November's Feature Book: The Europeans

            Last month, I finished reading my first Henry James novel, The Bostonians. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to find another of his works to read. Therefore, this month is all about James' short novel, The Europeans. Once again, I couldn't get enough of the novel. Twelve chapters almost didn't seem like enough to truly do the characters justice. Even so, the characters are detailed and interesting. The plotline is a unique one of comparison between two European siblings and their New Englander cousins. The differences are striking and slightly ironic, which makes the story that much better.

            Descriptions and characters are what drive this novel. Action and settings are minimal. The descriptions of the place and its influence on the people are a major aspect. Colors, sunsets, and tree lines all play a part in expressing the characters' feelings and actions at any one moment. The best aspect is the characters themselves. They are who I intend to focus on. A small family circle is presented to the reader to study. First, there are the Europeans, Eugenia – also known as Madame Munster – and her brother Felix Young. Eugenia is a baroness who is complicated, critical, and scheming. Her brother is her opposite as an eternally joyful artist whose goal in life is to find the silver lining. These siblings stand out against the backdrop of their cousins, the Wentworths and the Actons.

            I wanted so badly to like Eugenia. Much like Robert Acton, I seemed to have been drawn in by the woman’s mysterious persona. Through the novel, I wavered between thinking she was a good woman in a bad situation or an immoral woman using good people. For the sake of both her and her relatives, I wanted it to be the former. However, Eugenia makes more than a few bad choices in the novel. The one that bothers me the most is her lying to Robert. It seemed as if she loved him. In the end, I don't think she truly was. If she were in love, Eugenia wouldn't have treated Robert so poorly or gotten overly involved with her other cousin Clifford Wentworth.

            Unlike Eugenia, her brother Felix is a delight. I realize that many would soon tire of Felix's optimism and sunny disposition, but I rather like it. Despite all the protests Felix made about his being a Bohemian, I think his roots ran much deeper. His uncle, Mr. Wentworth, must have seen something too considering he came very close to asking for his nephew's advice. In an often hateful world, Felix managed to hold on to a measure of innocence. He could still see the beauty in life and thoroughly enjoyed it. Felix didn't have much as a traveling artist and actor, but he seemed more content with life than anyone else in the book.

In sharp contrast to the European siblings are their cousins. First is Eugenia and Felix's uncle, Mr. Wentworth. He was pious and well-respected. He struggled with the knowledge of how his niece and nephew lived and wondered often about the moral aspects. While not a character in the forefront, I believe Mr. Wentworth is an interesting character to study. He had a front-row seat to this comparison of Old World versus New World. Mr. Wentworth wanted earnestly to understand and make a wise decision, but the ideals of the Old World baffled him. I don't find that overly surprising. How would you react to a mere notion of family members suddenly becoming a living reality? All his ideas and imaginings were put to the test. It can be jolting when reality proves one's imaginings to be false. Mr. Wentworth had become used to the way things were. A shake-up of these proportions was a shock. How he reacted is the interesting part. Mr. Wentworth was open to hearing out his niece and nephew. Mr. Wentworth naturally wanted what was best for his newfound family members even if he was uncertain what that would be.

Mr. Wentworth’s three children also give readers plenty to consider. Clifford was Mr. Wentworth's only son and his more troublesome child. Clifford traded the sin of drunkenness for the sin of getting mixed up with married Madame Munster. I won't say that he fell in love because I don't think it is true. Even if Clifford were in love, his behavior said he was too naïve to realize it. There are also Mr. Wentworth's two daughters, Charlotte and Gertrude. Charlotte was very similar to her father. She wavered between dismay and disapproval concerning her cousins. Gertrude, on the other hand, was fascinated by Eugenia and completely dazzled by Felix. She alone amongst her family came to life with the arrival of their visitors.

