Henry James (1843-1916)is a major figure in the history of the novel, James is celebrated as a master craftsman who brought great art and fine perception to bear in the development of his abiding themes: the relationship between innocence and experience, especially as exemplified by the differences between the exuberant but uncultured Americans and the highly cultivated Europeans whose civilisation was on the decline; the dilemma of the artist in an alien society; and the achievement of self-knowledge.