Taking its title from James''s ambivalent catchphrase, this original study explores fundamental concerns of his fiction. It adopts a modern critical approach, yet is written for the intelligent reader whose interest in James is not necessarily academic. It examines six key novels and a number of short stories, interrelating them to provide not only an integrated picture of the fiction, but some conception of what animates it, and readings that challenge long-established critical assumptions.

Taking its title from James''s ambivalent catchphrase, this original study explores fundamental concerns of his fiction. It adopts a modern critical approach, yet is written for the intelligent reader whose interest in James is not necessarily academic. It examines six key novels and a number of short stories, interrelating them to provide not only an integrated picture of the fiction, but some conception of what animates it, and readings that challenge long-established critical assumptions.