Finally, there are the Actons, Robert and Lizzie. Robert was the most cosmopolitan of the family. Naturally, he thought he could see straight through Eugenia to her true motives. Madame Munster was a master at weaving a web and Robert was quickly caught in it. Lizzie was impertinent and overly confident. She knew what she thought and, more importantly, what she wanted. Her goal was to marry Clifford and live a successful life as a New England lady. In some ways, I found her annoying. But, I have to respect her drive and strong personality.

           In the end, The Europeans was a lovely short novel that made me smile. The New Englanders tried so hard to hold the traditions passed down from them and uphold a high moral standard, but the Old World had let what was fade into the past. They were somehow more progressive than the New World. I wonder how much of that is true even now. Do we hold to traditions much more tightly than our ancestors? Do we even know why we do the things that we do? I love traditions, but I believe they are useless if we don’t have a reason or meaning behind them. Many of us will be keeping the tradition of having dinner with our families tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Giving our family our time, reflecting on our blessings, and remembering those who came before us are all very good reasons for keeping a tradition. I hope everyone has a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!

Character Development: What I've Learned So Far

            Two weeks ago, I talked about NaNoWriMo and fiction writing. Specifically, I focused on creating better characters for a truly good novel. I have been hard at work ever since developing characters that make the plotline ideas in my head better. As I have worked with these characters, I have learned a few things about fiction and character development.

            Even though I love fiction, my writing skills pertain more to essays and other nonfiction. I have learned many lessons about fiction writing as of late. Using NaNoWriMo's prep materials to develop my characters has been exciting. My characters are coming to life. Oddly enough, I'm learning things about them that I never realized before. It seems fictional characters do have a mind of their own. The work of character development has also been daunting. I believe I have never put as much effort into a story idea as I have in the last two weeks. It has been stretching my imagination and making me think about things that I wouldn't normally take the time to consider.

            NaNoWriMo has questionnaires for writers to fill out about their characters that have been a figurative lifesaver for me. My characters now have physical descriptions, likes, dislikes, mannerisms, dreams, and fears. They are still far from perfect. I have noticed some incongruencies in my descriptions, but it's a start. These questions have made me think more deeply about my characters, my settings, and my plot. They have been helping me picture how each part of a novel is connected to make one cohesive and engaging story.

Supposedly, my personality is rare because I score highest in creative and analytical behaviors. It was a complicated explanation. The summary is that my brain is at war with itself. I can be very creative, but only if the analytical side of my brain shuts off long enough for me to explore my ideas. Writing and editing have put both qualities to the test. The creative side of me is loving the character development; the analytical side of me is enjoying the character analysis.

Developing my characters has tested my imagination and pushed me to be more creative. I've had to dwell a great deal on published books that I enjoy for inspiration. I have been thinking about which characters I like best; and, more importantly, why I like them so much. One aspect of reading that I particularly like is being able to explore the world through a viewpoint that is nothing like mine. I don't want my characters to be exactly like me, and I am trying to put a conscious effort into giving them traits that I don't possess. I want the challenge of thinking outside my default box. That is exactly why I've created a supporting character that is lively, whimsical, and very outgoing. She is my opposite, but she is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I don't think I'm supposed to say that though. Can an author play favorites with his characters? I am anyway, and that’s just the way it is.

The questions that NaNoWriMo poses have also given my analytical side much to consider. I can't just say that a character likes books. The questions make me think about the reasons behind the fact. Maybe a character likes to read both because he is an academic and finds solace in his studies. He is insecure and struggles with developing strong relationships. That could be why he is a quiet and serious type. Others might see him as standoffish or conceited because they don't understand his insecurities. I could delve deeper and think about the reasons for his insecurity. See how one characteristic can build to more characteristics as one thinks more deeply about it? I think that was the result that surprised me the most.            

