isn't it obvious that this was written in the late 1800's? That was the way of life of that time. However, it still is a tendency of this era only more understated.

American society in the mid 19th century operated under a strict set of moral values which were also scrupulously observed while traveling abroad. Responsible women were cosntantly on the alert to protect young ladies from predatory European males, for it
was a recognized social scam to marry American money. Society dowagers and conscientious mothers artfully contrived to both exhibit their elegible daughters and yet protect them--their reputations being as precious as their persons.
This novella in two parts is narrated by a pleasant and decent American youth who has been living/studying in Switzerland for some years. Instantly charmed by a very pretty American flirt, whose precocious little brother he's just met, the naive progtagonist seeks every legitmate means to make her
acquaintance and enjoy her company, before his schedule removes him from her delightful presence. Miss Daisy Miller certainly turns heads abroad, but she is playful and coy--happily aware of the game of having beaus. The plot progresses as the unnamed hero gradually realizes that his divine Daisy's behavior does not promote a positive reputation. Hostesses both in Switzerland and in Rome begin to shun her--and to warn him. How can he compete with a handsome and indolent Latin lover? Alas, Daisy ignores all well-meaning attempts to moderate the terrible talk behind her back. How can her sincere admirer prevent her from rushing headlong into social ruin? Which leaves readers wondering how naive or stupid or shallow the lady really is. As in James' TURN OF THE SCREW, this heroine projects a conflicting personality, producing two contrasting viewpoints about her attitude. What terrible price will Daisy pay for toying with men's hearts and rejecting her national code of morality?

Daisy Miller by Henry James(complete and unabridged version)

Daisy Miller is meant to be read outside in the summertime amongst the buzzing of bees, twittering of birds, and distant laughter of people enjoying the day. If you happen to be living in Minnesota or any nearby states, I suggest waiting until August when the temperatures have risen to the 90 degree mark and wander out to Lake Calhoun or the Como Conservatory by the lily pad gardens.

American flirts, European monuments, scoundrels, and high society infiltrate the pages of this short book (the copy I have is 83 pages long), but the language is thick with description like a Jane Austin novel. Henry James definitely writes a novel to be lingered over.

"She paused again for an instant; she was looking at Winterbourne with all her prettiness in her lively eyes and in her light, slightly monotonous smile. "I have always had," she said, "a great deal of gentlemen's society." Poor Winterbourne was amused, perplexed, and decidedly charmed.
-page 13

The novel features a well-off young man called Winterbourne and a flirtatious girl called Daisy Miller. Winterbourne is definitely a flirt himself, since he seems to vie for Miss Miller's affection and he wants to rescue her from a life she seems to like just fine. He also is hinted to be having an affair with an older lady.

"He was some seven-and-twenty years of age; when his friends spoke of him, they usually said that he was at Geneva, "studying."... What I should say is, simply, that when certain persons spoke of him they affirmed that the reason of his spending so much time at Geneva was that he was extremely devoted to a lady who lived there - a foreign lady - a person older than himself."
-pages 2-3

In fact, Winterbourne and Miss Miller are both Americans living abroad, but Winterbourne has kept with the rules of society and Miss Miller has not. She is written to be brash, loud, and scandalously American, but she is also accepting of everyone and hurt and confused at high societies harsh judgments of her.

" "You are old enough to be more reasonable. You are old enough, dear Miss Miller, to be talked about." Daisy looked at Mrs. Walker, smiling intensely. "Talked about? What do you mean!" "Come into my carriage and I will tell you." Daisy turned her quickened glance again from one of the gentlemen beside her to the other. ... "I don't think I want to know what you mean," said Daisy presently. "I don't think I should like it." "
-page 55

Daisy Miller is definitely a book to get lost in on a lazy summer day. The end may seem abrupt, and it is, but life is full of the unplanned and unexpected. Daisy Miller makes us long to live our lives just as full; listening to beautiful music, meeting interesting people, strolling the streets of Europe, and even visiting the Colosseum by moonlight.

Reading Daisy Miller, I was struck by two things. First of all, that this was undoubtedly the work of Henry James--one can feel his presence in every line, the same as if one was reading Portrait or the later works. And yes, his characters still prefer conversation to dancing. On the other hand, the style in Daisy Miller was much less demanding of the reader, a trait which has its particular merits. Daisy Miller is a quick, highly-enjoyable and yet still substantial read. James referred to the book as "pure poetry," and while this comment was intended as a dismissal, I can only see it as a compliment. In many ways, it makes me think of Goethe's Werther--a book of "pure poetry" that, despite the lack of support from its own author, ends up enduring the test of time. Easily four stars, and perhaps higher with a second read.

The full title of this book is Daisy Miller: a study in two parts. I couldn't figure out what it was a study ON, which drove me nuts. I felt like James was trying to convey some message about society in this book, but it was certainly a very foggy one.

The story is told from the point of view of Mr. Winterbourne, an American in Rome. He meets Daisy at a hotel in Vevey, Switzerland, where he is visiting his aunt. He at first does not know what to make of the outgoing, but unsophisticated Daisy. He is impressed by her beauty and apparent innocence, but can't decide if she is a "nice girl" or something else. He quickly finds her to be a temperamental flirt. He has only known her for 3 days when he must leave Vevey. When Daisy is told, she throws a fit and is only consoled when he promises to visit her in Rome in the winter. End of part one.

