Henry James Fansite

Henry James’ Daisy Miller is a novella of contradiction and gentile battle between simpler values and European sophistication.

The novella details the flirtatious relationship between American-born Daisy Miller – who wishes to become a part of European high life – and Winterbourne, a student on holiday in Switzerland.

The pair meet, banter back and forth, and then promise to meet again in Rome. They do so; but Winterbourne finds Miller on the arm of a local Italian man of no real social importance. This abhors the local status elite, and they begin to detest Miller. Winterbourne tries to warn her of this by to no avail.

The novella concludes when Winterbourne rejects Miller as a mere commoner below his interest. Miller, heartbroken, wanders out into the cold Roman air, falls ill and dies several days later. It is only upon her death that Winterbourne realizes Miller had not rejected his earlier advances, and that she was just a harmless flirt.