Abstract

Daisy Miller, a novel mainly about the conflict between American and European culture, is a masterpiece of the famous American novelist Henry James. This paper begins with a brief introduction to the author and this novel, then makes an analysis of the conflicts reflected in this novel, chiefly the conflicts between characters in their sense of hierarchy and the way of thinking and behaving, and thereby further demonstrates that it is the cultural conflict that brings about the heroine Daisy’s death meanwhile expresses the author's strong desire for combining these two cultures.

Key words:  Daisy, American culture, European culture, conflict

摘要

《黛西·米勒》是一部关于欧美文化对立冲突的小说，是美国著名小说家亨利·詹姆斯的杰作。本文从简要介绍该小说和作家入手，进一步分析小说中体现的冲突，主要阐述了人物在等级观念、思维处事方式等的冲突是导致女主人公死亡的根源，从而展现了全文的主题——欧洲文化的瘴毒扼杀了单纯善良的美国女孩黛西，同时也表现出作者融合两种文化的强烈愿望。

关键词：黛西；欧洲文化；美国文化；冲突

1. Introduction
Henry James (1843-1916) is world-renowned for his works with international theme and his originality in conflict between European and American cultures and is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest novelists in English language. Henry James was born in a rich and well-educated family; his father wanted Henry James and his brother William James to be a cosmopolitan person, who would show wide experience of different beliefs, opinions and ethics. Henry James studied in Harvard, and some other world-famous schools in European Continent, and he was well-versed in European culture. Henry's time was a time when American economy kept growing rapidly, with the ever-increasing economy and enlarging political power and national territory. Americans at that time showed their aspiration for European culture. Due to the particular trend of his times and his family background, Henry James had a deeper consideration of European and American culture and developed international themes, which brought him international fame in the following hundreds of years. His famous works are The Portrait of a Lady, Daisy miller, The Wings of the Dove, The Golden Bowl, The American, The Ambassadors, etc.