"The great good place" where the great want is met: Psychoanalytic reflections on the short story by Henry James

Henry James (1843-1916) was a prolific storyteller who supported himself by his writing. During times of frustration and disappointment, he would become depressed. His therapy was to keep busy with his pen. Though much of his writing is difficult to read, his astute observations of people's psychological functioning make the reading all worthwhile. In his later years, beginning with this story, he became more self observant, and his stories increasingly draw on his own childhood emotional experiences and become cautionary tales about how best to live one's life. This story precedes "The Beast in the Jungle" by five years. Dr Young's paper on that novella was published in this journal in 2007.