The Portrait of a Lady

by Roger Gard

This text provides a critical study of Henry James' book "The Portrait of a Lady". It concentrates on Isabel and her three suitors as she makes her choice and reaps its painful consequences. In... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140772456
• ISBN13: 9780140772456
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 76 Pages
• Weight: 0.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Beautifully Tragic

Henry James is one of my favorite authors and The Portrait of a Lady is one of his greatest works. In it, he creates a unique and unforgettable heroine, Isabel Archer, and then proceeds to let her make all the mistakes the young are capable of making. In fact, Isabel is so sure of herself that, at times, I found it difficult to have much sympathy for her poor choices. But one thing I never felt for Isabel Archer was indifference, all to James' credit.The Portrait of a Lady is truly 19th Century literature at its finest, but that means it also contains elements that might be distracting for the modern reader. There are lengthy descriptions, the pace is rather slow and James never lets us forget we are reading a book. He makes liberal use of phrases such as "our heroine," and "Dear Reader." While all of this was expected in the 19th Century, some readers today might find it annoying.Those who don't however, will find themselves entranced by a beautiful story of love and loss, unforgettable characters (there are many more besides Isabel, most notably the enigmatic Madame Merle) and gorgeous description, all rendered in James' flawless prose.Anyone who loves classics or who wants a truly well-rounded background in literature cannot afford to pass this up.

Modern Storytelling at its best

The best thing about 19th century novels is that they take so long to unwind, you know that you are guaranteed a long and satisfying trip into a story. I initially bought this book after seeing the Jane Campion film, (which I actually wasn't too crazy about)but I always think it's a good idea to read the source material. After a few false starts (warning: one needs to devote all their attention to James in order to enjoy him)I finally got into this book, and couldn't put it down. From the great settings of the novel, to the variety of fascinating characters (the liberated Henrietta Stackpole, the sinister Madame Merle, the beloved Ralph Touchett, Ralph's eccentric mother, the flighty Countess Gemini, the deadly Gilbert Osmond, and of course, Isabel Archer herself... James gives characters great names as well) "Portrait" is a great novel not only of self discovery, but self deception. How many of us in this world have liked to have thought ourselevs as free to make our own chocies, and were excited by a future full of "possibility" only to allow something (or usually someone) to get in our way and make us realize just how quickly we can lose our freedom and be in a cage that we need to get out of. (Pardon my bad grammar.) Those of you looking fora Jane Austen type ending, this may not be the book for you, but I think this book is more of a spiritual cousin to Austen than we may think. It all comes down to making choices, and teh effects of those decisions. Throw off any reservations that you may have because this book was written over a century ago, it's as fresh, funny, tragic and riveting today as it was then. (And hey, buy the film soundtrack which perfectly captures the mood of the story for accompaniment..that was a plug!)

Beautiful, Heart-rending, Poignant, and Tragic

Henry James has truly outdone himself with this book. While it is no longer my favorite James' novel, I still think it among the best novels written in the English language. The character of Isabel Archer is an indelible part of literature. The story begins with an American woman, left parentless and penniless, being discovered by an expatriate Aunt. The Aunt convinces her to go England with her so that she might meet her cousin, Ralph. Isabel eagerly agrees. She is idealistic and has always wanted to see Europe. Her aunt agrees to pay for the expenditures. Once there, Isabel falls in love with their house, Gardencourt, and grows to enjoy her frail, sweet, ironic, and funny cousin. Before Isabel knows it, she has become ensnared in a one-sided love affair with a handsome English nobleman, Lord Warburton, little knowing what to do. Despite the urgings of her aunt, Isabel rejects his proposal in the desire to wait for something better. Soon, her elderly uncle dies, but not before she charms him with her intelligence and subtle beauty. Ralph insists that his father leave Isabel a substantial fortune, so that she might be able to live as she wishes. When the uncle dies, Isabel is left with 70,000 pounds, or about 200,000 dollars. From here is where the true story begins. I will not reveal more of the plot, which unwinds slowly and with assurance. James, being a master of prose, knows how to manipulate a sentence in a multitude of ways. His lilting, ironic, verbose writing style lends class and charm to Isabel's ultimately tragic tale. Some modern readers aren't able to handle James' subtle style. Unfortunately, many of us have had to fight the effects of shortened attention spans. Reading a slow-paced and brilliantly conceived tale like this will surely help cure short attention spans. Once you begin the story, it grows on you and affects you greatly. James is difficult getting used to, but he grabs you with his excellent descriptions of passionate people. Finally, the brilliance of this book lies in its tragedy. Even though many readers can predict early on where Isabel's confidence and naivete will lead her, James makes the journey bumpy and fascinating. He also slowly injects the story with dread, as we begin to sense the true malevolence of Madame Merle's and Osmond's vicious plans. Their acts are pure Machiavellian glee. Only in the final third of the book does it become clear of the true nature of the scheming M. Merle's plans. James also leaves several important plot points until near the end of the novel. All of this leads to a long, engrossing, and sad story of a young woman "affronting her destiny", as James puts it. Rarely has so romantic or so devastating a book been written. The ending is the final kicker. Unlike the happy ending we suspect, James leaves readers with open interpretations and many possible questions regarding Isabel's TRUE feelings about men. It also most vividly pres

