At the end of Roderick Hudson (yes you heard me, the end; I’ve read it so you don’t have to) sees Rowland and Roderick’s eternally weeping mother attempt to rescues the eponymous debauched brat by confining him to a sort of perfect little rented house outside all Italian cities with their dark seductions (booze, chicks). There is a long discursive description of nature at the beginning of the 23rd chapter, the most attention James has given so far, in my reading of flora and fauna, and people living happily in it (the tinkle of cattle bells, crumbling campaniles, the music of silver-trickling oars). It’s a kind of Arcadia, and Rowland hopes Roderick will paint it. “Rowland had seen grander places in Switzerland that pleased him less.” Even at age 22 (that’s the age at which he wrote this first novel) Henry James prefers his nature pastoral, not sublime.
Arcadia is that place of Virgil’s Eclogues, but even there is death, the “ego” of “Even in Arcadia I am found”. It’s the subject for artists like Poussin and Guercino—any excuse to paint a cool skull. Roderick, of course, finds death in Arcadia, and chooses not to paint or sculpt it.
At several points in Roderick Hudson, Rod can be found reading Ariosto’s marvelous Orlando Furioso. It's a strange coincidence that I’ve been doing a close read of Orlando Furioso with some colleagues. Just loving it, funny and witty and full of tangled-up stories and cliffhangers.
But Roderick is always frowning and ornery when you see him read it in his book, and if you don’t know Ariosto’s 16th century romance, you might not realize that, clearly, Hudson is not reading the thing correctly. Orlando is a sort of hilarious romp most of the time, in another Arcadia, a vast forest that seems to be tamed, though Death is there. It’s a place where knights and soldiers can take off their armor (a lot of helmets get lost) and pretty ladies can find a nice place to hide from dorks. Lots of skirmishes but no deaths. There’s a floating castle made of steel! Why is Roderick Hudson frowning over all the fun? Because apparently, Roderick can only find death in Arcadia. How sad is that?
So no more about Roderick Hudson. I recommend instead that you get a copy of Orlando Furioso. It’s a lot more fun than Roderick Hudson, or Roderick Hudson
.