Many  intense and wide-ranging observations about James’ Washington Square at the WEA/Keele class today, matched only by my indifference to the characters and the plot.  Attempting to identify why I just can’t get on with James’ writing I thought I’d noticed that there are no metaphors, similes or other literary and atmosphere-setting devices that make for good reading for me, then I found in the early part of this piece two such expressions – ‘desultory Dutch houses’ and ‘the murmur of trade’. Of such material is good reading made for me, so if there was more of that in James, then I might have developed an interest and enthusiasm for reading more. I was not alone, though, in finding James just so much effort for so little, if any, reward.