Henry James's "crushing mission": utopianism on Manhattan Island

£6.99

Symbiosis 6.2 99-114
Author: Andrew Taylor
Pages: 18

'Henry James’s ‘crushing mission’: Utopianism on Manhattan Island' by Andrew Taylor, explores Henry James's critical perspective on New York City's urban landscape and the ideological implications of its design. Originally published in Symbiosis: a Journal of Anglo-American Literary Relations, this essay delves into James's reflections on his native city's transformation during his 1904–1905 visit. Taylor examines James's attempt to reconcile the city's modernity with his preference for European historical stability, particularly through his interpretation of Central Park as a utopian enclave. This scholarly analysis is essential for those interested in literary criticism, urban studies, and the cultural intersections of American and European identities.

Essay Excerpt

"A great city is a great sore—a sore which never can be cured. The greater the city, the greater the sore. It necessarily follows that New York, being the greatest city in the Union, is the vilest sore on our body politic. So read the opening lines from a chapter entitled ‘Our Cities’ in a now long forgotten state-of-the-nation analysis from 1889. John Habberton’s words here evince a supremely confident syllogistic logic, a logic informed by an anxiety of urbanisation in general and of New York modernity in particular. New York is the best America has to offer—it is ‘the greatest city in the Union’—but in the deductive framework of John Habberton’s equation, this is nothing more than damning with faint praise."