Written by some of the best known and distinguished Henry James scholars, this innovative text provides up-to-date scholarship on James's writings. Read together, the chapters of this Companion map the direction of contemporary James studies. Taken separately, each one offers a concise, contemporary reference to the most extensively studied writings and critiques in the field.

This text is organized into two sections. The first part of the volume presents James's most frequently read fiction and non-fiction. Chapters in the second section outline current approaches to the reading and teaching of James's writings. Additionally, special attention is given to understanding James in national contexts - American, English, French, and Italian - and to understanding his work in terms of the cultures which informed his life and writing.