  
          I still have a long way to go in my writing and much more to learn. I believe this will be beneficial for developing my writing skills and helping me be a more understanding editor. Writing can be a lonely business. I’m curious to hear what fellow aspiring writers have to say. Do you enjoy developing characters? What do you like best about your characters? Or, even better, what do you dislike? Nobody ever said an author must like all their characters. It is one of the exciting parts of writing. It's almost as unpredictable as life.

November, Fictional Writing, and Book Characters

            November has come once more. For many writers and readers, November is a time to celebrate because it is National Novel Writing Month, or as we affectionately call it, NaNoWriMo[1]. I am not participating, but I seriously considered it. That is not saying much though because I've seriously considered it every year since I first learned about it back in high school. It takes time for me to get brave enough to do something. Maybe next year will be the year - but I am getting off-topic. NaNoWriMo is directing my thoughts towards writing, especially fiction writing. What exactly makes a novel so good the reader can’t put it down? Every reader will have a different answer, but I think we can agree that the characters play a large part in whether a novel is enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I finished reading Henry James’ book The Bostonians[2]. I’ve known about Henry James, but have never ventured far into his works. After reading The Bostonians, I realized that I have been depriving myself. That is why I immediately found another on that lovely website Project Gutenberg[3]. The part that most draws me into his novels is his characters. They are detailed, complicated, and real. Henry James’ characters are exactly the type a writer should study when learning how to create intriguing characters for their novels.

Let’s consider Olive Chancellor. Ah, poor Olive. I spent most of the book The Bostonians unsure whether to hate her or feel sorry for her. I wanted so badly to understand and help her. However, the more I tried to make sense of her reasoning, the more unsure I became of what Olive would say or do next. She has such a passion for women's rights that she comes to the point of being overwhelming. Her forceful personality is expressed by her mannerisms because Olive is shy, awkward, and Puritan. She is so concerned about what others think but tells herself she doesn't care. Her morals are of utmost importance even though they often clash and create dilemmas for her. Olive is easily offended, especially by those who she thinks disagree with her. Forgiveness does not exist in Olive's vocabulary and she can be very suspicious of others. Therefore; Olive is lonely, miserable, and extremely vulnerable. Any threat to her plan for life causes her visible terror. She spends a great deal of time staring out windows, pacing, crying, and wringing her hands. In the end, one finds Olive to be disagreeable company but feels sympathetic towards her because she is alone. Olive is judged and condemned by both the world and herself.

            The person I described in the previous paragraph could easily be a factual person. Olive Chancellor comes to life because the author has given her a unique personality, peculiar habits, and driving passions. She has her strengths and weaknesses; she makes good and bad choices. Olive's reasoning is irrational and her behavior is odd. The intricacies are what make her a compelling character. The things that make up a person in our mind are the things that make up the best characters. The common advice that aspiring authors and editors should read good writing goes far beyond Henry James. Olive Chancellor is only one example that can teach many lessons about creating unique characters for a novel. I've been more focused on characters lately because I believe it is one of the weaker points in my fictional writing. In my mind, the characters are such a pivotal part of the novel, both as the subjects and the movers of the plot. I'm learning, courtesy of Henry James, that details are what make characters real.

            In my writing, my characters are somewhat detailed by default of having existed for so many years. They are still vague in critical areas and I have been trying to take a cue from Henry James in better developing them. My main characters are the toughest for me. They are a little lost right now concerning a driving passion and their personalities have some inconsistencies. Luckily, NaNoWriMo has plenty of advice for working out solid characters. I'm hoping it will make my story better. There is no way my novel is ever seeing the light of day unless I feel at least halfway satisfied with it.

            I believe that besides good writing, a good source of criteria for good characters is the reader. I'd like to hear your opinion. Do you have a favorite character? What makes characters stand out to you? Do you like seeing the story from the perspective of the characters? All these things, when they come together, can help create a critical aspect of a truly good novel.

---

[1] NaNoWriMo, Accessed November 2, 2019, https://nanowrimo.org/.

[2] Henry James, The Bostonians (New York City, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2005).

[3] Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/.