The Figure in the Carpet, Henry James offers a subtle and compelling meditation on literature, criticism, and the obsessive search for meaning. Centered on the idea that a writer’s works may conceal a unifying “figure” visible only to the most attentive readers, this novella follows a narrator determined to uncover the secret at the heart of a celebrated author’s fiction.

With elegance, irony, and psychological insight, James invites readers to question not only the nature of literary interpretation, but also the act of reading itself. The Figure in the Carpet remains a timeless and provocative classic for anyone fascinated by the hidden patterns of art and thought.