Brooksmith

In Henry James Brooksmith an unknown narrator tells the gradual decline of the butler of a retired diplomat, Mr. Offord. It seems that Brooksmith, the butler, contributed very much to the convivial and cultural atmosphere in the ballroom. At the end Mr. Offord was too ill to receive guests and he is going to die soon. The narrator tries to find a suitable cultural place for Brooksmith when the inevitable happens. The same narrator is too poor to hire a butler. When Offord dies, Brooksmith leaves his apartment. He will get a legacy for the future and some contacts for a new job, the first one with the family of a financier in the city, but it does not last long, because they are too boring ...

Keywords: Brooksmith, Henry James, Faligi