Well, Winterbourne goes to see Daisy in Rome, just as he promised. However, he decides to stop in at another lady friend's house first. To his surprise, Daisy is visiting her at the same time. Daisy also seems to have found quite a few friends in Rome, mainly gentlemen. Especially one low born Italian, Giovanelli. Winterbourne is not sure what to make of this, and spends the next few weeks agonizing over the nature of Daisy's character. She gradually becomes the object of scorn among the polite society of Rome, because she is seen alone with gentlemen in the street and does all sorts of scandalous things. Winterbourne tries to guide her a bit, but she does not seem to care. He still can't make up his mind about her until he sees her one night in the Colosseum with Giovanelli. At that moment, he decides she is not worth his attention and he gives this away to her in something he says. She seems strangely hurt by this particular rejection and drives away.

A few days later, Daisy falls seriously ill and sends Winterbourne a message, saying that there was nothing between her and Giovanelli. A few weeks later, she dies. The last scene is between Winterbourne and his aunt, discussing the message. Winterbourne thinks that he misjudged her and that she would have liked at least one person to respect her. However, this doesn't appear to change him in the least and the last we hear, he's off chasing another foreign girl.

I didn't really understand the point of this book. It wasn't dull, but not much happened in 90 pages and I would have liked the point to be a little clearer. However, it's a slightly enjoyable book to read, and maybe other people can puzzle it out. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

Read heading a collection of James short stories, 'Daisy' is a delight, with a classically clear narrative, beautifully direct prose (especially if you've come from the late novels!), a charming heroine, and a sublime balancing act between unexpected comedy (the great Randolph C. Miller!) and the most horrifying tragedy.
Puffed up as a 'novella', however, with an introduction (Geoffrey Moore) almost as long, and copious notes (Patricia Crick), and the poor girl is left a little exposed. Maybe my feeling of relative disappointment, having fallen in love over ten years ago, was due to this infuriating critical apparatus, the introduction patronising James, the notes condescending to the reader.
What strikes me now as the work's brilliance is not the concise treatment of the America/Europe, man/woman, appearance/reality, Geneva/Rome dialectic that so obsessed James; or even the astonishing achievement of the narration, somehow distancing and conflating the narrator and his silly hero. What is especially striking is the visual quality, the minutely composed tableaux - now Gothic, now impressionistic, now sharply lucid - as an abortive love affair is played out on the placid shores of Lake Geneva, the rondelay of the Pincio Gardens, or the ruins of ancient Rome, malaria poisoning the air on its way to Venice and Thomas Mann.

A few thoughts and considerations on Daisy Miller: A Study.

Though called 'Daisy', her given name is Annie P. Miller in this short novel from 1878.

A fact seldom mentioned is that Daisy Miller was also written as a play, but due to producers in both New York and London rejecting it, it never made it to the stage. Some of Henry James's other writings, however, did get produced as stage plays.

Daisy Miller sold better than Henry James's "previous books". Was fairly well accepted in America but did stir some controversy.

Though Daisy Miller is a novel, the book has its basis in fact: while in Rome in 1877, Henry James heard a story through gossip of an American girl who had "provoked the general disapproval of Anglo-American society in Rome." From this he developed the short novel, Daisy Miller.

Henry James and his brother, William, had visited the Colosseum one night a few years prior to writing Daisy Miller, and Henry. especially struck by the ruins and "sad beauty" of both the Colosseum and Forum, decided to place Daisy in danger within its location.

The fever spoken of in Daisy Miller was "a rather frequent affliction of that time". Years later Henry James's fellow writer and friend, Edith Wharton, wrote a story entitled "Roman Fever". The malaria or 'fever' did actually exist and Americans were very susceptible to its affects.

Much mention of the words "a study" has been written about here. Henry James chose these words to symbolize as in a pencil drawing, or work of art, attempting to offer a portrait of sorts within the written work. Later between 1907 and 1909, when issuing the 24 volume 'New York Edition' revision of The Novels and Tales of Henry James, Henry James removed "A Study" from the reissued Daisy Miller. He felt it no longer held any significant purpose, yet to this date the words "A Study" is to found as part of the title. Rather strange since "the Master" had requested the words "A Study" be removed in 1909!

In a letter, Henry James called Daisy Miller "the little tragedy of light, thin, natural, unsuspecting, creature being sacrificed as it were to a social rumpus that went quite over her head and to which she stood in no measurable relation". In short, she really never got any of it.

As Leon Edel writes of Daisy: "is she a flirt or is she virtuous. Is she innocent or is she hard and cynical?". As Henry James wrote in a later tale concerning another character, "You admire her-you adore her, and secretly you mistrust her."

Finally, William James, Henry's older brother, objected to the ending of Daisy Miller "which seemed to him frivolous." As Henry James had to do with at least one other tale reaching the stage as a play, the ending had to be rewritten as a happy, rather than a sad one. Should Daisy Miller ever reached the stage as James intended, he might have had to rewrite a much different, happier ending to Daisy Miller.

Daisy Miller is not only the shortest of Henry James's works but it probably is the most frequently read and possibly the most popular. It represents a subject close to Henry James's heart as the flood of millions of Americans poured into Europe got on his nerves to such degree that he eventually refused to revisit Italy, and was caused to move from London due noise, crowds, etc., to reside at Lamb House in Rye. So, in Daisy Miller you not only have a tale of moral expression, you also have James's pet peeve dealing with too many people, too much noise, in one place, too close to him.

