The Portrait of a Lady
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The Portrait of a Lady
Henry James
Literature
James Mustich
Aug 13, 2018
Henry James’s novels grew in sophistication and expressive sensitivity throughout his long career, culminating in a trio of late-period revelations: The Wings of the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903), and The Golden Bowl (1904). Yet his masterpiece in the form remains The Portrait of a Lady, published in 1881. On the surface, The Portrait of a Lady is about an American ingenue who charts a singular path into the wider world only to find her singularity no match for that world’s designs and duplicities; at its depth, it’s about how intrepid solitude must become to help an individual maintain her identity under the onslaught of society’s charms and expectations.
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Maree
Feb 19, 2023
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Jessica
Dec 12, 2024
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Jo
Nov 17, 2025
After the death of her father, headstrong Isabel Archer accompanies her aunt back to Europe to "affront her destiny", as Henry James himself put it. A whip-smart girl with great expectations, she enamors her dying witty cousin Ralph Touchett with her determination never to marry and her hunger for knowledge. His attempt to secure her independence, however, backfires when Isabel makes the greatest mistake of her life. "The Portrait of a Lady" takes you deep into Isabel's thoughts and feelings, making it an innovative and pioneering magnum opus.
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