Project Gutenberg 1996-09-01 Public domain in the USA. 625 James, Henry 1843 1916 The Figure in the Carpet Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Figure_in_the_Carpet Transcribed from the 1916 Martin Secker edition by David Price "The Figure in the Carpet" by Henry James is a literary novella written in the early 20th century. The book delves into themes of artistic ambition and the complexities of literary criticism, focusing on the relationship between a young critic and a celebrated novelist. James explores the idea that great literature may possess a hidden meaning or intention, which he metaphorically describes as a "figure in the carpet." The story is narrated by an unnamed protagonist, who becomes embroiled in a quest to uncover the elusive "general intention" behind the works of the renowned novelist Hugh Vereker. Through interactions with Vereker and his friend George Corvick, the protagonist is drawn into a labyrinthine exploration of what constitutes true literary art. The narrative unfolds as the protagonist grapples with his admiration for Vereker's genius while feeling the pressure to reveal an understanding that remains just out of reach. Ultimately, the novella examines the interplay between creation and interpretation, as well as the profound impact of art on both the creator and the observer, leaving readers contemplating the nature of meaning in literature. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 76.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Short stories, American Interpersonal relations -- Fiction Women novelists -- Fiction Critics -- Fiction Secrecy -- Fiction PS Text Category: Novels Category: British Literature 116782 2025-08-01T06:14:28.750146 text/html 116615 2013-02-04T04:32:45 text/html 51419 2013-02-04T04:33:30 text/html application/zip 119281 2025-08-01T06:14:33.270122 application/epub+zip 119160 2025-08-01T06:14:30.554138 application/epub+zip 109877 2025-08-01T06:14:29.450132 application/epub+zip 228940 2025-08-01T06:14:35.316124 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 214288 2025-08-01T06:14:32.458139 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 165941 2022-09-01T06:49:18.561641 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 107299 2025-08-01T06:14:28.459129 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 106998 2013-02-04T04:33:12 text/plain; charset=utf-8 41493 2013-02-04T04:33:30 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 105168 2013-02-04T03:31:56 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 41256 2013-02-04T03:31:56 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 21085 2025-08-01T06:14:35.451090 application/rdf+xml 12688 2025-08-01T06:14:29.938142 image/jpeg 3677 2025-08-01T06:14:29.694118 image/jpeg 115617 2025-08-01T06:14:28.767131 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia