Daisy Miller

How does the narration of Daisy Miller impact the readers’ interpretation of the story? How might the story have been different if it had been narrated by Daisy herself, or Winterbourne?

What details from Henry James’s personal life are the most relevant to Daisy Miller? How does Daisy Miller compare to the themes and ideas of some of his other famous works?

What role does setting play in the text? How do the different settings function, and what is the wider significance of each?

What is Randolph’s role or purpose, as a narrative device, in Daisy Miller? How does he reflect some of the text’s key themes and ideas?

Men and women are expected to follow a different set of rules from one another in Daisy Miller. How are gender dynamics depicted? How do they reflect the broader social and moral values of upper-class society?

In your interpretation of Daisy Miller, who is the protagonist? Who is/are the antagonists? Explain your answer with specific examples.

Daisy’s conduct flies in the face of social conventions, leading to her expulsion from the upper-class milieu she once wished to join. How does the text depict individualism and Daisy’s interpretation of it? Does the narrative appear to endorse Daisy’s stance, or question it?

After reading Daisy Miller, read Edith Wharton’s short story, “Roman Fever.” Compare and contrast the themes and characters in each text. How are the two stories different or similar?