The Aspern Papers

E52351

The Aspern Papers is a novella by Henry James that explores themes of literary obsession, secrecy, and moral ambiguity through a scholar’s attempt to obtain the private papers of a deceased poet from his reclusive former lover.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf novella
author Henry James
centralTheme literary obsession
manipulation and deception
moral ambiguity
privacy versus public interest
secrecy
the ethics of biography
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: "United States"
examines the commodification of literary remains
the relationship between artist and admirer
firstBookEditionYear 1888
firstPublicationForm serialized
firstPublicationYear 1888
firstPublishedIn The Atlantic Monthly
hasAdaptation The Aspern Papers
surface form: "The Aspern Papers (1987 film)"

The Aspern Papers
surface form: "The Aspern Papers (2018 film)"

The Aspern Papers (opera)
The Aspern Papers
surface form: "The Aspern Papers (stage play)"
hasCharacter Jeffrey Aspern
Mrs. Prest
the unnamed editor-narrator
hasInfluenceOn later biographical and archival fiction
hasLiteraryDevice frame narrative
unreliable narrator
hasMotif letters and manuscripts
the decaying palazzo
withholding of information
includedInCollection The Aspern Papers, Louisa Pallant, The Modern Warning
inspiredBy Claire Clairmont
Percy Bysshe Shelley
language English
literaryGenre novella
psychological fiction
literaryMovement psychological realism
literaryPeriod Realism
mainCharacter Juliana Bordereau
Miss Tina Bordereau
the unnamed narrator
narrativePointOfView first-person narrator
notableFor its exploration of ethical limits in literary scholarship
partOf Henry James’s tales set in Europe
plotElement a scholar attempts to obtain the private papers of a deceased poet
the narrator lodges with the poet’s former lover to gain access to the papers
publisherOfFirstBookEdition Macmillan and Co.
settingLocation Venice
timePeriodOfSetting 19th century
workType fiction

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Aspern Papers hasAdaptation The Aspern Papers
this entity surface form: "The Aspern Papers (1987 film)"
The Aspern Papers hasAdaptation The Aspern Papers
this entity surface form: "The Aspern Papers (2018 film)"
The Aspern Papers hasAdaptation The Aspern Papers
this entity surface form: "The Aspern Papers (stage play)"
Henry James notableWork The Aspern Papers

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