Influence of
Honoré de Balzac
upon
Balzac was James's earliest model and master of literary realism. Henry James "coveted the 'deep, rich english tone' of George Eliot and the density of Balzac's France…" (Gifford) Especially in his earlier literary phase, he "escaped with ardour, technically, in the great shade of Balzac…" (translated from Lombardo).