The Awkward Age

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Henry James creates a harrowing analysis of society and its workings in The Awkward Age (1899) by exploring the English character and the conflict between new and old money along with a subtle satirical touch. James wrote The Awkward Age around the same time as The Turn of the Screw (1898) and What Maisie Knew (1896), both of which explore how the actions of the adults around young children threaten their innocence. In the beginning it seems like James' main concern in the novel is to resolve the vulnerability of Nanda so that she can thrive in an environment of questionable adult influences. But as the story progresses we see that James focuses on unimportant details like how much one character knows about another or what flimsy prior relationship can arise to disgrace someone. Nanda's parents and their acquaintances are such negative influences that we are led to assume she needs protection at the beginning of the book; nevertheless, by the end, she has developed the same cunning and deceitful tendencies as them. The Awkward Age is one of the most well-rounded and in some ways even the most intimate out of all James' masterpieces.