But the novel has the kaleoscope ability to be many things to many readers and remains very contemporary in its style of writing down to this day. No small accomplishment after passage of approximately 130 years!

Semper Fi.

This was James's first success and it caused quite a bit of controversy in its day as the work that was "an outrage on American girlhood." Sweet and innocent Daisy Miller, from upstate New York, is traveling in Europe with her clueless mother and bratty little brother. She meets Frederick Winterbourne, who is astounded by her innocence and unconcern for European social rules of behavior. Because of her "indiscretions" with the Italian Giovanelli, rumors spread that they are engaged. This is not true, as she tries to explain to Winterbourne. A week later she contracts malaria and dies.

James drew Daisy with such a mixture of characteristics - innocence, sentimentality, straightforwardness, passivity - that it's easy for the reader to sympathize with her. She's the victim here of a cruel and uncompromising code of behavior; it's hard to see how earlier readers could depict her as being "vulgar" or "pathetic." Our hearts really go out to her. One of James's best-known works, it's more a long short story than a novel.

One of Henry James's earliest novellas, Daisy Miller (1878) follows the activities of a wealthy, and brashly confident, young American woman as she audaciously challenges European society in Vevey, Switzerland, and in Rome, having fun, doing what pleases her, leaving staid European society gasping in her wake. Daisy Miller, whose father is in the US and whose mother is her ineffectual "chaperone," is a free spirit in a society bound by unstated but rigid "rules," determined to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, with whomever she chooses.

Frederick Winterbourne, an expatriate who has spent most of his life in Geneva, is attracted to Daisy, but his bonds with his stuffy aunt, Mrs. Cosgrove, and her friend, Mrs. Walker, both of whom govern expatriate society in Europe, leave him ill-equipped to deal with Daisy's flouting of society's conventions. When she is obviously attracted to Mr. Giovanelli, a singer/musician of no social standing, and when she is seen with him publicly in places that a "nice" girl would not grace at night, her reputation is threatened, and anyone associated with her is tainted. Winterbourne is uncertain how to protect her, while, not incidentally, protecting his own reputation.

Developing his most famous theme, James considers the conflicts between American and European values and the naivete of the Americans and their spontaneity as it contrasts with the old world formality of the Europeans. Daisy, who is often foolishly naïve, is also seen as brash and ego-centric, a young woman whose destiny cannot be avoided (or even predicted) because of the strength of her own, often wrong, willfulness.

James focuses on two characters here--both Daisy and Winterbourne--and though the story is told from Winterbourne's point of view, Daisy is often the more vibrant of the two characters. Though she is shallow and assertive, he is hidebound by convention, leaving both characters with limits in terms of reader identification. When a night-time dalliance leads to serious consequences for Daisy, the reader is neither surprised nor shocked.

Filled with trenchant observations about Americans and their differences from Europeans, the novel incorporates significant symbols--the Coliseum (associated with innocent Christian martyrs), malaria (to which Americans are particularly susceptible), Randolph (Daisy's rude and undisciplined 10-year-old brother, the ugliest of Americans), and Mrs. Cosgrove and Mrs. Walker (converts to the European way of life). Carefully observed and critical of American naivete, Daisy Miller is the "preface" to Portrait of a Lady and many of James's more fully developed novels. Mary Whipple

The Portrait of a Lady (Penguin Classics)
The Turn of the Screw and Other Short Fiction (Bantam Classics)
The Golden Bowl (Oxford World's Classics)
The Wings of the Dove (Penguin Classics)The Ambassadors

James' novella "Daisy Miller" delivers many unique twists from characters received in other more significant works.

A master of the 19th century upper crust dialogue, and more masterfully capable of handling feminine issues of such world, James creates a flirtatious American whose character shocks European sensibilities.

"I am a fearful, frightful flirt! Did you ever hear of a nice girl that was not? But I suppose you will tell me now that I am not a nice girl." But she is. And her suitor, Mr. Winterbourne, responds about her courting a smooth singing Italian hunk (Giovanni), "Though you may be flirting, Mr. Giovanni is not; he means something else."

Societal norms require women to basically become imprisoned in their homes - even if they are the best suites of the best hotels of the best European cities. Friendships are less common among women. "Of course a man may know everyone. Men are welcome to that privilege." Daisy will not tolerate these hindrances.

Daisy is a young, wealthy, American women who is without pretension. She is avarice. She is beautiful. She is the china doll you dare not handle too roughly for fear that it will break. Gallivanting about at late hours without appropriate escort or chaperon, and forever teasing the famous "Italian fever", Daisy sees her late hours watching the moon at Rome's Coliseum or takes boat journeys to isolated castles as she seeks to "live life." She fears being stiff - a term she uses to describe ever-so-British Winterbourne and his elders. In the end her naivete is her demise.

In "Wings of the Dove", another American wealthy beauty meets a similar demise: Milly. But, Milly is debonair, not impetuous. She is classier than her European peers. Daisy is of class, and properly mannered, but she is not classy.

And, unlike many of James' novels, this is a short read, not as tightly sewn, not as thoroughly written. For someone wishing to read one of this great novelists works, but not willing to concentrate as thoroughly as required in The Wings of the Dove or The Bostonians or some of his other classics, give this novella a try. You will not be disappointed.

"Daisy Miller" is one Herny James's biggest successes, and it can be read as a rehearsal for his masterpiece "A Portrait of a Lady" that was the book we published after this one. A little longer than a short story, this book is a quick read and one of the most accessible works from this writer.

