Summary

Continuing our discussion of "Daisy Miller", we started by examining why Daisy's behavior is considered inappropriate for her time. Other people see Daisy as being too social with men, always hanging out with them unchaperoned. Walking in a park alone with a man makes her look like a prostitute, and as Mrs. Walker points out, "Fifty people have noticed her" (page 415).  During this discussion, the class learned about Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon, a prison designed so that the guards could look in on prisoners, but prisoners were never sure if they were being watched.   In this society, women like Mrs. Walker police themselves and other women to keep them in line. Proper women (unlike Daisy) are paranoid that others could be watching, so they behave accordingly, much like the prisoners of the panopticon. At the end of class the question it was asked if by writing a realist text and being the eye that is watching, how is James any different than Mrs. Walker?

Persisting in this line of thought, we also examined Winterbourne's observation and analyzation of Daisy, noting that James likens his main character (Winterbourne) to a Realist author. Two questions seemed to be recurrent in our discussion and observations: "How does this novella function as a Realist piece of literature?" and "Is the story a tragedy?" We reviewed several passages that marked Winterbourne's changing perceptions of Daisy and considered how his ever-changing and painstakingly detailed analyses characterized the piece as Realism. However, in answering the second question concerning the story as a tragedy, one must pass judgement upon Daisy's character and find her innocent or guilty. Such a conclusion may introduce a question of whether observation and judgement are mutually exclusive or whether they go hand in hand and also how these two terms pertain to the Realist movement in general.

Word Count: 265 words

Passages

"Daisy Miller" page 425

     "They will give you the cold shoulder. Do you know what that means?"

     Daisy was looking at him (Winterbourne) intently; she began to color. "Do you mean as Mrs. Walker did the other night?"

The question was raised whether or not Daisy fully understands what she is doing. It was suggested that Daisy is aware that her behavior is shocking and her innocence is an act. She likes the attention and she says all she wants is "a little fuss" (page 406). In opposition, it was suggested that Daisy was clueless, shown in the passage above when she finally puts two and two together and becomes embarrassed when she realizes why Mrs. Walker was so rude to her.

"Daisy Miller" page 429

     "'She sent me a message before her death which I didn't understand at the time. But I have understood it since. She would have appreciated one's esteem.' 'Is that a modest way,' asked Mrs. Costello, 'of saying that she would have reciprocated one's affection?'"

     This passage is one of the last in the story, and it marks Winterbourne's final "analyzation" of Daisy. He continues to disect her character even after her death, and his claim that she only wished for "one's esteem" may influence the reader's residual perception of Daisy as a sympathetic character. Mrs. Costello's inquiry about reciprocal affection brings attention to the differences in "affection" and "esteem," especially as they pertain to the time period and cultural norms around which this story revolves. Daisy has plenty of affection, very little esteem. However, returning to the previously mentioned link between Winterbourne and the Realist author, it is interesting to note that Winterbourned only fully understands Daisy after she is dead. How does this fact play into our discussion of Realism? 

Key Terms

novel of manners - drama and action of the story is driven by social rules and conditions

panopticon- invented by Jeremy Bentham in 1785, this prison design features cell blocks that encircle a tower. The guards in the tower can see the prisoners, but the prisoners cannot see the guards, thus invoking the "sentiment of an invisible omnicience." This concept is important to the story because it reflects the ways in which people police themselves when they think they are being watched.