In the Cage
by Henry James
Henry James' short story "In a Cage" tells the story of a young woman named "engaged Mr. Mooge" who works at the postal counter, often from the "idle rich" who sends telegrams to his friends to organize their meetings, parties and other affairs. As always, concerned about the plight of the not-so-rich, and especially the role and conditions of women, James subtly sums up our hero's growing preoccupation with Captain Everard, on whose behalf he sends a considerable number of messages and about whom he has increasingly warm thoughts: "People of his kind... it wasn't considered a deception, it was just considered something else: it could have been interesting to him since he had come to see exactly what it was". In the Cage" (written in the same year as the better-known "Turning the Screw", is a cunning, light, vague emotional work, but it is a work that serves as an excellent introduction to this most confusing of the authors to this true ("demanding", but with the accuracy of a pointer), it is the most commonly used word to describe James' prose, but often the modern reader will find his unstable, pedantic, difficult-to-execute sentences. extremely long and convolutedly complex. But the key to reading James and having fun is to succumb to the same sentences, allowing his ideal ear and slim mistress to create his own rhythm, allowing him to control one's reaction to the use of beautiful, unique language.
