Resumen
Resumen de Daisy Miller: A Study
Para quién es
For readers who love short, precise stories about manners, pride and misjudgment, and anyone curious about Americans in Europe.
De qué trata este libro
Daisy Miller is a short novel by Henry James, first published in 1878. It tells of a young American woman travelling in Europe and of the people who judge her. The tale begins at a hotel in Vevey, a Swiss resort town on Lake Geneva. It then moves to Rome, where the stakes grow higher. James was an American who spent most of his life abroad, and he knew both sides of the encounter he describes.
The book gives you a quick, sharp story and a puzzle that readers have argued over ever since. Is Daisy a fresh, honest spirit who ignores petty rules? Or is she careless of her good name? The man who watches her cannot decide, and James will not decide for him. Let us start where Daisy first appears, with a young man sitting in a hotel garden and wondering who she is.
En este resumen
- 1A young man meets a girl in VeveyFree
- 2Her family and the aunt's verdict
- 3A boat ride to the castle of Chillon
- 4Rome, a new friend and a hard society
- 5Innocence, reputation and who gets to judge
- 6How James tells it: a study of a watcher
Idea clave 1 de 6
A young man meets a girl in Vevey
The story opens in Vevey, where the Trois Couronnes hotel faces the lake. Frederick Winterbourne, a young American who has lived most of his life in Geneva, is visiting his aunt, Mrs Costello. He sits in the garden, smokes a cigarette and drinks his coffee. Soon a small boy of about nine appears, carrying a long alpenstock, a walking pole, and poking it at everything in sight.
The boy is Randolph Miller, and he is blunt. He tells Winterbourne that he is an American boy, that he wants candy, and that his teeth are being taken out by the climate of Europe. He does not like Switzerland much. Winterbourne finds him odd and rather funny, and he listens with interest.
Then the boy's sister arrives. Daisy Miller is a very pretty girl, dressed with care, with an easy and confident manner. She speaks to Winterbourne without any introduction, which would be unusual in the world he knows. She tells him they come from Schenectady, in New York State, and that she is eager to see the sights and meet society.
Winterbourne is charmed and also a little puzzled. He has known many American girls, but none quite like this one. She talks freely and laughs often, and she seems to see no harm in chatting with a stranger. From the first page, James sets up the question the story will keep asking. What does her openness mean, and who has the right to say?
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Daisy Miller
- A confident young American travelling in Europe, Daisy attracts Winterbourne while disregarding the social rules his circle observes.
- Frederick Winterbourne
- A young American settled in Geneva, Winterbourne admires Daisy but judges her through his aunt's demanding social standards.
- Randolph Miller
- Daisy's outspoken younger brother travels with their mother and loudly prefers America to Europe.
- Mrs Miller
- Daisy and Randolph's anxious mother worries about her health and gives her children considerable independence.
- Mrs Costello
- Winterbourne's socially exacting aunt disapproves of the Miller family and refuses to receive them.
- Mrs Walker
- An American resident of Rome, Mrs Walker tries to make Daisy respect expatriate society's rules.
- Mr Giovanelli
- A handsome and courteous Italian, Giovanelli accompanies Daisy in Rome and attracts the American expatriates' suspicion.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 22,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 1 h 30 min
- Listening time2 h 25 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 13 other languages
Questions about Daisy Miller: A Study
What is Daisy Miller about?
It is about a young American woman travelling in Switzerland and Italy whose open, friendly manner shocks the American community abroad. The story follows how Winterbourne and others judge her, and what that judgment costs.
When was Daisy Miller written and is it a true story?
Henry James published it in 1878. It is fiction, though James drew on what he saw of American travellers in Europe, and the story is said to have grown from an anecdote he heard in Rome.
Why is it called A Study?
The subtitle shows that James treats Daisy as a close study of a type, the independent American girl abroad, and of how society reacts to her. It signals careful observation more than plot.
Is Daisy Miller innocent or reckless?
James leaves the question open on purpose. Daisy seems honest and free of calculation, but she also ignores the rules of her setting. Winterbourne cannot decide, and readers still argue about it.
Is Daisy Miller hard to read?
No. Most of it is conversation and clear scenes. The story is easy to follow.