Publisher's Synopsis
The Aspern Papers is a novella written by Henry James and first published in 1888. The story is set in Venice and follows the narrator, an unnamed American publisher, as he attempts to obtain letters and documents relating to the famous poet Jeffrey Aspern. Aspern's former lover, Juliana Bordereau, is in possession of the papers and lives in seclusion with her middle-aged niece, Miss Tina. The narrator rents a room in their dilapidated palazzo and befriends Miss Tina, hoping to gain access to the papers. However, Juliana is suspicious of his intentions and refuses to part with them. The narrator becomes increasingly obsessed with the papers and resorts to underhanded tactics to obtain them, ultimately leading to a dramatic confrontation with Juliana. The Aspern Papers is a psychological thriller that explores themes of obsession, manipulation, and the destructive power of desire....had taken Mrs. Prest into my confidence; in truth without her I should have made but little advance, for the fruitful idea in the whole business dropped from her friendly lips. It was she who invented the short cut, who severed the Gordian knot.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
