Question

Henry James’ essay “The Art of Fiction”, one of the earliest literary critical engagements with the form of the novel, was preceded by his book-length study of _______

• A. William Faulkner
• B. Nathaniel Hawthorne
• C. Aphra Behn
• D. Oscar Wilde

Hint:

Henry James’s critical work on Nathaniel Hawthorne helped him develop his ideas on realism and the novel as a serious art form

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the context of the question.
Henry James was not only a novelist but also an important literary criticHis essay “The Art of Fiction” is a foundational text in the theory of the novelBefore writing this essay, James had already engaged deeply with earlier novelists through extended critical studies
Step 2: Identifying the relevant book-length study.
Henry James wrote a full-length critical study titled Hawthorne (1879), which focused on the life and works of Nathaniel HawthorneThis study significantly shaped James’s ideas about realism, narrative technique, and the moral function of fiction
Step 3: Elimination of incorrect options.
William Faulkner and Oscar Wilde belong to later literary periods and were not subjects of James’s early criticismAphra Behn, though important in literary history, was not the focus of any book-length study by James
Step 4: Final conclusion.
Therefore, Henry James’s essay “The Art of Fiction” was preceded by his book-length study of Nathaniel Hawthorne