One highlight of this book is the descriptions of characters and places. Although "Daisy Miller" is not long, James found a way of thoroughly depict the main characters and the settings. Paragraphs are constructed only to show the reader how Daisy is. Contrary to what one may think, it is not boring -- actually it is very pleasant, since the descriptions are so vivid and organically incorporated to the narrative.

The plot has much in common with "A Portrait of a Lady" and the main theme is James's favorite: the culture clash between Americans and Europeans. Daisy is a free spirited American girl spending some time with his family in Europe, when she meets Winterbourne, a young American `student', in Geneva. The girl's behavior has scandalized local society. And she's been punished for that. As Isabel, the main character of "A Portrait...", Daisy will have to assume the consequences of her acts.

James has created an enchanting character in Daisy Miller. She is a little naïve, a little mischievous but, above all, she wants to follow only her will. And, probably, this is her major sin, in those times when people were forced to follow society's strict rules.

If you enjoy reading classic literature, you might consider giving Daisy Miller a try. James' eloquent writing style and study of cultural ideas make this a very entertaining read. James looks closely at the culture of 19th century Americans on holiday in Europe. The narration makes for a very good window into the attitudes and opinions of the upper class at the time and the perceived differences between those with "old money" and those with "new money."

For the most part, this is a light read. It does contain a few dark moments, and in the end the main character really does not exhibit any real growth. All in all, I found it to be interesting and enjoyed James' humor throughout. He has a very nice way of poking fun at some of the conventions of the time while managing to make these things seem of import to his characters. This infuses the story with the life that it needs to keep the reader interested enough to keep reading.

American Society in the mid 19th century operated under a strict
code of moral values, which were scrupulously observed while traveling abroad. Responsible women were constantly on the alert to protect young ladies from predatory Europeans, for it was a recognized international scam to marry American money. Society dowagers and conscientious mothers artfully contrived to both Exhibit their eligible daughters and yet Protect them--their reputations as well as their persons. (To be culturally honest, there were some American girls who went abroad seeking to marry Titles.)
This novella in two parts is narrated by a pleasant and decent American youth who has been living and stuyding in Siwtzerland for some years. Instantly charmed by a very pretty American flirt, whose precocious little brother he's just met, the naive protagonist seeks every legitimate means to make her acquaintance and enjoy more of her company. Miss Daisy Miller certainly turns heads abroad, but she is playful and coy--enjoying the game of tormenting her beaus.
The plot progresses as the unnamed hero gradually realizes that his divine Daisy does not radiate a positive reputation, for hostesses in Switzerland and later in Rome begin to shun her. Adding insult to inury, they actually warn him about her. How can he compete with her latest conquest, a handsome and indolent Latin Lover? Daisy ignores all sincere attempts to deflect her from her headstrong course of social ruin. Her mother seems utterly indifferent to her daughter's fate--demonstrating ineffective parenting skills with her horrid son as well. All of which leaves readers wondering how naive, stupid or shallow this socialite truly is. Like the governess in James' TURN OF THE SCREW, Daisy projects conflicting opinions about her personality. What terrible price will she pay for toying with men's hearts and flaunting social customs abroad? This comes across as a serious cautionary tale.

I persist with Henry James, trying to build up an appreciation for this literary master whose style does not exactly roll out the red carpet for his readers. His early novella "Daisy Miller," however, shows that a kinder, gentler James prevailed before the tyrant of verbosity took over. For those who have not yet experienced James's writing, as a start I recommend "Daisy Miller" for its relative simplicity of plot and prose, as opposed to his monstrously difficult later novels like "The Golden Bowl."

The story is told from the vantage of the frostily-named Frederick Winterbourne, a wealthy and not quite young American man who has lived in Europe for most of his life. He is vacationing in Vevey, Switzerland, visiting his witch of an aunt, Mrs. Costello, when he meets the stunningly pretty Annie "Daisy" Miller, her vapid mother, and her bratty little brother Randolph. The Millers are nouveau riche; Daisy's father, the absent Mr. Miller, is an industrialist in Schenectady, New York, and his family lack sophistication in their speech and manners. Mrs. Costello snobbishly identifies them immediately as "very common...the sort of Americans that one does one's duty by not accepting."

Winterbourne travels to Rome to visit his friend Mrs. Walker; the Millers also have come to Rome. Mrs. Walker reveals to Winterbourne that Daisy, whom she has gotten to know, is a slut who cavorts indiscriminately with all kinds of men including a suave but rakish Italian named Giovanelli, and advises him to forget about her. But Daisy is a supreme charmer--it's impossible not to fall in love with her--and Winterbourne likes her despite her frivolousness and silliness. Unfortunately, she considers the sensible Winterbourne too "stiff" to value his opinions about her behavior, and Giovanelli is so desperate to be with her that he is all too willing to take advantage of her ignorance of European customs, an indifference on her part that leads to her ultimate tragedy.

What might have motivated James to write this seemingly simple, even slight, story? He seems to see the rules of society as a game to be played by many different types of personalities, and he enjoys characters, particularly women, who clash with convention, even though what was scandalous in his time raises nary an eyebrow today. In "Daisy Miller" we have an American girl who is too immature to understand or care about the proprieties of high society, a girl who probably in James's opinion would have been better served staying poor and working in a laundry back home in Schenectady than acting like a princess in foreign lands.

