The Lesson of the Master


Read by Nicholas Clifford (1930-2019)

(4.1 stars; 11 reviews)

A promising young writer meets an older man whose works have inspired him, as well as a highly intelligent and attractive young woman, at a gathering in a country house. Anxious to learn all he can from the older writer, the young man seeks his views not only about art, but also the way in which a serious artist should live. By the end of the work, he has indeed learned his lessons, albeit not quite those that he was expecting. It's not giving anything away to say that this work bears some resemblance to James's later novel, The Ambassadors, which in many ways engages the same questions. (Summary by Nicholas Clifford) (2 hr 29 min)

Chapters

1 - Chapter I 20:49 Read by Nicholas Clifford (1930-2019)
2 - Chapter II 23:35 Read by Nicholas Clifford (1930-2019)
3 - Chapter III 21:06 Read by Nicholas Clifford (1930-2019)
4 - Chapter IV 23:20 Read by Nicholas Clifford (1930-2019)
5 - Chapter V 32:05 Read by Nicholas Clifford (1930-2019)
6 - Chapter VI 28:23 Read by Nicholas Clifford (1930-2019)

Reviews

Great reading


(5 stars)

Another great performance from Nicholas Clifford. The story seems at first about art, but is really about the cunning of a certain type of a artistic celebrity, and the vanity of their acolytes. Less charming than many of James' fictions, it is nevertheless brilliantly sharp and bitter...and completely believable.

compare to Roderick Hudson...


(5 stars)

very curious...but interesting story. I never take fiction as a reflection of the author's life or philosophy....it is, after all, fiction. If we assume that HJ held the Master's philosophy, we are doing the narrative a great disservice!


(1 stars)

where the rest of chapter ?