Publisher's Synopsis
The Figure in the Carpet is a novella by the renowned American-British author, Henry James. The story revolves around the literary critic and writer, Hugh Vereker, who is known for his elusive style and mysterious personal life. The protagonist of the story, an unnamed narrator, is a young journalist who is obsessed with Vereker's work and is determined to uncover the secret behind his writing.The narrator meets Vereker at a literary gathering and becomes intrigued by his cryptic remarks about a hidden meaning in all of his work. Vereker claims that there is a ""figure in the carpet"" that ties all of his writing together, but refuses to divulge any further information. The narrator becomes obsessed with finding this hidden meaning and spends years studying Vereker's work in an attempt to uncover it.As the narrator becomes more and more consumed with his quest, he begins to see the figure in the carpet everywhere he looks, even in his own writing. He becomes convinced that Vereker has embedded a secret message within his work that only a select few can uncover.The Figure in the Carpet is a complex and thought-provoking work that explores the nature of art, the relationship between artists and their critics, and the elusive nature of truth. James' writing is characterized by his intricate prose and his ability to delve deep into the psyche of his characters. This novella is a must-read for anyone interested in literature, art, and the human condition.RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light. This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place. One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker's advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt. I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss.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.
