The Role Of Psychological Realism In Henry James's Daisy Miller

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The Role of Psychological Realism in Henry James’s Daisy Miller
Daisy Miller is a novella by Henry James, who was a great fan of George Eliot as he was impressed by her looking into the minds as well the souls of her characters. James’s novels mostly explore the moral dilemmas of people who are compelled to deal with cultural displacement. He is famous for his psychological realism. The purpose of writing this essay is to see the role of psychological realism in Daisy Miller. Though Daisy Miller is written by a man and preoccupied with male protagonists but the writer has used a subtle technique of psychological realism in order to portray the complex moral as well as sexual challenges faced by American woman abroad in Europe. Daisy Miller short novel is based on conflict that arises from interaction between artless American tourists and sophisticated Europeans. It is a story of a young American girl, Daisy who refuses to follow the status quo in Europe. In order to understand the role of psychological realism in the very novella it is important to understand what psychological realism really is? Well, the novels which grow out of psychological realism are thought to be character driven and they put special focus on the interior lives of protagonists and the views of other characters (Potter). In such novels the plot is arisen from the fears, motives and reactions of the characters to the dilemmas that confront them. In Daisy Miller the role of psychological realism is