Daisy Miller, Henry James's short novel, leaves one with mixed feelings as the range of evaluations demonstrates. That is because the novella is not what it appears to be--a light romantic tale of a young American girl doing what she pleases in Europe. The story is narrated by Winterbourne, an American who appears to be a student visiting his aunt, Mrs. Costello, at a resort in Switzerland. There he meets the Miller family, nine year old Randolph who has a mind of his own (and displays it), his mother and the irrepressible Daisy. She is an unabashed flirt who does what she pleases regardless of what anyone (especially the snobbish Europeans) think. Winterbourne becomes infatuated with her despite his rather stiff demeanor. He asks his aunt to meet her but she refuses, saying Daisy is too "common."

Nevertheless Winterbourne follows Daisy to Rome where she is having an affair with a debonair Italian, Giovanelli. Winterbourne sees him as a fortune seeker (the Miller family is quite wealthy), but is also motivated by his own interest in Daisy.

The novella comes to a sudden, tragic and unexpected ending, given the light-hearted tone of Daisy's behaviors.

I think the book is worth reading as an example of James' comparisons of European and American culture and for the character of Daisy who is one of the most delightful characters in literature. I rate it at four stars, but it could just as easily be three.

"Daisy Miller" was one of Henry James' earliest novels and is considered to be his most popular work. At only sixty-four pages in length, this novella is a quick read that from a surface view, may seem to lack depth. However, in "Daisy Miller" James would explore themes that recurred in his later works, especially the contrast between American and European societal mores.

The action begins in Vevay, Switzerland, where Frederick Winterbourne happens to meet the title character, an American who is travelling with her mother and younger brother. He is immediately swept away by her beauty and is rather blinded to her indiscretions, such as being too friendly with their courier and being openly flirtatious. Winterbourne's aunt will have nothing to do with the family, but that does not stop her nephew from pursuing her. When the action moves to Rome, Winterbourne once again tries to stake a claim upon Daisy's affections, only to discover that she is not welcome in polite society since she has been going around unchaperoned with an Italian man who can only be after her money. Winterbourne, along with others, tries to let Daisy know how wrong her actions are, but she is headstrong and adamant that no harm will befall her.

As with most works by Henry James a tragedy befalls one of the main characters. "Daisy Miller" is a brief, intimate sketch of the ruination of innocence. There is little separation between events, which can quicken the pace of the novella, but also can be a distracting textual feature for readers. The story seems to begin and end in the middle of the action which allows the characters to live on after James has finished relating their story to his readers.

Brief, but with a great deal of substance. Daisy is a fascinating character. Like Winterborne, I spent most of the story unsure of her motivations only to realize she had none. She wasn't playing some intricate societal game or trying to create controversy, she just wanted to have fun in a society that denigrated women for defining "fun" in the carefree way of Daisy. It's a simple, beautiful, and all together tragic story of an innocent young woman who wished only to do as she pleased, hurting no one except, ultimately, herself.

"Daisy Miller: A Study" by Henry James is a coming of age story of western society. With the characters interacting in various European cities, it depicts the transitional period that delivered the western world's composition from one based in a hierarchical system of order, to one that values equality and liberty above all. By the late 19th century, The United States had already begun dabbling in this new form of social order; however, Europe had maintained its elitist class structure for some time. Winterbourne, not quite European, and still not absolutely American, is himself the picture of the resulting conflict of this transformation.

Daisy Miller represents complete transformation. She freely exposed her dealings with "gentleman's society" and leads Winterbourne to wonder if she is "simply a pretty girl from New York" or if she is "a designing, an audacious, an unscrupulous young person", essentially requiring him to get to know her before he can make a judgment about her personality. Mrs. Costello, on the other hand, represents the admittedly "exclusive" and "hierarchical" European tradition that carries with it preconceived acceptance or denial of character based on social standing. With these two woman representing opposite ends of societal attitude, Winterbourne is placed on the rack of societal torture, dedicating most of his "study" to developing his opinions about which side would eventually win out.

This novella is more than just a pleasurable read, it is a "study" in and of itself. Introspective and entertaining. If for some reason you have been able to avoid it through school, pick it up now. You can't help but enjoy it.

This is an early short novel by James, where he begins to work out his obsession for comparing the psyche and the ethos of Americans and Europeans of his time. The singular thing about this one is that here the roles are inverted. Whereas in the rest of his work about this subject (which makes up the majority of his whole body of work) James contrasts the American innocence and puritanism with the Europeans' perversity and worldliness, here it is the expatriate Americans and rich Europeans, in Vevey and Rome, who are scandalized by the extroverted, sexually liberated and outrageous behavior of Daisy Miller, a young and beautiful girl whose independent and candid personality is interpreted by "society" as licentious and indecent, up until the sad end.

This is quite and interesting take on the original classic. If you love the story of a young woman coming of age, the consider her becoming sexually active also. She is definitely ahead of her time in this regard as "Wild" perfectly describes her lust for life.

You will enjoy how Daisy knows what she wants and doesn't have to go far to get it either. A number of wonderful characters inhabit this book and they help to further the story along to a delightful conclusion.

This short novella is a brief story about a young american woman who travels Europe with her mother and young brother. Thru a chance she meets young British gentleman Winterbourne who is smitten by her beauty, but also amazed by her innocence and lack of restraint. Daisy comes from a rich family and from a world where she is permitted to be herself no matter what the price of her individuality may be. But she is also eager to make company in a new world and gain access to society. She craves entertainment, attention and stimulating company. What she is not realizing is the fact she is going about it the wrong way. Story is set in Europe, small town Vivey in Switzerland and Rome, Italy. As Daisy's young life unfold and ends tragically, one cannot but think that in either case there was no happy ending here. Her behaviour and galant carelessness were ticket to doom. Definitely fine story about class difference, cultural difference and tale that money cannot buy everything. One has to find subtle ways to get what she wants out of life.

