Is the Aspern Papers a true story?

Print. Henry James’ “The Aspern Papers” was inspired by a true story he overhead while in Italy. Captain Edward Augustus Silsbee was a retired mariner and devotee of the poet Percy Shelley. As in James’ tale, the niece offered her hand in marriage in exchange for the documents.

What is the plot of the Aspern Papers?

A young American publisher sets off on a journey to the jungles of Venezuela to acquire the valuable and original manuscripts of his beloved poet, Jeffery Aspern. There he discovers the poet’s ancient muse, Juliana Bordereau, living in a dilapidated cocoa hacienda with her recluse niece, Tita.

Was Jeffrey Aspern a real person?

While The Aspern Papers identifies only the fictional poet Jeffrey Aspern as the author of the mysterious letters sought by the narrator, James’s source mentions both Byron and Shelley as the original letter writers, presumably because their correspondence came into the hands of Byron’s mistress, Mary Jane Clairmont.

How many pages are in the book Aspern Papers?

The Aspern Papers

First edition title page
Author Henry James
Media type Print
Pages London: volume one, 239; volume two, 258 New York City: 290 Both editions also included the stories Louisa Pallant and The Modern Warning
Dewey Decimal 813.4

Who wrote The Aspern Papers?

Henry James
The Aspern Papers/Authors

How long does it take to read The Aspern Papers?

2 hours and 11 minutes
The average reader will spend 2 hours and 11 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).

Is the Aspern Papers based on a true story?

One of James’s best-known and most acclaimed longer tales, The Aspern Papers is based on the letters Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote to Mary Shelley ‘s stepsister, Claire Clairmont, who saved them until she died. Set in Venice, The Aspern Papers demonstrates James’s ability to generate suspense while never neglecting the development of his characters .

When was The Aspern Papers published by Henry James?

In The Aspern Papers, published in 1888, Henry James explores the price of fame, the loss of privacy, and the persistent demands of an obsessed public.

Who is the editor of the Aspern Papers?

A nameless editor who has devoted his life to publishing all the bits and scraps he can gather of the fictional American poet Jeffrey Aspern learns that Aspern’s former lover, Juliana Bordereau, has kept Aspern’s love letters to her.

What happens at the end of the Aspern Papers?

Knowing that she is living in poverty, he decides to rent several rooms in her house. Obsessed with the idea to get the letters, he is willing to woo her niece, in order to achieve his goal.