The poignant and insightful short tale "The Diary of a Man of Fifty" by
Henry James explores aging and coming to terms with one's history. The
narrator returns to Italy, where he previously spent some time, and
revisits recollections of a love relationship that finally ended in
failure. Some of these memories are unpleasant, while others are
enlightening. This story is one of James' lesser-known works, and the
24-volume New York Edition of his Novels and Tales omitted it entirely
(1907-09). It's written in the style of a journal, which makes it rather
unusual as well. James typically preferred to use a first-person or
omniscient third-person narrator to closely control the narrative and
point of view. The general begins to question his own judgment in light
of this and begins to wonder if he might have erred. An English army
general of fifty-two returns to Florence after a romance with Countess
Falvi. He meets Edmund Stanmer, a young English traveler of twenty-five
who is acquainted with the Countess's daughter Bianca. The General warns
Stanmer that Bianca is an actress and coquette, just like her mother.