Recommended for classic enthusiasts

Whenever I heard of Henry James’s novel The Portrait of a Lady, the storyline that always came to mind was of a lady getting her portrait painted by some artist while sharing her story.

I bought the book right after the Covid-19 pandemic’s lockdown was lifted and was immediately put off by its small print (40’s suck!). The book joined other small print companions till my cousin Taggy announced that she bought a copy herself and was dismayed by the size of the print too (buying books without checking the print size is a default that runs in our family!).

As a motivation for both of us to read the book, I suggested that we read it together as I haven’t had any reading competitions since my brother’s marriage. She liked the idea and agreed to it immediately although I knew that I won’t stand a chance at winning as Taggy was the classics’ fan and expert.

We started the competition and kept exchanging texts about how slow the first few chapters were. By the 10th chapter, Taggy gave up claiming sheer boredom while I – the tenacious Capricorn- continued reading till the end (it took almost two months, as I kept oscillating between being busy and in the canny-be-bothered Scottish mood). The Portrait of a Lady is the story of Isabel Archer, a young American woman, who goes to England to stay with her aunt after the death of her father. There, she meets her aunt’s family: the husband Daniel Touchette and her cousin Ralph. The family are wealthy and live in an estate called Garden court.

Everyone is charmed by Isabel’s independence and rebellious spirit, including Ralph’s good friend Lord Warburton who asks for her hand in marriage but she refuses.

Another suitor appears in the scene, this time it’s a wealthy American businessman called Caspar Goodwood. He had followed Isabel from America as he was in love with her and had asked her to marry him before leaving but she wasn’t sure.

Daniel Touchette dies and leaves a huge sum of money to Isabel. At that time, she meets her aunt’s friend Madam Merle who introduces her to a widower called Gilbert Osmond.

Despite all obvious flows in Osmond’s character, Isabel chooses to marry him and suffer a miserable fate. Even when the opportunity arises to abandon him and start new, she stays as a punishment for her bad choice.

As a woman, I couldn’t relate to Isabel Archer as I couldn’t understand neither her emotions nor the logic behind her decisions. However, I found other female characters such as Madam Merle and Henrietta interesting and well-built.

Pansy - Osmond’s daughter - is the character that I mostly empathised with as her strict upbringing left her with no personality. The male characters made more sense, especially Osmond the most hated and feared man in the book.

There are many themes that James highlights in the book, especially that of freedom and the choices we make. The female characters are free-spirited, independent, and progressive; as James emphasises that this is how the future looks like.

Published in 1881, it’s considered one of James’s well-known novels. James was inspired by the work of George Eliot as he was a fan of her writings.

Isabel Archer’s character is based on James’s cousin Minny Temple, who was charming, curious and brave but died young of tuberculosis.

The book was adapted four times into a movie, the latest was in 2009 starring Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich. The Portrait of a Lady is richly texted and a well imagined tale. Recommended for the classic enthusiasts.