Abstract：In the first place, Henry James regarded himself as the observer of life. However, he changed his mind in his later writing career. He devoted himself to depicting the artist of life. It seems that the observer of life can collect many life experiences, but to be an artist is not that easy a thing. 

　　　How does an artist become an artist? What can we use when we run out of our life experiences? When the artists come to some certain period in his art career, or when they run out of all their life experiences, they may find out that a novel which is simply cluttered up by a large number of life experiences could be very dull. At this moment, we shall rely on imagination. It is exactly imagination that makes art works achieve their width and depth. 

　　　This paper will use Henry James’s fictions as example and follow the form of David Lodge’s The Art of Fiction to illustrate several forms and levels of imagination’s intervention in novels. It will not only discuss the subtle delicate effects caused by imagination but also discuss what creators of art works can use when they run out of their life experiences. Furthermore, it will try to reveal the future development trend of the art works.

　　　This paper will analyze the three levels of imagination’s intervention in fictions in detail. The first level is metaphors as a superb lyrical flight of fancy. The second level is symbolism system built up by imagination. The third level is imagination stepping into narration directly.

Key words: imagination; Henry James; Fiction

摘要：最初亨利·詹姆斯给自己的定位是生活的观察者，到后期却转为致力于描写“生活的艺术家”。生活的观察者可以搜罗看似无穷的生活经验，达到艺术家的境界却并非如此简单。

　　　艺术家何以成为艺术家？当我们的生活经历用完之后，我们该用什么？一个艺术家达到某一时期，或者会遭遇生活经历的枯竭，或者会发觉纯粹生活经验的连缀是重复而浮浅的。此时我们仰赖幻想，艺术作品正因为幻想才达成它的广度与深度。

　　　这篇论文仅就亨利·詹姆斯的小说为例，借用戴维·洛奇撰写《小说的艺术》的格式，以阐释幻想介入小说的各种形式与各个层面——不仅讨论幻想介入小说造成的微妙的艺术效果，也要讨论创作者用完生活经验后该怎么做以及艺术作品未来的流向。

　　　本文将幻想参与小说的层次分为三层：第一层是作为抒情想象的比喻，这是幻想介入小说的第一步；第二层由幻想创造的象征体系，这是幻想介入小说的第二步；第三层是幻想直接走入叙事，从幕后进入台前，这是幻想介入小说的第三层。

关键词：幻想;；亨利詹姆斯；小说