Daisy Miller, A Study is a short story written by Henry James. It was first published in The Cornhill Magazine in June and July of 1878. The story was later released as a book the next year. The story follows the romantic interest of Daisy Miller, a young American woman, by Winterbourne, a well-educated man from her country. Winterbourne's attempts to get closer to Daisy are made difficult by her friendly and flirtatious behavior. Other people living abroad, who meet Daisy and Winterbourne in Switzerland and Italy, disapprove of her actions.

Plot summary

Annie "Daisy" Miller and Frederick Winterbourne first meet in Vevey, Switzerland, in the garden of a large hotel. Winterbourne is said to be on vacation from his studies, and it is rumored he is close to an older woman. They are introduced by Randolph Miller, Daisy's nine-year-old brother. Randolph believes their hometown of Schenectady, New York, is far better than anywhere in Europe. However, Daisy is very excited about Europe and wants to join the fancy social circles there.

Winterbourne is at first confused by Daisy's behavior. Though he is impressed by her beauty, he soon believes she is only interested in flirting. He continues spending time with Daisy despite the disapproval of his aunt, Mrs. Costello. Mrs. Costello dislikes the Millers because they are close to their servant, Eugenio. She also thinks Daisy is reckless for agreeing to visit the Château de Chillon with Winterbourne after knowing him for only thirty minutes. Two days later, they travel to the Château de Chillon. Even though Winterbourne paid the janitor for privacy, Daisy is not impressed. Winterbourne tells Daisy he must leave for Geneva the next day. Daisy feels sad and teases him, asking him to visit her in Rome later that year.

In Rome, Winterbourne and Daisy meet by chance in the parlor of Mrs. Walker, an American living in Italy who follows Italian customs. Rumors spread that Daisy is meeting young Italian men, which makes her unacceptable to other Americans in Rome. Winterbourne learns that Daisy is becoming close to a young Italian man named Giovanelli, whose background is questionable. This causes more gossip about their behavior. Daisy ignores the criticism from other Americans, and her mother seems unaware of the problems. Winterbourne and Mrs. Walker try to convince Daisy to stop seeing Giovanelli, but she refuses.

One night, Winterbourne walks through the Colosseum and sees a young couple sitting in the center. He realizes they are Giovanelli and Daisy. Angry with Giovanelli, Winterbourne asks him how he could take Daisy to a place where she might get "Roman fever" (a sickness called malaria). Daisy says she does not care, and Winterbourne leaves them. A few days later, Daisy becomes very ill and dies.

List of characters

• Annie P. Miller (Daisy) – A young American girl. Her exact age is not stated, but she seems to be in her late teens.
• Frederick Winterbourne – A 27-year-old American man who lives in Geneva. He was raised in Europe and is described as a gentleman.
• Mrs. Costello – Frederick’s aunt. She is a quiet widow with a large amount of money.
• Randolph C. Miller – Daisy’s 9-year-old brother. He introduces her to Frederick.
• Mrs. Miller – The mother of Daisy and Randolph.
• Eugenio – A messenger who works for the Miller family.
• Mrs. Walker – An American woman who has lived in Rome for many years. She is a friend of Daisy and Frederick.
• Giovanelli – A close friend of Daisy who lives in Rome.
• Ezra B. Miller – The wealthy husband of Mrs. Miller and the father of Daisy and Randolph. He is mentioned in the first chapter but does not appear in the story.
• The three sons of Mrs. Costello – In chapter 2, it is stated that Mrs. Costello has three sons. Two live in America, and one lives in Germany. None of them are named or appear in the story.
• A friend in the street – In chapter 4, Frederick meets an unnamed friend on Via del Corso. This friend tells Frederick that he saw Daisy with someone else at the Palazzo Doria, a well-known museum nearby. After hearing this, Frederick goes to visit Mrs. Miller, who apologizes for not being able to meet him because Daisy was not home.
• Dr. Davis – The doctor who treats Mrs. Miller in America. He is only mentioned in the text.
• Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Featherstone – Teachers who help Randolph during the Millers’ long trip through Europe. They are only mentioned in the text.

Key themes

This story shows how Daisy's mind works and explores the beliefs of a society where she feels like an outsider. Henry James uses Daisy's experiences to compare what Europeans and Americans think about each other and to examine common misunderstandings in any culture. In a letter, James wrote that Daisy suffers from a "social rumpus," a situation that happens around her but she may not notice or understand.

The names of the characters have special meanings. Daisy is a flower that is fully grown and lively, like someone in the best part of their life. She is very different from Winterbourne, whose name suggests coldness. Just as flowers die in winter, Daisy's happiness fades after she gets "Roman fever." This illness, which was common in Rome during the 19th century, is both a real disease and a symbol of the challenges Daisy faces.

A key part of the story is Daisy's "innocence," even though her actions seem to break rules or cause controversy.

Critical evaluation

Daisy Miller became very popular quickly for James, even though some people criticized the story for being "an outrage on American girlhood." The story remains one of James' most well-known works, along with The Turn of the Screw and The Portrait of a Lady. Many critics have praised the story's fresh and energetic style.

In 1909, James made major changes to Daisy Miller for the New York Edition. He changed the story's tone. Many modern editions, such as those from Penguin and Broadview, prefer to print the original version. Their editors believe the later version weakens the original rather than improving it.

Derivative works

Henry James turned his story into a play, but the play was not produced. He published the play in The Atlantic Monthly in 1883, and it had many changes from the original story. A happy ending was added to match what James thought theater-goers would like.

In the 1890s, a short walking skirt called the rainy daisy was introduced. It was believed to be named after Daisy Miller.

A 1974 film version of the story was directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Cybill Shepherd played Daisy, Barry Brown played Frederick Winterbourne, Cloris Leachman played Mrs. Ezra Miller, Duilio Del Prete played Mr. Giovanelli, and Eileen Brennan played Mrs. Walker. Frederic Raphael wrote the film’s script. The movie follows the same structure as the original story, with few changes, and includes some of Henry James’ original dialogue from the novella.

In 2017, the novella was turned into a five-part radio drama on BBC Radio 4 as part of its 15 Minute Drama series called "Love Henry James."