book

James Baldwin and Henry James

21 Pages 1941 Words 1557 Views

After reading, "Giovanni’s Room," a novel by James Baldwin, certain similarities and differences arose in the writing style of author Henry James. James Baldwin was an African American author that is well-known for his novels that focused on the issues pertaining interracial conflicts. During the Civil Rights Era, James Baldwin was exposed to a society that discriminated based on race. Henry James was a famous American writer that created many pieces of literature that involved his perceptions of the world. Henry spent a good amount of his life in Europe in order to advance his writing skills. Although it seems the two writers have many differences, James Baldwin and Henry James share more similarities. James Baldwin and Henry James share similar identities that helped them create successful careers. James Arthur Baldwin was born in the Harlem district of New York City. His mother, Emma Berdis Jones, divorced her spouse when Baldwin was an infant (The American Novel James Baldwin). She later remarried a minister named David Baldwin. James Baldwin refers to David as his actual father in his writings, and looked up to him as a role model. During his teenage years, James served as a youth minister at his local Harlem church while attending DeWitt Clinton High School. This is where the foundation of his writing began. The sophisticated young man was able to publish several works in such an early phase of his career. However, his writing career had to be put on the side because his stepfather had passed away from tuberculosis. In order to start his life, he began to work on the railroads in New Jersey (The American Novel James Baldwin). Eventually, Baldwin moved to Greenwich Village because he was fired from his previous job. This is where he devoted himself to becoming a better writer. James Baldwin performed several odd jobs in order to get by financially. While Baldwin was in Greenwich Village he befriended a painter named Richard Wright. This connection allowed Baldwin to land a fellowship in 1945. This gave him the opportunity to publish essays and stories for national periodicals (James Baldwin). In 1948, Baldwin became aware of his homosexuality. Sickened by the America’s hostility towards homosexuals and blacks, he moved to Paris to work another fellowship. He spent most of his life overseas from this point on. Baldwin published his first novel in 1953 titled, "Go Tell It on the Mountain," which is a autobiographical fiction about his struggles as a young black man growing up in Harlem (American Writers: James Baldwin). His other well-known novel was published a year after Baldwin received his Guggenheim fellowship. "Giovanni’s Room," is a novel that depicts the story of an American living in Paris. This story describes the complex issues of a homosexual man’s struggle to engage in an interracial relationship (James Baldwin). Comparatively, Henry James was born in Washington Place, New York in 1843 to Henry James Sr. and Mary Robertson Walsh. Growing up, Henry James was educated by his father in an uncommon way. He primarily studied science and philosophy. His family often traveled overseas to gain an education from tutors, instead of attending a local school. Education was highly admired by the James family, and this allowed Henry James to become a fluent speaker of many languages. The family began to accept their new home until they were running low on money and returned to the United States (Henry James). In 1862, James attempted to gain his Juris Doctor at Harvard Law School. Afte

Read Full Essay