26 pages 52 minutes read

Henry James

The Jolly Corner

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1908

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

Literary Devices

Irony

Irony is a literary device that involves a gap between expectation and reality. “The Jolly Corner” employs irony on multiple levels, beginning with its title, which references Spencer Brydon’s childhood home. Its name implies that this setting would be cheerful or optimistic; however, it is exactly the opposite. Brydon has come into the possession of his ancestral home through the death of various family members, including his two brothers. The house is therefore associated with loss and mourning, although Brydon initially regards it fondly, through the lens of nostalgia for his childhood. This hints at a degree of self-absorption, as does another ironic element: that the house, in which he senses an “unexpected occupant,” turns out to be haunted not by one of Brydon’s deceased relatives but by his own alter ego.

The irony of the house’s cheerful name is further compounded after Brydon’s encounter with that alter ego, which deeply disturbs him. There is also irony in the fact that a house that evokes New York City’s less urbanized past should be the residence of Brydon’s alter ego, whom he imagines to be a businessman at home in the modern city.

Related Titles

By Henry James

Study Guide

logo

Daisy Miller

Henry James

Daisy Miller

Henry James

Plot Summary

logo

Roderick Hudson

Henry James

Roderick Hudson

Henry James

Plot Summary

logo

The Ambassadors

Henry James

The Ambassadors

Henry James

Study Guide

logo

The Aspern Papers

Henry James

The Aspern Papers

Henry James

Study Guide

logo

The Beast in the Jungle

Henry James

The Beast in the Jungle

Henry James

Study Guide

logo

The Bostonians

Henry James

The Bostonians

Henry James

Study Guide

logo

The Golden Bowl

Henry James

The Golden Bowl

Henry James

Study Guide

logo

The Portrait of a Lady

Henry James

The Portrait of a Lady

Henry James

Study Guide

logo

The Real Thing

Henry James

The Real Thing

Henry James

Plot Summary

logo

The Wings of the Dove

Henry James

The Wings of the Dove

Henry James

Study Guide

logo

Washington Square

Henry James

Washington Square

Henry James

Plot Summary

logo

What Maisie Knew

Henry James

What Maisie Knew

Henry James