I enjoyed most of this novel while I was reading, and I think that the writing is technically proficient. The end was a great disappointment, and left me wondering why I spent the time reading this mercifully short piece. At least I can say that I've read some of Henry James.

My first problem with the book may be the result of not understanding the time period. I am not certain how Americans expected young women to behave, although I understand that their customs were much less restrictive than Europeans. I therefore don't know whether Daisy is rebellious, or reckless, or simply behaving in a manner that she understands to be suitable and many Europeans (or American Euro-wannabees) misinterpret. Is the problem just that Winterbourne and Daisy don't understand each other's cultural assumptions, or that he is really reacting to Daisy's personality? Given the reactions of some of the Europeans, is Winterbourne following their codes of behavior more stringently than they do, perhaps fawning on Europeans by an excessive zeal to prove that he is like them? I am therefore at a loss to understand what point Miller is trying to make. Is the issue really the virtues of one set of social customs over another, or is it just the difficulties that arise from misunderstanding? I give this 3 stars rather than 2 because it might have made sense if I were reading it when it was written.

My other problem may be idiosyncratic: THIS IS A SPOILER. I have little sympathy for anyone foolish enough to "die for love", especially a brief romance. Winterbourne and Daisy obviously aren't suited for each other, and the solution is to move on, not become suicidal. I really don't see their incompatibility as a moral issue on either side. If Winterbourne really can't respect Daisy then he does well not to become seriously involved with her. If he is stuffy and priggish, well, that's how he is and he should choose a compatible wife. When it comes to a serious commitment like marriage, it is necessary to acknowledge how one really is, not delude oneself about how one ought to be.

If James' point, as reviewers seem to indicate, is to expose the difference between European and USA manners, the story is not well-constructed, since Daisy's critics are mostly expat Americans; real Europeans are more tolerant of her. The ending seems a bit bizarre. Such misunderstandings have been the basis of comedies of manners or novels of personal angst, but the ending to this novel is too melodramatic and contrived. In Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel Claudia Johnson has some acerbic things to say about the tradition of killing off women disappointed in love. Does James mean to criticize Winterbourne? It would have been more satisfying (and reasonable) if Winterbourne later realized what a fool he had been when he meets up with the happily married, brilliant hostess Daisy Marriedname, famous beauty and wit, perhaps married to a real European who finds her refreshing.

For Christmas, I ordered an mp3 player (Library of Classics) that was pre-loaded with 100 works of classic literature in an audio format. Each work is in the public domain and is read by amateurs, so the quality of the presentation is hit or miss. This was the seventh work I’ve completed and, like the first six, the reader did not detract from the experience.

Daisy Miller is the tale of a young American ingénue spending time first in Switzerland, then in Rome with her mother, brother and “courier”. It is told from the point of view of a suitor, American expatriate Frederick Winterbourne. Daisy is a flighty, naïve young lady who enjoys thumbing her nose at cultural convention and societal mores of the era. Winterbourne is at first captivated, but becomes increasingly disturbed as Daisy’s actions become more and more outrageous and she is shunned by polite society.

This is a very short period piece and is perfectly pleasant without being remarkable in any way. It can be easily read in 2-3 hours.

I only recently started reading Henry James. I could not stand him in graduate school, when I was in my 20's, and never finished him when he was assigned, but twenty years on, I find much to enjoy in his work. I suspect he may be someone you have to grow into; I don't think he has much to say to the young; one needs more life experience before he can be appreciated. But why shouldn't living long come with a few rewards?

Daisy Miller may be a good case in point. The main character, Mr. Winterbourne, meets young Miss Miller on one of those protracted vacations wealthy people in 19th century novels so often take. Mr. Winterbourne is at once taken in by Daisy's beauty and by her vivacity; she has a great lust for life and no self-conscienceness to hinder her. Daisy unknowingly breaks all the rules of her society in her search for experience. She does not know what she is doing, but she does not seem to mind.

The two separate and then meet up again in Rome where Mr. Winterbourne finds Daisy engaged in an affair of sorts with a gold-digging Italian man. Daisy has so offended society by this time that none of the other Americans abroad will have anything to do with her or her family. Mr. Winterbourne tries to get her to change her ways, to convince her that she should drop the Italian and rejoin the more proper society of her peers, but she refuses. She will have her way whether or not society approves.

A friend of mine once told me that Henry James ends his stories with an almost throw-away line or two that seems to put everything that went on up to then in a completely new light. That is the case with Daisy Miller, so though I really want to talk about the ending, I won't spoil it. I will say that I think it also supports my belief that one should wait before reading Henry James. Had I read this "throwaway" ending when I was 20, I would have been outraged at the hypocrasy Mr. Winterbourne displays. Now, I understand why he would do what he does, though it goes against what he has said up to then.

My favorite character in Daisy Miller, my favorite in Henry James so far, is Mr. Winterbourne's aunt, Mrs. Costello. Here is her opinion of the Miller family:

"They are hopelessly vulgar," said Mrs. Costello. "Whether or no being hopelessly vulgar is being 'bad' is a question for the metaphysicians. They are bad enough to dislike, at any rate; and for this short life that is quite enough."

