--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It had begun to be present to him after…" description: "\"“It had begun to be present to him after the first fortnight, it had broken out with the oddest abruptness, this particular wanton wonderment: it met h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/henry-james-417_ghost_it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after_1333279.jpg" --- # It had begun to be present to him after the first… ![“It had begun to be present to him after the first fortnight, it had broken out with the oddest abruptness, this particular wanton wonderment: it met him there--and this was the image under which he himself judged the matter, or at least, not a little, thrilled and flushed with it--very much as he…” quote by Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/henry-james-417_ghost_it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after_1333279.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/henry-james-417_ghost_it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after_1333279.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/henry-james-417_ghost_it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after_1333279.jpg) > ““It had begun to be present to him after the first fortnight, it had broken out with the oddest abruptness, this particular wanton wonderment: it met him there--and this was the image under which he himself judged the matter, or at least, not a little, thrilled and flushed with it--very much as he might have been met by some strange figure, some unexpected occupant, at a turn of one of the dim passages of an empty house. The quaint analogy quite hauntingly remained with him, when he didn't indeed rather improve it by a still intenser form: that of his opening a door behind which he would have made sure of finding nothing, a door into a room shuttered and void, and yet so coming, with a great suppressed start, on some quite erect confronting presence, something planted in the middle of the place and facing him through the dusk.”” [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A narrator experiences an unsettling, almost supernatural curiosity that feels both alluring and unsettling, likened to opening a door to an unknown void. **In simple terms:** A mysterious curiosity feels both exciting and frightening. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity while staying grounded. Themes curiosity the unknown psychological tension anticipation wonder Mood intrigued uneasy thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading literary analysis - creative writing - mindful observation of strange feelings - artistic inspiration Key Concepts existential awe psychological exploration narrative tension Questions to Reflect On - What unknown doors are you tempted to open? - How do you discern wonder from danger? 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The quaint analogy quite hauntingly remained with him, when he didn't indeed rather improve it by a still intenser form: that of his opening a door behind which he would have made sure of finding nothing, a door into a room shuttered and void, and yet so coming, with a great suppressed start, on some quite erect confronting presence, something planted in the middle of the place and facing him through the dusk.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after-the-first-fortnight-it-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ghost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after-the-first-fortnight-it-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/henry-james-417_ghost_it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after_1333279.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/henry-james-417_ghost_it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after_1333279.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/henry-james-417_ghost_it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after_1333279.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It had begun to be present to him after the first fortnight, it had broken out with the oddest abruptness…” — Henry James", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Henry James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It had begun to be present...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after-the-first-fortnight-it-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/it-had-begun-to-be-present-to-him-after-the-first-fortnight-it-had/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```