The diffident narcissist: a character-type illustrated in The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James

The author demonstrates that Henry James's novella 'The Beast in the Jungle' can be read in the light of a psychoanalytic understanding of narcissism. Although James does not describe the hero's childhood, it can be imagined from the perspective of analytic understanding. The character painted by James is characterised by a persona of conventionality, decorum and inhibited sexuality and assertiveness. His inner life is dominated by a secret grandiose fantasy. This combination leads the author to call this type the diffident narcissist. The type bears a relationship to the covert narcissist described by Akhtar, Cooper and others in various contributions. James traces his hero's development from young adulthood to old age, through his evolving relationship with a kind and empathic woman. Because he waits for a transforming event that never happens, this man fails to seize the love and happiness that real life has offered him.