The Aspern Papers

Personification is the attribution of human characteristics or actions to nonhuman objects. In The Aspern Papers, James uses personification to characterize architectural spaces. The use of personification is fitting in the context of the story, given the value the narrator places on the object of the papers as a kind of holy relic mystically containing the actual presence of the revered poet. This device further serves to characterize the setting of the Bordereaus’ home, in which most of the narrative takes place.

When Mrs. Prest and the narrator view the house, he describes it as having “an air not so much of decay as of quiet discouragement, as if it had rather missed its career” (54). The notion of a house being discouraged or experiencing missed opportunities characterizes it metaphorically as an entity with feelings. James’s use of personification associates the house with a melancholy tone, rather than only describing its visual characteristics. Personification also contributes to the narrator’s representation of his relationship with the house. Thinking about the lack of contact he has with the Bordereaus, the narrator looks at their windows and their “motionless shutters became as expressive as eyes consciously closed, and I took comfort in thinking that at all events though invisible themselves they saw me between the lashes” (78).