The Jolly Corner by Henry James
"The Jolly Corner" by Henry James is a psychological tale centered on Spencer Brydon, who returns to New York City after a lengthy absence of thirty-three years. He comes back to manage his properties, particularly the "jolly corner" house where he spent his childhood, which he is hesitant to change. As Brydon converses with Miss Staverton, he reflects on the life choices he has made while wandering abroad, pondering the man he might have been had he remained in the United States. The story unfolds as Brydon seeks to confront his “alter ego,” a version of himself he feels haunts the house. He hopes to encounter this ghostly figure during evening visits to the empty home.
The climax occurs when Brydon discovers that he himself is being pursued by an unexpected specter, leading to a tense confrontation. The ghost, far from being his other self, appears as a mysterious figure that shocks Brydon. The narrative concludes with a revelation from Miss Staverton, who had previously dreamt of Brydon’s confrontation, reinforcing the idea that the ghost is not a reflection of Brydon but something entirely different. The story explores themes of identity, memory, and the psychological impact of confronting one's past.
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The Jolly Corner by Henry James
First published: 1908
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: The late nineteenth or early twentieth century
Locale: New York City
Principal Characters:
Spencer Brydon , the protagonist, an owner of property in New York City who has lived abroad for many yearsAlice Staverton , his old friendMrs. Muldoon , his housekeeper
The Story
After an absence of thirty-three years, Spencer Brydon returns from abroad to New York City. He makes this dramatic move in order to oversee improvements to his property, which consists of two houses that have been the source of his financial independence throughout his life. One is in the process of being converted into apartments, while the other, the "jolly corner" of the title, is the house in which Brydon grew up and which he therefore is loathe to alter in any way.
In the course of conversations with Miss Staverton, Brydon reflects on what sort of person he might have become had he not chosen to tramp about the world for most of his adult life and had instead stayed in his native United States. Miss Staverton has her views, which do not entirely coincide with those of Brydon. It transpires that Brydon harbors a desire to confront what he terms his "alter ego," the self he might have been. Miss Staverton reveals that, somewhat incomprehensibly, she has already seen this other self—in her dreams. She, however, declines to disclose what she has seen.
Brydon is in the habit of coming to the jolly corner in the evenings after he has dined out and before retiring to the hotel where he lodges (the house itself remaining empty for the moment). In the course of his nocturnal prowlings about the premises, he hopes to encounter his alter ego, who, in Brydon's view of things, haunts the house as a ghost. While stalking the creature, Brydon one night discovers that he himself has been turned into the prey, that the ghost is following him.
The climax to the tale occurs one evening when Brydon comes once more to the house, wanders about more or less as usual, but discovers in retracing his steps that one door, which he believed he had left open, has been mysteriously closed, and another that had been closed has been opened. As Brydon retreats carefully down the staircase toward the front door and escape from the pursuing specter, he pauses on the final landing, only to become aware of a vague shape in his view. The shape assumes human form, a man with a monocle, dressed in evening clothes, whose face is hidden by white-gloved hands with two of the fingers missing. As the ghost drops his hands, revealing his face, Brydon is shocked to recognize someone or something totally other than himself—a ghost who is not, so far as Brydon can discern, his other self at all. As the ghost aggressively advances, Brydon retreats and finally faints away at the bottom of the staircase. He awakes to discover the face of Miss Staverton, who had dreamed of Brydon's confrontation and had been thus prompted to come to the jolly corner to save him. Brydon protests that the ghost was not his other self, a view that Miss Staverton reinforces with "And he isn't—no, he isn't—you!" at the tale's close.
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