Henry James (1843 - 1916) was one of the leaders in the school of realism in fiction. He is known for his series of novels in which he portrayed the encounter of America with Europe. James is considered to be the master of the novel and novella. James wrote about personal relationships and the power within these relationships. James explored consciousness and perception from the point of view of a character within a tale. The Aspern Papers is set in a crumbling Venetian palazzo, where a determined scholar tries to charm its inhabitants--the Misses Bordereau--out of a collection of letters by the American poet Aspern.