Benefaction of Henry James in English Literature

The English literature development has been greatly influenced by Henry James. His use of realism has contributed to this effect in part. On the other hand, James has most often been criticised for not being realistic enough. James does not write about life, claim many critics, and his books are full of characters you would never encounter in the real world. James’ writings, according to one critic (H. L. Mencken), needed a good smell of the Chicago stockyards to breathe a little life into them. Some have argued that James’ view of the world is too constrained and fragmentary to qualify as a genuine portrayal of life.