'They are hopelessly vulgar [...]. Whether or no being hopelessly vulgar is being "bad" is a question for the metaphysicians. They are bad enough to dislike, at any rate; and for this short life that is quite enough.' First published in 1878, Daisy Miller was the first truly popular work by Henry James , an American novelist and playwright who spent most of his years in Europe. The obvious differences and conflicts between American and European high society and culture near the end of the 19th century are evident in a number of his novels, and Daisy Miller is no exception. The novel, or novella, tells the story of a young American girl, Daisy Miller, who is travelling around Europe with her mother and younger brother in an attempt to become more civilized and "cultured" in the old-fashioned sense of the word. However, her nouveau riche family's vulgar, unorthodox manners and lack of propriety soon attract negative attention from the more tradition...