It was back in the fall of 2000 that I first encountered Henry James in a wonderful American Literature class. On the syllabus was Daisy Miller, and I confess: I wasn’t thrilled. I expected it to be tedious, not at all for me. But when I read it, my eyes were opened. I loved Daisy Miller, and before long I had gone on to Washington Square (adored) and The Turn of the Screw (amazing). Ever since, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of tackling one of James’s larger novels—especially The Portrait of a Lady—though I worried it might be hard going. I hadn’t learned my lesson.
But then I got just the kick I needed. @bibliopaul and I invited Lori Feathers to join us on our next podcast episode and she suggested I finally give The Portrait of a Lady a try. Folks, I loved it. Every page, every chapter—I was completely absorbed.
We begin at the Touchetts’ beautiful estate in England, where Mr. Touchett, his son Ralph, and their friend Lord Warburton sit talking on the lawn over afternoon tea. The conversation is witty, gentle, and full of charm—a perfect introduction to James’s world, with two Americans and an English aristocrat exchanging perspectives against this lush backdrop. The descriptions are vibrant, and I found myself happily lingering in the scene.
Then Isabel Archer—a relation from America—arrives. Young, independent, sparkling with intelligence, she brings even more lift into the novel. Suitors gather—an earnest American has followed her overseas, Lord Warburton is immediately taken by her, and even her cousin Ralph harbors his quiet devotion.
But Isabel wants none of it. She insists on her independence, her right to think and live freely. Ralph, admiring this very quality, conspires to give her the means to do so by helping her come into the inheritance that might otherwise have been his. Suddenly Isabel is not only captivating—she is wealthy, and her choices become even more complicated.
Of course, the brightness of those early chapters doesn’t last. James gradually leads Isabel—and us—into a world of manipulation, compromise, and disappointment, where her fierce independence is tested in ways she hadn’t imagined. Some of the most odious and chilling characters I’ve ever read appear in these pages, their cruelty all the more devastating for being cloaked in refinement.
It would be easy enough to keep summarizing the plot, but capturing the intricacies of psychology, emotion, and tone is impossible. This is one of those books that will continue to captivate me as I discover more within its pages.
Have you read The Portrait of a Lady? It has made me eager to explore more of James’s larger novels. Which ones would you recommend?
it’s among my top three novels…..i would recommend ‘wings of the dove’ or ‘the ambassadors’
It might be in my top three too — I’m still processing! Thanks for recommendations! I am looking forward to each of those!
I love James, although it is a masochistic love because James can be one most frustrating author I know at time and he seems to delight in it. He is an author that is often more fun to reread than to read the first time and once you have acquired the taste you will want more of him and thankfully there is a lot of James. James edited much of his early work, creating the “New York editions,” and both versions have admirers, but I mention it since Portrait of a Lady was a heavily edited text and depending on what you read you might check out the other version. Library of America used the earlier editions in their publications. For what to read next, I suggest going a bit smaller and reading The Aspern Papers which is a lot of fun or The Bostonians which is interesting for its early take on feminism and gender. I’d save Wings of a Dove until later because it will give you something to anticipate for the future. Here is a link to the Cambridge Editions to whet your appetite.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/series/cambridge-edition-of-the-complete-fiction-of-henry-james/2D6CA245F265190F139933CA2A87A6A7
Thanks, Samuel! I have heard that there is another version of Portrait out there, though I’m not entirely sure if I read his revised edition or the original (I read it in the B&N Classics line, though I put in an order for the Everyman’s Library edition — and I don’t know what edition it is either!). I will do some searching! And thanks so much for the recommendation of where to go next. I have The Aspern Papers sitting right by me, so maybe I’ll go with that. I also am hankering for a reread of both Washington Square and Daisy Miller . . .
I think my Henry James phase is starting.
Happy to report that my book was the revised edition :-) . I read the blog post by Michael Gorra talking about the two editions and why the LOA chose to publish the original. From what he reports I’m very glad I got this version first!
I read this book at university 50 years ago. The mesmerising description of the moment when the mistress stakes her claim over the husband has never left me.
I was lucky enough to visit the former home of Henry James, Lamb House in Rye, East Sussex, UK this year. An atmospheric visit, you could imagine Isabel Archer strolling round the beautiful gardens.
I, too, have read and very much enjoyed this and other works by Henry James, and really must get back to more of them one of these days—like so many other writers, and the list keeps growing. Yes, I must try, before my time runs out!
I have a somewhat vexed relationship with James and with Portrait – there’s something claustrophobic to me about his style and he can make me very irritable (https://rohanmaitzen.com/2015/11/17/henry-james-writes-irritating-sentences/) – and yet I can’t disagree that there’s something also very rewarding about spending time with his fiction.