Daisy Miller

A Timeless Classic of Societal Customs, Cultural Disputes, and The Cost of Non-Conformity

Henry James’ novella Daisy Miller, features one of his greatest heroines. At first glance it seems to be a simple story of a lovely young, independent American girl traveling through Europe. But her flouting of social conventions has the potential to lead to catastrophe as she disrupts the rigid social rules of the Old World, attracting and scandalizing all she meets.

Her willful yet innocent flirtation with a young Italian has unfortunate consequences. His pursuit of Daisy is hampered by her own flirtatiousness, which is frowned upon by the other expatriates they meet in Switzerland and Italy. Her lack of understanding of the social mores of the society she so desperately wishes to enter ultimately leads to tragedy.

Throughout the narrative, James expertly navigates the complexities of human nature, morality, and the consequences of one young woman’s defiance of societal expectations as he portrays the clash between American innocence and European sophistication in the late nineteenth century. He contrasts American customs and values with European manners and morals in a tale which is rich in psychological and social insight. It is the clash between the old world and the new, Europe and America.

This classic in American literature is a timeless analysis of societal customs, cultural disputes, and the cost of non-conformity. Daisy Miller was an immediate and widespread success upon publication and it continues to be one of Henry James’ most popular works.