The Ambassadors
by Henry James
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1903
- Form
- Novel
- Language
- English
- Length
- Long · 450 pp300 to 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Difficult4 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe AmbassadorsPenguin Classics, 2008Uses the New York Edition text with James's preface, and corrects the long-standing reversed chapters.
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Lambert Strether, a widower of fifty-five from Woollett, Massachusetts, is sent to Paris by his patron Mrs Newsome to bring home her son Chad, who is thought to be in the hands of a bad woman, and to prepare for marrying her. He finds Chad improved and the woman, Madame de Vionnet, a countess of great charm, and comes to believe their attachment is virtuous. Under the spell of Paris he tells a young man to live all he can. A second set of ambassadors arrives from Woollett; a chance meeting on a river reveals the truth of the affair; Strether, having lost his future in Woollett, refuses to gain anything for himself and goes home.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Ambassadors are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