I think if I had read a line like that when I was 20 I would have come to at least dislike Mrs. Costello and possibly Henry James. Now, even though I realize she would certainly have nothing to do with me, I find her very funny. I've certainly moved away from Daisy's age towards Mrs. Costello's age and that has added to my understanding and appreciation of Henry James. Though I spend much of my time reading Young Adult fiction, I'm pleased to find something written with an older audience in mind. If you are under 35 and haven't read Henry James yet, I recommend waiting. Save a few treats for yourself later in life. You won't regret it. It's nice to discover something new, especially when it is also something old.

Modern readers might be put off by the lack of action in this short novel, but Daisy Miller is a psychological study. Daisy Miller, a young American girl, cannot navigate the social complexities of Americans in Europe. In fact, she does not even try. Daisy is her own person, with her own mind. She is a liberated woman before the phrase was ever invented. The young American man who falls in love with her fails to express his feelings because he is too concerned with what others think of her. The tale is a tragedy, with a suitably sad ending.

My favorite of James' shorter works. It's sunlight and innocence and young laughter. I thought all characters rang perfectly true. For years, I got this title mixed up with "Wings of a Dove" because that's how I thought of Daisy. She was all sunshine and certainty and credulity. I loved her. I disagree it was "America vs. Europe." Wherever Daisy grew, I believe she was destined for difficulties. Her optimism, her lack of parental guidance, and her tolerance would have done her in wherever she was. This was a singularly oppresive era, it could be that if Daisy existed today, she might have lasted longer, but not appreciably. Daisy is timeless because she is unforgettable.

This book is a masterpiece. Every sentence is rich, deep and wonderful. It bears a lifetime of repeated reading, and every reading reveals new insights.

It is a sad, short, tale of a love that should have been. James's heroines are underestimated and misjudged, and Daisy is perhaps the clearest example; she is blatantly misunderstood by everyone else in the story, including the narrator, Winterbourne, her non-suitor. Not that she is easy to understand - she is a subtly crafted feminine enigma, full of contradictions and surprises. All of proper society judges her at face value to be airheaded and crass, and she gives them plenty of ammunition. Her tragedy is that all but Winterbourne miss her depth and her insight, and yet Winterbourne can never bring himself to commit to the relationship they should have had.

this was one of those books that begin with a kick-butt opening(not really...but i liked it) however it all changes in the middle...and the ending was one of the corniest endings i have ever seen in my life....i can't figure out if it was supposed to be a romance novel or what...one of the strong points of the book was the whole idea of flirting...it showed how society reacts...and this appeals to today's society as well, even in America....well if ur trying to figure out whether to read the book or not...read it...until u get bored that is

Originally published in book form in 1879, "Daisy Miller" brought Henry James his first widespread commercial and critical success. The young Daisy Miller, an American on holiday with her mother in Europe, is one of James' most vivid and tragic characters. Daisy's friendship with an American gentleman, Mr Winterbourne, and her subsequent infatuation with a passionate but impoverished Italian, bring to life the great Jamesian themes of Americans abroad, innocence versus experience, and the grip of fate.
This story emphasizes an upper-class expatriate's efforts to understand and deal with a charming, independent but uninformed heroine who posses a strong challenge to conservative manners. In the end the story's emphasis is not so much on social portraiture as on the tragic effects of class distinction. When Winterbourne learns that Daisy was after all completely "innocent", he understands his serious mistake in going along with the other Americans who blackball her. Like the ancient Roman spectators in the Colosseum, Winterbourne has participated in a human sacrifice. While Winterbourne worries over the morality of the young American woman, it is his own behaviour that constitutes immorality. He is committing an unpardonable sin in his overly intellectualized searching out of the moral fault of another.
As in other tales, James makes direct contact with the mythic materials of Judeo-Christian culture equally to gloss his sense of evil and measure its fate in the modern world. The narrative in "Daisy" can be understood as a commentary on a culture in which gossip has replaced the gospel. In a remarkable scene set in St Peter's, as scandalizing chatter ignores and disturbs the lovely music of Spirit, Winterbourne hears from a friend that Daisy and Giovanelli have been sighted viewing the portrait by Velazquez of Pope Innocent X, a rendering that reveals the ill-named Pope as a worldly cynic. By means of this juxtaposition, James extends the evil from Winterbourne to the gossipy Americans and then to the history of European religions.
The narrator is not an "unnamed hero", but has an eloquent name. Not only do Winterbourne's fate - utter stasis - and name link him to the wintry Satan of Dante; they become allegorically appropriate to his status, and emblematic of his punishment: the endless repetition, fixed in loneliness, of his self-love, which is encompassed -"bourne" - as it is "born" by winter. The only motion available to Winterbourne is the futile beating of wings that immures him and the more fixedly in an ice that represents his fear and hatred of others. The role of Evil in this tale is less that of pointing out at narcissism (though it is also clearly about that), and more about the terms for living in a modern world where all comforting authority has been lost. The freedom in this tale is a terror rather than a liberation for the characters who confront it, and leads them to an attempt to impose meaning on a recalcitrant world that leads in turn to the violation of others. Because Winterbourne will not live with the challenge of self-awareness required in a world where we are alone, he loses respect for Daisy and he learns nothing. His confusion between his parenting and courting roles, and his panic of the social "other", make him lose trust in her individual strengths. This story defines an evil fit for the century of Henry James and for our own. James' later story "The Beast in the Jungle" is a reworking of the same theme.

