Reading Order
The EuropeansThe Europeans Reading Order
The Europeans (1878) by Henry James is a short, comic novel — one of the lightest and most accessible things James ever wrote — that reverses his usual American-in-Europe situation by bringing two cultivated Europeans, the Baroness Eugenia Münster and her artist brother Felix Young, to visit their American cousins, the Wentworths, at their Boston-area estate in the 1840s. The novel is James's most Austenian: its comedy is generated by the contrast between the worldly, adaptable Europeans and the scrupulous, morally earnest New Englanders, and James keeps the sympathy balanced between them — the Baroness's manipulation is finally exposed, but the Wentworths' rigidity is gently satirized, and the happy marriages at the end reward the people who manage to combine European sophistication with American integrity.
Where to start
The Europeans (1878) — the complete novel; no reading order required
Complete The Europeans Book List
- 1Buy
The Europeans
Henry James·1878
The Europeans — Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Europeans part of a series by Henry James?
No. The Europeans is a self-contained novel with no sequels. It is set in the 1840s, which gives it a slightly historical feeling compared to James's other work, and its tone is unusually light and comic — it has been called James's most un-Jamesian novel, meaning that it is more straightforwardly enjoyable and less psychologically demanding than his later masterpieces. It is an excellent entry point to James, since it demonstrates his central themes — the contrast between American and European values, the comedy of manners, the psychology of social performance — in their most accessible form.
How does The Europeans compare to Daisy Miller?
Both The Europeans (1878) and Daisy Miller (1878) were published in the same year and share the international theme that would define James's career. The key difference is that The Europeans reverses the situation: instead of Americans going to Europe (as in Daisy Miller and most of James's fiction), Europeans come to America. The Europeans is also considerably lighter in tone — it is a comedy that ends in marriage — while Daisy Miller is a tragedy that ends in death. Reading both together gives you the fullest picture of how James approached the American-European contrast in his early career.
Who are the main characters in The Europeans?
The two protagonists are the Baroness Eugenia Münster, a morganatically married German princess who comes to America hoping to find a wealthy husband, and her younger brother Felix Young, an artist who is simply delighted by everything and who falls in love with their cousin Gertrude Wentworth. Their American counterparts are the Wentworth family: the old, scrupulous Mr. Wentworth; his daughters Charlotte (dutiful) and Gertrude (restless and unconventional); his son Clifford; and their neighbors, the practical Mr. Acton and his ailing mother. The novel's comedy turns on the contrast between Eugenia's calculating worldliness and the Wentworths' transparent moral earnestness.
Monthly Newsletter
Never miss a big release
Get the most anticipated upcoming books delivered to your inbox once a month — no spam, no filler.
Monthly only. Unsubscribe anytime.
Book links are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, BookReleaseRadar earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.