Questions for "The Beast in the Jungle" Discussion, Monday, November 24th

Interpretive Questions

If you were asked to describe the relationship between John Marcher and May Bartram, and were limited to one word or a short phrase, what would that word or phrase be?

Could John have had a normal life if he had not met Meg again after an interval of ten years? (John could not remember a lot of details of their first meeting -- it was May who reminded John of the "secret" he confided in her).

Had John, in his own mind at least, had a meaningful life with May (p. 192, top of page, "The state of mind ...")?

The description of John's life is deliberately vague -- government job, some friends, work in his garden. May's life is somewhat more significant in its details: a relation who must have engendered some affection as "the old Lady" arranged in her will to provide for her so that she could have some financial independence. Has James done this deliberately?

What are May's initial intentions toward John? Have they changed by the end of the story?

The relationship between May and John is devoid of any physical intimacy. Is this a relationship that one or the other wants to make "sterile" or feels must remain so? Is the author trying to say something about this state?

When did May perceive that she knew what John's "beast" was? Was her perception correct?

Can you define that "beast" (p. 196, 2d paragraph and p. 197, line 4 -- "the man to whom nothing on earth was to happen"). Could John have changed that? Could he have done so because of or in spite of May's help?

Read the description of May during John's second-to-last visit before she died (p. 176). By her appearance and the almost stage-like setting of her house what is she meant to symbolize?

Is this a story written in hyperbole to demonstrate the neurotic relationships between two people? A passionate love story encased in refined prose?

Taming "The Beast in the Jungle"

Gentle Reader,

We meet on Monday the 24th to talk about "The Beast in the Jungle," by Henry James. As I've wrestled with the Beast, a few suggestions spring to mind to help ease your way to understanding this densely thicketed product of James's mature phase:

1. Try reading the work as a fable, a story with a moral.
2. "X-ray" (survey the structure of) the story, and you will notice that the narrator's omniscient observations occupy upwards of 90 percent of the text. The rest consists of conversations between the only two characters, John Marcher and May Bartram. Do a quick read of the entire story by paying your sole attention to their conversations. It's sometimes hard to keep track of who is speaking, so pencil in your own notation of "he said:" and "she said:".
3. Note that the estate where the opening encounter between Marcher and May takes place is called "Weatherend." Note also: both their names contain months of the year.
4. Pay attention to James's scheme as to time and space. After the opening encounter, James takes you back in time to another place (Italy). He later "fast forwards" to their lives in London.
5. Think about how the work is divided into six numbered parts. What is James's design in doing this? Does the "deep" narrative divide neatly into six parts? Three parts? Two parts?
6. Take a look at the electronic version of the text by clicking here. Do a search on the word "beast" to find the contexts for this key symbol.
7. Finally, train yourself to take in enough oxygen during those s-o-o-o long narrator paragraphs (by my estimation some paragraphs number 500 words in length). If you keep at it, you will build up stamina and James's prose will yield its subtle meanings.