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"A Most Unholy Trade," Being Letters on the Drama by Henry James

Chapter 1: “A MOST UNHOLY TRADE”
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About This Book

A sequence of four letters from Henry James examines the theatrical art through a close reading of an Ibsen play and commentary on contemporary stagecraft. James praises the play’s intensity and discusses the effects of pacing and concentrated cast size, and he evaluates the potential of scenes and acts to produce crescendo and solemnity in performance. He balances admiration with practical criticism of another dramatist’s choices, addressing subject clarity, character contrasts, and the need to shape suspense for a general audience. The correspondence blends aesthetic reflection with candid, technical advice about staging, characterization, and the challenges of actable drama.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of "A Most Unholy Trade," Being Letters on the Drama by Henry James

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: "A Most Unholy Trade," Being Letters on the Drama by Henry James

Author: Henry James

Engraver: Waldo Murray

Illustrator: John Singer Sargent

Other: William Heinemann

Release date: June 23, 2021 [eBook #65683]
Most recently updated: October 18, 2024

Language: English

Credits: Charlene Taylor, Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "A MOST UNHOLY TRADE," BEING LETTERS ON THE DRAMA BY HENRY JAMES ***

“A MOST UNHOLY TRADE”