I recommend Daisy Miller for anyone who's grown tired of American arrogance and exceptionalism, particularly for Americans who have lost sight of what's reasonably lovable in our own culture. This brash and irreverent naif, vacationing in Europe, and her affair with the stodgy and non-committal Winterbourne embodies the best of American innocence and idealism. Daisy remains James' best-loved character, perhaps because we need her so much, to remind us that our uninhibited lack of sophistication is at the heart of our American identity.

I read this book without thinking too much its meaning. To me, it merely shows the culural clash of personalities between naive Americans and pensive Europeans at around the time of the First World War. As Barbara Tuchman indicated in 'The Proud Tower', it was a time of rapid and unbelievable changes.
Later I read that the personality of Daisy Miller reflected that of President Woodrow Wilson who failed miserably in his attempts to build the League of Nations and to make the world safe for democracy. I am afraid that reading the book did not covey this to me .

The unreliable narrator is here in his full glory. I say "his" because in Daisy Milller, the masculinist bias of the narrator is the only reason for the story to exist. There is no plot. The standard critical drivel about "American" vs "European" girls is absurd. Since when does a comparison of national "types" become profound? (Another example of missing the forest for the trees is the idea that The Great Gatsby is about the "Midwest" vs. "The East" Idiotic. It too is about an unreliable narrator -- one so unreliable he can charm, disarm and deceive the average reviewer -- more than 50 years after the book was written. The Great Gatsby is not about the American Dream [if there ever was one], but about the ramblings of a sociopathic narrator straight from the troubled mind of Fitzgerald).
Those "reviewers" who talk about this novella being "boring" and "confusing" are absolutely right. It is. But James intended it to be. Why? James is the master of the mind f&$%. That is his chief artistic gift.
Want a good example of how a young man's horniness, self-absorption, self-pity and rationalization can totally color his view of women? And how self-important masculinist reviewers can totally buy into this without realizing it? Because they have the same problem? That is Henry James' little trick. James always gets the last word.

This is my personal favorite of the later Heritage Press editions: a small, bright, and charming book.

Quarter-bound in cream cloth with marbled paper in bright strawberry, pink, green, and earth tones. Strawberry slipcase. 10 watercolors by Nebel. Typesetting and decorative elements by Rampant Lions. 92 pp.

This was the first novel I read by Henry James. I'm not saying it wasn't good, just not what I expected. I didn't particularly liked the way the plot developed or how the characters where presented. Again, it's just a matter of taste

This is my personal favorite of the later Heritage Press editions: a small, bright, and charming book.

Quarter-bound in cream cloth with marbled paper in bright strawberry, pink, green, and earth tones. Strawberry slipcase. 10 watercolors by Nebel. Typesetting and decorative elements by Rampant Lions. 92 pp.

for a long time,i didnt get satisfaction while reading.very-good written book.persona of daisy had been drawn perfectly.she seems a bit frivolous,but it stems from her innocence and being uncultivated.so sweet and very naive.you will get sad after reading but author wanted so.what can we do.

"Daisy Miller" is a small classic that loses its risqué themes in today's society. It's an uncomplicated book to read with interesting phrases, which are explained in the back of the novella. Without a lot of detail, one must use their imagination greatly. Nonetheless, it's attention grabbing. I recommend.

This is just a fun, saucy read. I don't read a lot of romance books but this one has a really nice erotic edge to it. Hottest character: Daisy Miller's mom. Her sex scenes almost steal the show and would have Mr. James turning beet red.

This story is extremely conventional.

Daisy Miller, its main character, shows 'reckless behaviour': 'Flirting with any man she could pick up; sitting in corners with mysterious Italians; dancing all the time with the same partners; receiving visit at eleven o'clock at night. Her mother goes away when visitors come.'
For the American community in Europe, Daisy Miller is 'running absolutely wild'. Her behaviour is totally inadmissible and abnormal.
But, no problem, morality is saved. Daisy visits the Colosseum, a nest of malaria, with her Italian friend. She dies a week later, not without leaving a message that 'she would have reciprocated one's affection', that of a solid American, who 'had an old attachment for the little metropolis of Calvinism'. Death is a well-deserved punishment for a 'POOR girl'.

For Henry James, Daisy's mixture of 'audacity, puerility and innocence is inscrutable.'

This moralist story can be read in all school classes studying Victorian upper class conventions.

This is my personal favorite of the later Heritage Press editions: a small, bright, and charming book.

Quarter-bound in cream cloth with marbled paper in bright strawberry, pink, green, and earth tones. Strawberry slipcase. 10 watercolors by Nebel. Typesetting and decorative elements by Rampant Lions. 92 pp.

I read this book for an English report that I had to do, and I found it quite interesting. the way the James wrote about someone who was probabaly a normal girl that he had met on day or thought he might meet. Daisy acted like most teens that I know. She could have cared less about what others thought about her. I was very glad to read a book that was finally more real than it was meant to be.

I bought this book because I had to write 4 book reports for English and this was a short book!I actually like classics but found this boring and not in the least bit interesting!If I hadnt got to write about it for my report i wouldnt have bothered reading it all which is unusual for me. Maybe its just me but this was one book I would nevr recommend!

I bought this book because I had to write 4 book reports for English and this was a short book!I actually like classics but found this boring and not in the least bit interesting!If I hadnt got to write about it for my report i wouldnt have bothered reading it all which is unusual for me. Maybe its just me but this was one book I would nevr recommend!