An Analysis of The American from the Perspective of New Economic Criticism

Abstract

This paper analyzes Henry James's The American from the perspective of New Economic Criticism. It first makes an extratxtual analysis on the economic factors and cultural context of the production of novel, which reveals the historical and cultural significance behind the text. It then turns to the text itself, using the theories of "homo economicus" and "information asymmetry", and the concept of "credit economy" in Economics to analyze the marriage transaction in the novel, illustrating the internal logic of the characters' psychology and behavior in the marriage transaction, reflecting the important role of economic factors in the plot construction and characterization. At the same time, it also reveals the great cultural differences between the United States and Europe, and provides a new perspective to understand Henry James's "international theme".