What Maisie Knew: A Child's Experience of Divorce

This is a discussion of how a fictional child, as portrayed in a novel by Henry James, attempts to deal with the complex relationships that follow a bitter divorce. The various strategies used by the child are considered, both as they are described by James, and in the light of today's psychological theory. The article challenges us, as adults, to think more deeply about the nature of a child's experience of parental conflict and separation.