Exquisite if not Intriguing, Elegant if not Swift

Henry James is not known for his swift pace in world literature; instead, along w/ his psychiatrist brother, Henry James never fails to frame the fragility of human spirit with an elegant touch, weaving the psyche into one continuous stream of thoughts. In this stunning achievement of his, James portrays a young, ingenuous American heiress, Isabel Archer, who comes to Europe looking for ways to escape commonality of her old life. Intelligent and rebellious, Isabel soon finds herself entrapped in a society where one might not soar as high even with an impressive fortune as the one she has inherited. It is her wish to avoid the common lot that leads her astray: first refusing a good nobleman, then bestowing herself on a mysterious stranger for the sake of "tasting reality". Not knowing the consequence of such a fateful entanglement, Isabel refuses advice from her earnest but sickly cousin and eccentric but wise aunt to consent to a devious dilettante, seducer who hunts her down with the appeal of a poor man in want of sympathy. This is where James so skillfully masters the art of psychology--in one aspect the readers are drawn to share in Isabel's subtle fall into an abyss of shapeless pain, in another apsect, we as readers cannot help but denounce Isabel's pompous intelligence that leads her further away from the truth which her pride prevents her from seeing. The moral of her tragedy (which includes further entanglement with an American beau, her cousin, her step-daughter, an all-American girl-friend, and a dark motherly figure whose relationship w/ Isabel's husband remains a mystery for you to discover), is that in a process of seeking happiness through pain, through seeking out suffering to justify her wealth, Isabel loses sight of a reality that may be ruled by one thing and one thing only--fate.

A disheartening, uplifting, human masterpiece

The idea of reviewing this novel came to me when reading the comments of 14 year old Camille, whose comments I consider to be extremely honest and justified. This is a difficult novel that cannot be uplifting for anyone who uses the English language - Henry James is a craftsman who with every phrase renders thoughts we struggle to grasp in our own minds, and who thus belittles our diminished, 21st century linguistic abilities.It is ironic that a man so insightful can be so turgid at times, yet that criticism of his writing is accurate, inasmuch as he can go on and on. But, and this is a highly personal comment - I loved every single word in this book, the way they were placed, the way they sounded when read aloud, the way they made me exclaim with wonder every so often - "oh!".Honestly. His characters are larger than life, because they carry the burden of a simple tale rendered into a novel. But they are also true - the sick old Touchett and his son Ralph; the "too-perfect" gentleman Warburton; the fiery, love-her-hate-her Henrietta; the two polished, sinister allies - Isabelle's husband and friend; and of course, Isabelle herself, "too darn conceited", yet a heroine of the first order, in whom there is something for everyone.All the characters should remind you of people you know, though they all possess more of those same qualities you recognise - everyone is more accomplished than in real life. But, the narrative remains real by rendering everyone as partly flawed. It is in fact a novel that opposes completion (in death or marriage) or perfection - it suggests a search, thrives on the love of hope, the joy of what tomorrow brings. Which is why at the end, you feel unfulfilled, yet know that the novel had to stop at some point. It is an unfinished tale...the completion is in every turn of phrase, every character analysisAnd, although James, not necessarily unintentionally, belittles us, he bears along with his flaw of linguistic self-love one more uplifting thrill - a compassion for the human spirit and a love of life. Read it again when you are older, Camille, and see how much of Isabelle there is in you.mrovich1@hotmail.com