Classic
The Portrait of a Lady
by Henry James
Summary
Spirited American heiress Isabel Archer arrives in Europe determined to live freely, refuses two advantageous suitors, and then walks into a marriage with the refined, cold Gilbert Osmond that slowly reveals itself as a trap. James traces her dawning understanding of how she was maneuvered with a psychological subtlety that transformed what novels could do with an inner life. Isabel's final choice remains one of the most debated endings in American fiction.
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Historical Context & Significance
James published the novel in 1881 after serializing it on both sides of the Atlantic. It is widely considered the masterpiece of his early period and a bridge between Victorian and modern fiction.